Epic Games released a preview build of its redesigned Epic Games Launcher on October 14, 2026, admitting the app was vibe coded using artificial intelligence. The company claims the new launcher is 46% faster on cold starts than Steam and introduces native Linux support for the first time.
Epic Games Rebuilds Its Launcher Using AI
Under founder and CEO Tim Sweeney, developers are retooling applications for maximum AI acceleration. The company started from scratch and relied on generative artificial intelligence to write brand new code in a different tech stack.
Epic Games Store General Manager and VP Martin Keely explained that the team used AI as a tool to refactor backend architecture and build features quickly. General Manager Martin Keely told IGN that the approach allowed a small team to rewrite the codebase, support Windows and Mac, and roll out a Linux version. The software runs on prompt-generated assistance rather than traditional human-authored code from the ground up, a practice known in tech circles as vibe coding.
We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration.The aim isn't to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.
Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look.
Epic Games Store Team, Official Blog Post via Ars Technica
Independent Testing Pits the New App Against Steam
Epic commissioned independent testing in October 2026 by Keywords Studios. Epic describes the initial release as a speedboat rather than a yacht.
It is light on features for now.
It is packed with advanced digital commerce technology like a shopping cart.
The testing evaluated five runs across 13 different computer configurations while excluding the three lowest-end machines. The data shows the new Epic Games Store Launcher reaching the store page from a cold start in 5.47 seconds, compared to 10.07 seconds for Valve Corporation’s Steam platform.
| Metric | Epic Games Launcher Preview | Steam |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Start to Store | 5.47 seconds | 10.07 seconds |
| Restore from System Tray to Library | 0.36 seconds | 0.42 seconds |
Ars Technica’s hands-on testing confirmed that the application goes from a cold start to the store page a few seconds faster than Steam. The real-world difference in restoring from the system tray amounts to just over half a second.
We vibe coded the Epic Games Launcher to be faster than the other guy.Don't believe us? Test it out for yourself in Preview:https://t.co/pdtAeEIri4 pic.twitter.com/aMxojUUVPV
Native Linux Support Opens the Door for Fortnite
For the first time, the Epic Games Launcher is available natively on Linux. The preview build supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer, Fedora 43 or newer, and Debian 12 or newer. However, the company warns that many titles remain Windows-only builds and require a compatibility layer to run properly.
Epic is rebuilding Easy Anti-Cheat to address the security concerns that have kept its flagship battle royale game off desktop Linux and handheld devices. The company stated that once the anti-cheat system works with a critical mass of distro maintainers, it will bring Fortnite to Linux via the new launcher.
Interface Redesign Leaves Out Several Key Features
The preview release reorganizes the user interface.
It features dedicated game pages.
Is this bad boy faster? Yes.Will it have some bugs? Yes.Do we want to hear about them? Hell yes.When you find something that’s off, hit the “Send Feedback” button in the Launcher so we can tackle on the road to release.More deets on how to get started in the blog:… pic.twitter.com/sUoykLAYnQ
It includes customizable top menus and connected libraries that let users view games from other PC launchers in one place.
Search and filtering tools respond dynamically as you type, and the download manager displays real-time read, write, and transfer metrics.
Despite those additions, the software lacks feature parity with the mainline application.
