Epic Games has released a preview of a rebuilt Epic Games Launcher that the company says is faster and now runs on Linux, The Verge and PC Gamer reported.

In a blog post, Epic said the new app was "vibe coded," a term for using AI tools to write code, both outlets reported. "Programming is hard," Epic wrote, The Verge reported. "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 claims it has cut the launcher's startup time in half, PC Gamer reported. It says the app goes from a cold start to the store page 46% faster than Steam. Epic says an outside vendor checked those numbers, PC Gamer reported, but the outlet had not yet tested the app itself.

The library view has been redesigned and can show shortcuts to games installed through Steam and other apps, PC Gamer reported.

"We used AI as a tool for this," Martin Keely, who runs the Epic Games Store, told The Verge. "It's part of our migration as a company to use AI in new and different ways." Keely said agents wrote and reviewed the code, while the team "supervised the entirety of what we did," The Verge reported.

On Monday, CEO Tim Sweeney said Epic has a "huge pivot underway" to "retool for maximum AI acceleration," both outlets reported.

The preview is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, and the old launcher will remain available, The Verge reported. Epic also said it plans to bring Fortnite to Linux, both outlets reported. It is upgrading its Easy Anti-Cheat tool to make that possible, PC Gamer reported.

What we know: Epic's rebuilt launcher is out in preview on Windows, Mac and Linux, and Epic says AI helped write it.
What we don't: When the new launcher will fully replace the old one, and when Fortnite will reach Linux.