Epic Games has launched the preview of a new version of its PC launcher, the application used to access Epic Games Store, the library, and services tied to the company's games. The most visible changes involve performance and the interface, but the element drawing the most attention is the process behind how the software was built: Epic openly describes it as a vibe coding project, meaning it was developed by relying on artificial intelligence tools to generate and refactor code.
The preview promises faster startup times, more responsive input, and a refreshed design. Furthermore, for the first time, the launcher is being offered with Linux support. Epic claims the app launches 46% faster than Steam—a comparison that should be taken as data provided by the company itself, and one that is not enough on its own to determine which client offers the better day-to-day experience. Startup time is only one part of a launcher's overall quality: reliability, resource consumption, downloads, social feature integration, and compatibility with individual titles all play a role.
A public test, not yet the release for everyone
The new Epic Games Launcher is available in preview, meaning it does not yet represent the client intended for general release. Epic itself urges caution and points out that, at this stage, the preview is not recommended for competitive gamers. This is a notable caveat for an app that does far more than just buy and launch games: for many users, the launcher handles installations, updates, access to online services, and processes that need to run seamlessly, especially when jumping into a match.
Linux compatibility is likely the other most significant concrete development. On PC, Steam has built a particularly strong position over the years, partly thanks to its work on the Linux ecosystem and Steam Deck. The official arrival of Epic's launcher on this operating system does not close that gap, nor does it automatically mean that every game in the catalog will run without limitations. However, it does represent an expansion of the platform: for Linux users, it means being able to test the native client, while for Epic, it opens up a channel that was previously not covered in the same way.
The company did not present the update as a simple technical rewrite. The broader message is that the new app serves as an example of the direction Epic wants to take in software development. In an official post, the company summed up the initiative with a deliberately provocative phrase, explaining that coding is hard and that, for this reason, the team “vibe coded” the new launcher.
What Epic means by “vibe coded”
The phrase does not describe software built without developers. In the tech debate, vibe coding is used to refer to an approach where natural language prompts, agents, and programming assistants generate code snippets, propose changes, and help iterate quickly on the product. The risk of the phrasing is that it conjures up an automatic, uncontrolled process; Epic’s explanations, however, outline the use of AI as a tool within team-guided work.
Martin Keely, Vice President and General Manager of Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services, explained that AI proved useful both in testing and in replicating the core features of the previous launcher. According to Keely, agents wrote and reviewed the code, but the development team managed the process and oversaw the outcome. It is a substantial distinction: automation can speed up the creation of repetitive components and checks, but assessing requirements, quality, security, regressions, and real-world app behavior remains essential.
The new launcher was under development for much of the year and was therefore not born as an immediate reaction to the latest corporate announcements on AI. However, it embodies the same mindset. Epic believes these tools can accelerate the migration of existing products, bolster testing, and make it possible to reach additional platforms, such as Linux, with less manual work on repetitive tasks.
The move fits into Tim Sweeney’s strategy
The unveiling of the client comes as Epic is publicly accelerating its push into artificial intelligence. CEO Tim Sweeney spoke of a broad internal reorganization to gear teams more heavily toward AI-assisted development. The stated goal is not to maintain the same output with fewer people, but rather to enable employees to build more and better products, ultimately extending these benefits to teams working with Unreal.
It is a promise that will need measurable results. In consumer software, especially when dealing with platforms used by millions of gamers, development speed only holds value if it does not bring instability or a loss of control. A launcher may seem like a secondary product compared to Fortnite or Unreal Engine, but it is actually a rather concrete testing ground: it has a vast install base, must run across widely differing PC configurations, and handles a range of tasks that users tend to notice only when they stop working.
The decision to make the use of AI explicit is just as significant. Many companies already use coding assistants without turning the process into a product messaging point. Epic, by contrast, is tying the rollout of the new launcher to its own organizational transformation. This puts the project under scrutiny: any improvements in speed and cross-platform support will serve as arguments in favor of the approach, while bugs, compatibility issues, or delays could fuel skepticism over how mature the model actually is.
The challenge is not just against Steam
The comparison with Steam is inevitable, but it goes beyond startup times. Valve boasts a far more established ecosystem, an enormous library, mature features, and a significant footprint on Linux. Epic, on the other hand, has spent recent years trying to strengthen its store through exclusives, free games, developer tools, and integration with its suite of online services. A leaner launcher available across more operating systems may reduce one of the points of friction felt by users, but it does not automatically resolve the differences between the two platforms.
For Epic, the immediate benefit could also be internal. If AI-assisted work truly enables updating a complex application in less time while maintaining sufficient human oversight, the same model could be applied to the company's internal tools, services, and workflows. Keely clarified, however, that the launcher team did not adopt a model devoid of hand-written code. The "AI does everything" narrative therefore does not align with what the project leaders themselves described.
Over the coming months, feedback from the preview will be what matters most. Epic will have to prove that the claimed performance holds up across different hardware and configurations, that Linux receives practically viable support, and that the app maintains the stability required by daily store users. The new launcher is a fresh product release, but also a public test for Epic's AI strategy: its outcome will offer something far more concrete than mere statements about the role coding agents can play in developing software built for millions of people.
