Fortnite Is Coming to Linux, but Steam Deck Support Is Still Up in the Air

At last, an announcement many players have been waiting years for: Epic Games has confirmed that Fortnite is coming to Linux. According to Dexerto, the move is part of a major overhaul of Easy Anti-Cheat, Epic's own anti-cheat system that protects its battle royale and is also used by many other competitive games. There's a significant catch in the fine print, though: the company isn't guaranteeing this will translate into support for Steam Deck.

Why does it matter? Because Fortnite has been one of the biggest absentees from the Linux ecosystem. That has shut out people who run Linux on their PCs, as well as the huge user base of Valve's handheld, which runs on SteamOS. Epic changing its stance signals that anti-cheat, the long-standing obstacle, is finally being adapted. Even so, it's too early to celebrate: we still don't know how, when or on which devices people will be able to play.

What you need to know

• Epic Games has officially confirmed that Fortnite will get a Linux version.
• The launch goes hand in hand with a thorough overhaul of Easy Anti-Cheat.
• Steam Deck support is not guaranteed, even though the handheld runs a Linux-based operating system.
• The core information comes from Dexerto. For now, the source gives no specific release date.

Anti-cheat is the real story

Fortnite may be in the headline, but the heart of this story is Easy Anti-Cheat. In a game with a cosmetics economy, tournaments with real money on the line and millions of matches every day, stopping cheaters isn't a technical footnote. It's what upholds competitive integrity. For a long time, Linux was seen as a harder environment to monitor, which explains why the game stayed off the platform.

Epic announcing a major overhaul of its anti-cheat system suggests it has found a way to protect the game on Linux without opening the door to cheaters. If it works, the benefits could extend beyond Fortnite: many titles that rely on Easy Anti-Cheat could take advantage of the same technical foundation. To be clear, that last point is our own interpretation, not something Epic has confirmed.

So why isn't Steam Deck a sure thing?

This is where it gets interesting. Steam Deck runs on a Linux-based operating system, so logically you'd expect support to come automatically. But Epic isn't promising it. There could be plenty of reasons: performance, certification, differences between a desktop distribution and SteamOS, or simply business decisions. The source doesn't explain why, so we won't speculate on any specific reason. What is clear is that owners of Valve's handheld will have to wait and see.

Our take

Here in the Underworld Lordz newsroom, we see this as only half good news. Fortnite coming to Linux is a logical step, and arguably an overdue one. The Linux gaming community has kept growing, and many competitive players and content creators use it for stability, privacy or simple preference. Until now, they had to keep a Windows partition around just for one game. That's coming to an end, and we applaud it.

But leaving Steam Deck in doubt is, honestly, the most frustrating part. For many players, especially in regions where a powerful gaming PC is expensive, Valve's handheld is their main way to play. It's also an appealing tool for content creators: recording matches on the go, running tests or doing casual streams. Announcing Linux support without clarifying the Steam Deck situation feels like opening the door only halfway.

From a competitive standpoint, what matters most to us is that the Easy Anti-Cheat overhaul actually works. If bringing the game to more platforms means more cheaters in ranked matches or tournaments, nobody wins. Epic needs to prove it can expand its reach without sacrificing integrity. We're giving them the benefit of the doubt, but we'll be watching closely.

What do you think?

Would you give Fortnite on Linux a try, or do you think Epic is falling short if Steam Deck support never materializes? Tell us where you stand in the team chat or drop by our Discord to discuss it: does this news change anything about the way you play?