Support us on Patreon to keep GamingOnLinux alive. This ensures all of our main content remains free for everyone. Just good, fresh content! Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal. You can also buy games using our partner links for GOG and Humble Store.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

While it wasn't made specifically for Linux (like with Minigalaxy for GOG), the in-development community made application 'Legendary' has an aim to be a cross-platform and open source version of the Epic Games Store.

Right now it's quite basic, with it being command-line only but they are planning to implement a UI later. Since the Epic Games Store doesn't serve Linux games, it also relies on you having Wine installed since you will be downloading Windows games with it. As an alternative to running the Epic Games Store in Wine, the Legendary client could end up becoming quite useful for Linux gaming enthusiasts who also used the EGS.

What it currently supports:

  • Authenticate with Epic
  • Download and install games and their DLC
  • Delta patching/updating of installed games
  • Launch games with online authentication

What they have planned:

  • PyPI/PPA distribution
  • Simple GUI for managing/launching games
  • Importing installed games from the EGS launcher
  • Lots and lots of bug fixes, optimizations, and refactoring...

Giving it a quick test today, it seems to work quite well. You can authenticate easily enough, although it requires copying a code you get from logging into Epic Games. From there you can download games and run them.


Pictured: Legendary downloading The Witness from the EGS on Linux

It will be interesting to see what Epic Games think about such a project. They've commented before about wanting more open platforms but how open are they willing to be? Should hopefully be no issue with it, since it requires you to own the games.

Legendary is licensed under the GPL and can be found on GitHub.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
22 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
14 comments

yokem55 Apr 27, 2020
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
This reminds me a bit of how valve adopted/supported steamcmd back in the day before there was a Linux version of steam to allow folks to download windows games that could then be played with Wine. Here's hoping that this can have the same result.
SirLootALot Apr 27, 2020
Just out of curiosity is there any such project for launching and managing steam games, as this would be much more useful for me personally?
Xaero_Vincent Apr 27, 2020
Not very useful IMO since EGS only serves Windows / Mac games and Wine is still needed anyway. Might as well just use the full EGS client. GOG Galaxy makes more sense since the store offer Linux games but not a Linux client.
legluondunet Apr 27, 2020
Quoting: SirLootALotJust out of curiosity is there any such project for launching and managing steam games, as this would be much more useful for me personally?

I'm curious, Steam client is highly configurable and it can even manage more than Steam games.
So what a new Steam client will be more useful for?


Last edited by legluondunet on 27 April 2020 at 9:23 pm UTC
Dennis_Payne Apr 27, 2020
Quoting: SirLootALotJust out of curiosity is there any such project for launching and managing steam games, as this would be much more useful for me personally?
I just started a thread about game managers on the forums here. I've been trying out gamehub recently.
Liam Dawe Apr 27, 2020
Quoting: Xaero_VincentNot very useful IMO since EGS only serves Windows / Mac games and Wine is still needed anyway. Might as well just use the full EGS client. GOG Galaxy makes more sense since the store offer Linux games but not a Linux client.
Depends on your viewpoint. Running an entire client in Wine can be messy, especially through updates and so on. An actual cross-platform client that's open source and available for the platform can have plenty of advantages.
Projectile Vomit Apr 27, 2020
This certainly looks like one to watch! I'll wait until they implement some of those future plans, before I give it the go, but I am looking forward to it.
randyl Apr 27, 2020
Quoting: Liam Dawe
Quoting: Xaero_VincentNot very useful IMO since EGS only serves Windows / Mac games and Wine is still needed anyway. Might as well just use the full EGS client. GOG Galaxy makes more sense since the store offer Linux games but not a Linux client.
Depends on your viewpoint. Running an entire client in Wine can be messy, especially through updates and so on. An actual cross-platform client that's open source and available for the platform can have plenty of advantages.
This is my thought as well.

Installing EGS in WINE has drawbacks right now. Either you need to use the same prefix for all games, which doesn't work well in larger libraries, or install EGS into as many prefixes as separate game installs require. The big drawback here is that they look like separate client installs to Epic. It's just messier, and more likely to trigger anti DRM or suspicious account activity.

If this program works like GameHub or Lutris, we will only need to authenticate once and each game could have its own prefix, or share prefixes with similarly configured games.
Mordrag Apr 27, 2020
Integration in Lutris would be a fine move
Schattenspiegel Apr 28, 2020
Quoting: randylInstalling EGS in WINE has drawbacks right now. Either you need to use the same prefix for all games, which doesn't work well in larger libraries, or install EGS into as many prefixes as separate game installs require. The big drawback here is that they look like separate client installs to Epic. It's just messier, and more likely to trigger anti DRM or suspicious account activity.

If this program works like GameHub or Lutris, we will only need to authenticate once and each game could have its own prefix, or share prefixes with similarly configured games.
True, it could solve the problem for the few titles that need Epic Store Authentication. You can use the EGS as a simple downloader and then run most of the games without it, in separate wine bottles, though.
SirLootALot Apr 28, 2020
Quoting: PatolaSteamCMD which is a Valve project itself, and also the Linux game managers like Lutris and Gamehub can recognize and manage steam entries. What exactly are you looking for?

Quoting: legluondunetI'm curious, Steam client is highly configurable and it can even manage more than Steam games.
So what a new Steam client will be more useful for?

Steam is rather annoying with its pop-up ads at startup. Also all the tracking of playtime and sharing it with people from my friendslist by default is bad. I am aware you can launch Steam in offline mode and disable notifications and overlays and sharing information, my point is really that the defaults are bad. And any software that needs to be relaunched into an offline mode when the connection to the internet is lost is designed badly in my opinion. Also if I could use an open source program instead of steam I would prefer that. And this would probably integrate better designwise wit modern desktop environments by using gtk or QT. And instead of updating at startup a properly packaged open source client could update when I update my system.
Lutris is great as a launcher but for updates and whatnot you still need Steam.
crt0mega Apr 30, 2020
I still don't like Epic but as soon as GameHub adapts this...
ageres May 6, 2020
Is it possible to use Legendary with MangoHud?
crt0mega May 7, 2020
Quoting: crt0megaI still don't like Epic but as soon as GameHub adapts this...
Update: Looks like someone's working on it: https://github.com/tkashkin/GameHub/pull/377


Last edited by crt0mega on 7 May 2020 at 8:40 am UTC
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.