Linux gaming is getting more interesting as the open-source community is providing better support and tools for gamers. Now, yet another game launcher — Heroic Games Launcher is here to specifically act as a native alternative to Epic Games Store.
Lutris Gaming already supports the Epic Games Store on Linux. So, this is yet another option for those who want to use the game store on their Linux system.
Heroic Games Launcher is an unofficial Epic Games Store for Linux. It is actually a GUI front-end for the Legendary tool. Legendary is an open-source game launcher that can install and run games from the Epic Games platform on Linux and Windows. However, there was no GUI for Legendary until now.
Heroic Games Launcher is a New Offering for Linux Gamers
Since Heroic Games Launcher is in its Beta stage, some basic features are available right now. Here is an overview of the available features right now.
- Login and Logout options for your existing Epic Games account
- View your personal Game Library
- Check basic information about your games
- Ability to Install or uninstall games
- Play games using the default wine and default prefix
- Sync saves with cloud
- Open a game page on the Epic store
- Search for the game on ProtonDB
The application gives you some basic features like the login and logout functions for your Epic Games account. You can view your personal Game Library from the app. It also allows you to install and uninstall games directly from the launcher.
You can use the default wine and default prefix on your system to play games. The developers also added cloud sync, but it seems to be a bit buggy right now. Other features include opening the game page on the Epic store and a ProtonDB search option.
If you have used Legendary before, it should load your library and installed games. If not, you need to log in and follow the instructions.
Unofficial Support for Epic Game Store on Linux Desktop
Epic Games is currently limited to providing games for Windows and Mac. So, there is no official support for Linux yet.
But, this doesn’t stop you from running games available at Epic Games Store on your Linux system. As Heroic Games Launcher evolves to provide support for Linux gamers, the developer plans to add more features in the future.
Not a bad start for an unofficial Epic Games Launcher for Linux!
The user interference of this app is based on research conducted by web designer Biliane Moreira. She conducted research on Linux Gamers to collect data on the ease of usage, interference, and other features. This means that the app will keep improving in terms of looks as well as performance.
What’s more exciting is that the developers have already notified about the upcoming features. Let’s take a look at some of these features.
You will be able to use custom wine (Lutris Wine/Proton). Running games on custom wine prefixes will be an option in the future. Features like importing already installed games and the option to sync installed games with an existing Epic Games installation folder will be available in future versions of the app.
In addition to that, you will be able to get the ‘free game of the week’ from the game store. You will also be able to install multiple games at the same time and add games outside the Epic Store.
Another promising feature is the application’s integration with other stores, which will enable you to install and play games on Linux from multiple platforms.
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Installing Heroic Games Launcher in Linux
You can find installation packages in the form of DEB, RPM, Pacman, tar.xz, and AppImage. If you prefer, you can also build it from source.
There is also an AUR version if you’re using Arch Linux.
Closing Thoughts
Gaming on Linux looks more promising with the open-source community’s active support and contributions. With Lutris and Heroic Games Launcher supporting Epic Games Store, Linux gamers now have more options to enjoy games on Linux.
I see this application as promising, since it is designed based on research that targets Linux gamers. This gives insights to the developers to work on what users actually want. Although the application is in its beta stage, it is worth giving a try since gaming on Linux is just as exciting.
What do you think of this? Let me know in the comments below.
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