Overview
- Epic published the public preview of the rebuilt Epic Games Launcher on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, offering Windows, macOS and, for the first time, a native Linux build.
- The company says the client was developed using generative-AI “vibe coding,” meaning AI agents helped write and review code while engineers supervised the process.
- Epic cites external testing that shows a 5.47‑second cold start to the store page versus Steam’s 10.07 seconds, a claimed 46 percent improvement that independent verification is still pending.
- The preview omits some features from the current launcher and has already generated user reports of bugs such as freezing, non‑working buttons and visual glitches, so Epic is keeping the old launcher available and soliciting feedback.
- The release signals a broader shift at Epic toward AI-driven workflows, includes plans to rebuild Easy Anti‑Cheat to bring Fortnite to Linux, and raises industry questions about security, maintainability and long-term support for AI-generated code.