You just bought a Steam Deck. It feels incredible in your hands, the screen is gorgeous, and the haptics are clicking away. But then you realize something annoying: your massive library of free games from the Epic Games Store isn't there. Valve didn't exactly make it easy to jump outside their walled garden, but honestly, it’s not as restricted as it looks.
Can you play Epic Games on Steam Deck? Yeah, absolutely.
It’s just not a "one-click" situation like it is on Windows. You’ve basically got three main paths to take here, and which one you choose depends entirely on how much you like tinkering with Linux or if you just want things to work. You don't need to be a software engineer, but you do need about fifteen minutes and a little bit of patience.
Why Steam Doesn't Just Invite Epic Over for Dinner
Valve and Epic are rivals. It’s that simple. Steam runs on SteamOS, which is a version of Linux, and the Epic Games Launcher is built strictly for Windows. When you play a game on the Deck, Steam uses a translation layer called Proton to trick the game into thinking it's on Windows.
Epic doesn't have a native Linux client. They haven't shown much interest in making one either. Tim Sweeney has been pretty vocal about the complexities of supporting various Linux configurations, especially when you factor in Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) issues. So, the burden of making these games run falls on the community and a few clever third-party developers.
Heroic Games Launcher: The Crowd Favorite
If you ask anyone in the Steam Deck subreddit how to do this, they’ll point you toward Heroic Games Launcher. It’s an open-source, native Linux app that acts as a frontend for Epic, GOG, and Amazon Games.
It’s clean.
To get it, you have to switch your Steam Deck to Desktop Mode. Hold the power button, select "Switch to Desktop," and wait for it to load. Once you're there, open the Discover Software Center (it looks like a blue shopping bag icon) and search for Heroic. Install it, log in with your Epic credentials, and you'll see your whole library staring back at you.
One thing that confuses people is why their games don't show up in the "Gaming Mode" interface immediately. You have to manually add them. In Heroic, there’s an option in the settings for each game to "Add to Steam." Once you do that, the game appears in your Steam library under the "Non-Steam" category. It’s a bit of a manual process, but once it’s set up, it feels almost native.
The real magic of Heroic is how it handles Wine and Proton versions. You can pick specific versions of GE-Proton (a community-built version of Valve’s software) that often fix bugs Valve hasn't touched yet. For instance, if Alan Wake 2 is acting choppy, switching the "Wine Version" inside Heroic settings can sometimes stabilize your frame rates instantly.
The Junkie Store Alternative: NonSteamLaunchers
Maybe you don't want a separate app. Maybe you just want the actual, official Epic Games Launcher running inside Steam. There is a script for that. It's called NonSteamLaunchers.
Created by developer Morariv, this tool is a godsend for people who hate manual configuration. You download the script from GitHub, run it, and check the boxes for the launchers you want—Epic, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, whatever. It handles the folder structures and the Proton shortcuts for you.
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There’s a catch, though. Using the official Epic launcher on a handheld is kind of a pain. It’s designed for a mouse and keyboard. The text is tiny. Navigating it with the trackpads feels like trying to perform surgery with oven mitts. However, this is often the most "compatible" way to play because you’re using the software Epic actually built, even if it is running through a compatibility layer.
What About Anti-Cheat? The Big Red Wall
Here is where things get annoying. Just because you can install a game doesn't mean it will play.
Take Fortnite. It’s Epic’s biggest game. You can install it on your Steam Deck through Heroic or the official launcher all day long, but the second you try to jump into a match, you’ll get kicked. Why? Anti-cheat. Epic’s version of Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) for Fortnite specifically looks for a Windows kernel. Since the Steam Deck runs Linux, the anti-cheat triggers a "NOPE" and boots you to the menu.
- Games that work great: Cyberpunk 2077, Grand Theft Auto V, Control, Death Stranding.
- Games that usually fail: Fortnite, Fall Guys (unless you use specific workarounds), and most competitive shooters with kernel-level protection.
It’s a bummer, I know. If your main goal is Fortnite, your only real options are installing Windows on an SD card or using a cloud streaming service like Xbox Cloud Gaming or GeForce Now.
Junk Store: The New Kid on the Block
There’s a newer plugin called Junk Store that works directly within Decky Loader. If you aren't familiar, Decky Loader is a framework that lets you add plugins to the Steam Deck’s UI. Junk Store allows you to install and manage Epic games without ever leaving the "Gaming Mode" interface.
It feels like a professional integration. No jumping to Desktop Mode every time you want a new game. However, it can be a little finicky to install the first time, and it requires you to be comfortable with Decky Loader, which is a third-party tool itself.
Performance Reality Check
Does an Epic game run worse than a Steam game? Sometimes.
When you buy a game on Steam, Valve pre-compiles "shader caches" for the Steam Deck. This prevents the "stuttering" you often see in PC games when new effects appear on screen. When you play via Epic, you don't get those pre-compiled shaders. Your Deck has to build them on the fly.
This means the first 10-20 minutes of a game might have some hitching. It usually smooths out as you play, but it’s a noticeable difference if you’re sensitive to frame timing.
Also, keep an eye on your storage. Installing launchers through different methods can lead to "phantom data" where several gigabytes of Proton files are duplicated across your drive. If you're on a 64GB or 256GB Deck, this adds up fast. I’d recommend a high-speed microSD card specifically for your non-Steam library to keep your internal SSD clean.
Actionable Steps to Get Started
If you’re ready to stop reading and start playing, here is the most stable path forward:
- Install ProtonUp-Qt: Switch to Desktop Mode, find this in the Discover store. Use it to download the latest version of GE-Proton. This fixes most "black screen" issues in Epic games.
- Get Heroic Games Launcher: Also in the Discover store. It is the most transparent way to see what’s happening with your files.
- Log in and Test Small: Don't start by downloading a 100GB game. Download a small indie title you own on Epic first to verify that your controls and Proton settings are working.
- Use the "Add to Steam" button: Inside Heroic, click the game's settings and hit "Add to Steam." This lets you use Steam’s built-in controller remapping, which is way better than any third-party tool.
- Check ProtonDB: Before you spend three hours troubleshooting, search for the game on ProtonDB. Even if you own it on Epic, the Steam version reports will tell you if the game is fundamentally broken on Linux.
The Steam Deck is a PC. That’s its greatest strength. You aren't locked into Valve's ecosystem, you just have to be willing to open a few doors yourself. Once you get Heroic set up, that massive backlog of free Epic games finally becomes portable, and that's when the Deck really starts to feel like the ultimate gaming machine.