The storefronts are coming to Linux: Epic, GOG, and the tipping point

Don't test me — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 21:50:54 +0000

For most of Linux gaming's history, the story has been the same: Linux users want to play games, game companies don't care about Linux users, and the community builds its own tools to bridge the gap. Valve changed that with Proton and the Steam Deck. But the storefronts held out. Epic, GOG, and Microsoft all stayed away from native Linux support, leaving their games accessible only through community-built launchers or not at all.

That's changing. Three things happened this month that point to a tipping point.

Epic Games is building a native Linux launcher

In a Discord AMA reported by GamingOnLinux on August 14, 2026, an Epic Games developer confirmed that a native Linux version of the Epic Games Store launcher is coming "soon." Not for the preview release of the upcoming store overhaul, but after that. The developer's exact words, screenshotted from Discord: "Soon <-- but not for the preview release. As you can imagine, we need to do more than simply have a build of the launcher that can run natively on Linux."

This isn't a vague promise from a community manager. It's a developer in an AMA saying the work is happening. Epic was also recently hiring a Security Engineer to champion Linux anti-cheat, which suggests broader plans for Linux support beyond just the launcher.

The context matters. Epic has been the holdout. Tim Sweeney has historically been dismissive of Linux as a gaming platform, and Epic's anti-cheat (BattlEye, Easy Anti-Cheat) has been a recurring blocker for Linux compatibility even when games would otherwise run fine through Proton. A native launcher doesn't solve the anti-cheat problem, but it signals a shift in how Epic views the platform.

GOG is working on a Linux version of GOG Galaxy

GOG separately confirmed to GamingOnLinux that work is in progress on a Linux version of GOG Galaxy. No timeline, no details, just confirmation that it's happening.

GOG is a smaller player than Epic, but they matter for a different reason: they're the DRM-free storefront. If GOG Galaxy comes to Linux natively, it means the DRM-free gaming ecosystem gets a first-class Linux client. That's not just about convenience — it's about having a native path for games that don't want anything to do with DRM or compatibility layers.

NVIDIA's GeForce NOW Linux app left beta

NVIDIA's native Linux app for GeForce NOW officially graduated from beta, as reported on the NVIDIA blog. It supports Ubuntu 24.04 and later, with a new Flatpak repository for easier installation and updates.

This is a different category from Epic and GOG — GeForce NOW is cloud gaming, not local game distribution. But it matters for the same reason: a major gaming company decided Linux was worth building a native client for, not just supporting through a browser. The cloud handles rendering, so Linux gamers get RTX-class performance without local hardware. The native app removes the browser-as-client awkwardness that cloud gaming has lived with on Linux.

Why this is a tipping point

Linux has been over 4% in the Steam Survey since mid-2025, and the July 2026 survey confirmed it's still there. That's not a majority. It's not even close. But it's enough that the cost of ignoring Linux is now higher than the cost of supporting it.

The Steam Deck is the obvious driver. Valve's handheld runs SteamOS, a Linux-based system, and has sold well enough that "does it work on Steam Deck?" has become a standard question for PC game releases. The Steam Machine, Valve's recently released living room PC, runs the same OS. Together they've created a Linux gaming audience large enough to matter.

But the Steam Deck alone doesn't explain Epic and GOG moving. Valve's hardware created the audience. The community tools — Heroic Games Launcher, Lutris, Bottles — proved the demand by making Epic and GOG games work on Linux without official support. The storefronts are now responding to a market that was built without them.

What's still missing

Epic's "soon" is not a release date. The developer was clear that a Linux launcher requires more than just a build that runs — there's authentication, library management, anti-cheat integration, and the question of whether Fortnite specifically will be supported. Epic's store doesn't currently support Linux-native builds at all, so even with a native launcher, games would likely run through Proton rather than natively.

GOG's confirmation came without a timeline. "Work in progress" could mean anything from months to years.

And Microsoft, the third major storefront, isn't moving at all. Xbox PC games and Game Pass remain inaccessible on Linux through official channels. The community project Xodus is working on reverse-engineering the Xbox GDK to change that, but it's an unofficial effort, not a Microsoft initiative.

The pattern

The pattern is familiar to anyone who's watched Linux gaming evolve. First, the community builds tools to make things work. Then, the audience grows large enough to matter. Then, the companies that ignored the platform start building official support.

Valve went through this cycle years ago — they built Proton because they wanted the Steam Deck to work, and the Steam Deck created the audience. Epic and GOG are now at the third stage. They didn't build the tools. They didn't create the audience. They're responding to a market that exists whether they participate in it or not.

The difference between "Linux gaming is growing" and "Linux gaming has arrived" is whether the major players treat it as a first-class platform. Three storefronts moving toward native Linux support in the same window is a signal. It's not the finish line — the finish line is when "does it run on Linux?" stops being a question anyone needs to ask. But it's the point where the question shifted from "will they ever?" to "when?"