Heroic Games Launcher has become the default answer for anyone who wants their Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Games (Prime Gaming) libraries in one place without running three separate storefront clients. The open-source launcher now sits at 11,843 GitHub stars and ships a new release roughly every month, but most guides online only cover a single platform or skip the parts that actually break: Wine/Proton configuration, Steam Deck Game Mode integration, and the Arch Linux packaging quirk that trips up even experienced users. This tutorial walks through a complete Heroic Games Launcher setup – Linux, Steam Deck, Windows, and macOS – in 12 steps, roughly 30 minutes from a clean system to a launched game.
What Is Heroic Games Launcher?
Heroic Games Launcher is an open-source, GPLv3-licensed game launcher that unifies the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Games (Prime Gaming) into a single interface on Linux, Windows, and macOS. It was created by developer Flavio Lima at the end of December 2020, originally as a graphical front end for Legendary, a command-line tool for the Epic Games Store. The project has since grown into a full Electron application maintained by an active community, with the source hosted at github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher.
As of this writing, the repository sits at 11,843 stars and 646 forks, with the current stable release at version 2.22.0, codenamed “Hajrudin,” published on 16 May 2026. Under the hood, Heroic doesn’t reimplement store logic itself – it orchestrates three independent, separately maintained open-source backend tools: Legendary for Epic Games Store, gogdl for GOG, and Nile for Amazon Games. That modular design means a change to one storefront’s API only requires updating its dedicated backend tool rather than the whole application, which is part of why Heroic has kept pace with all three stores without long outages.
The official project site at heroicgameslauncher.com hosts downloads, FAQ, and release notes, and is a reliable reference to bookmark alongside this guide since Heroic ships updates frequently enough that specific menu labels can shift between versions.
Heroic exists largely because of a gap none of the big three storefronts have closed themselves: Epic Games Store and Amazon Games have never shipped a native Linux client, and GOG’s own Galaxy app is Windows-only as well, with a macOS build that lags behind in features. Anyone who moved to Linux – whether on a desktop, a Steam Deck, or another handheld – was previously stuck either dual-booting into Windows or fighting with a raw Wine prefix by hand for each store separately. Heroic’s whole value proposition is collapsing that into one maintained, actively updated application instead of three separate, unofficial workarounds.
How Heroic Games Launcher’s Backend Works: Legendary, gogdl, and Nile
It’s worth understanding the architecture before installing anything, because it explains both Heroic’s strengths and a few of its rougher edges. Heroic itself is an Electron application – essentially the user interface layer – and it doesn’t talk to Epic, GOG, or Amazon’s servers directly. Instead, it shells out to three separate, independently versioned open-source command-line tools, one per storefront:
- Legendary – the oldest of the three, a reverse-engineered, open-source command-line client for the Epic Games Store. Heroic began life as a graphical front end for Legendary before growing into its own project.
- gogdl – the GOG-focused backend, handling GOG’s own download and installation API, including GOG’s DRM-free installers.
- Nile – the newest of the three, added to support Amazon Games (Prime Gaming), named after the river rather than the company.
The practical benefit of this split is resilience: when one storefront changes its API or authentication flow, only that backend tool needs an update, rather than the entire Heroic codebase. It also means advanced users aren’t fully locked into the GUI – Legendary in particular is stable and scriptable enough that some users run it standalone on headless servers, with Heroic reserved for desktop use (the Advanced Tips section further down shows the basic commands).
Why Gamers Are Choosing Heroic Games Launcher Over Native Clients
The most obvious reason to install Heroic Games Launcher is consolidation: instead of Epic Games Launcher, GOG Galaxy, and the Amazon Games app running as three separate background processes, one interface handles all three libraries. On Linux specifically, Heroic is often the only practical way to run an Epic or Amazon Games title at all, since none of those three companies ship a native Linux client.
Beyond consolidation, Heroic has a few concrete advantages that keep coming up in comparisons with Lutris, Playnite, and the official storefront apps:
- Zero runtime overhead – the Heroic process itself closes once a game launches, rather than sitting in the background consuming memory the way some official clients do.
- Built-in Wine and Proton management – a “Wine Manager” downloads and manages compatibility runtimes directly inside the app, so Linux and macOS users don’t need a separate package manager step just to get a working Proton build.
- Steam Deck and Bazzite integration – Heroic installs cleanly through Discover on Steam Deck and is bundled directly into Bazzite’s Game Mode experience on other SteamOS-like distributions.
- Per-game cloud saves toggle – cloud saves can be enabled per game (when the underlying store supports them for that title), rather than being all-or-nothing.
- Mod-manager integration for select titles – Heroic ships REDMod integration for Cyberpunk 2077 mod management directly in the launcher.
None of this makes Heroic Games Launcher a strict upgrade over every alternative – Lutris, for instance, supports a broader set of storefronts including Battle.net and Ubisoft Connect, plus emulators via community install scripts, which Heroic does not attempt. The comparison table later in this guide breaks down exactly where each tool’s scope starts and ends.
It’s also worth being clear about what Heroic is not. It isn’t a DRM-cracking tool, a piracy client, or a way to access games you haven’t purchased – every install still goes through the real Epic, GOG, or Amazon backend, using your real account and your real license entitlements. What Heroic changes is the client, not the ownership model: GOG’s DRM-free installers stay DRM-free, and Epic or Amazon titles still enforce whatever licensing those stores normally apply.
Prerequisites and System Requirements
Heroic Games Launcher is lightweight compared to most of what it launches. The official system requirements, per the project’s downloads page, are modest enough that almost any machine built in the last decade clears them:
| Platform | Minimum Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 37+, Arch and derivatives, SteamOS | Flatpak recommended across all distros |
| Windows | Windows 10 / 11 | Native x64 build, plus a native ARM64 build for Copilot+ PCs and Surface devices |
| macOS | macOS 14+ | Separate builds for Apple Silicon and Intel |
| Disk space | ~500 MB | App only – each Proton/Wine runtime you add needs roughly 1-2 GB more |
| RAM | 2 GB | Minimum for the launcher itself, not the games it runs |
| CPU | 1.8 GHz dual-core | Baseline; actual games will demand far more |
You’ll also need at least one account among Epic Games, GOG, or Amazon Games – all three are free to create if you don’t already have one, and none require a paid subscription just to sign in (Amazon Games specifically ties free monthly titles to Prime membership, but the client and account creation itself are free). If you plan to run Windows-only games on Linux or macOS, budget extra disk space for GE-Proton or Wine-GE builds, which the in-app Wine Manager downloads separately from the launcher itself. A stable internet connection matters more than raw speed here – game installs can be tens of gigabytes, but the Wine/Proton runtime downloads Heroic needs are a few hundred megabytes at most.
Step 1-3: Installing Heroic Games Launcher on Linux
Linux has the most installation options of any platform Heroic supports: Flatpak, AppImage, and native .deb/.rpm/.pacman packages are all maintained. Flatpak is the officially recommended path because it handles sandboxing and dependency updates automatically, and it’s the same package format used on Steam Deck.
Flatpak Installation (Recommended)
Step 1. Confirm Flathub is enabled, then install directly from the terminal:
flatpak install flathub com.heroicgameslauncher.hglExpect output similar to this once the install completes:
Installing in system:
Heroic Games Launcher com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl stable i 387.4 MB
Installation complete.Step 2. Launch it from your applications menu, or from the terminal:
flatpak run com.heroicgameslauncher.hglThe whole Flatpak install typically finishes in under 10 minutes on a normal broadband connection, and it’s also available directly through GNOME Software, KDE Discover, or any other Flatpak-aware software center if you’d rather avoid the terminal entirely.
The Flatpak route has a practical security benefit worth calling out beyond convenience: Flatpak applications run inside a sandbox with restricted access to the rest of your filesystem by default, rather than the broad system access a traditional .deb or .rpm install typically has. For a launcher whose whole job is downloading and executing third-party game binaries, that sandboxing is a meaningfully smaller attack surface than an unsandboxed native package – one reason Flatpak is the default recommendation across most of Heroic’s own documentation.
AppImage and Native Packages
Step 3. If you’d rather not use Flatpak, download the AppImage from the GitHub releases page, make it executable, and run it directly – no installation step required:
chmod +x Heroic-2.22.0.AppImage
./Heroic-2.22.0.AppImageDebian and Ubuntu users can instead grab the .deb package from the same releases page and install it with your usual package manager, and Fedora/openSUSE users can do the same with the .rpm build.
One packaging detail worth getting right: on Arch Linux and its derivatives (Manjaro, EndeavourOS, CachyOS), Heroic Games Launcher is not in the official Extra repository – it’s AUR-only. Install it with an AUR helper such as yay:
yay -S heroic-games-launcher-binThe `-bin` package installs a prebuilt binary and updates faster; a `-git` variant is also available on the AUR if you want to track development builds directly from source.
Step 4: Installing Heroic Games Launcher on Steam Deck
Steam Deck uses the same Flatpak package as any other Linux distribution, and installing it doesn’t require the terminal at all:
- Switch from Gaming Mode to Desktop Mode (Steam button → Power → Switch to Desktop).
- Open Discover, the Steam Deck’s app store for Desktop Mode.
- Search for “Heroic Games Launcher” and confirm the result shows the Flathub source.
- Click Install and wait for the download to finish.
Once installed, open Heroic from Desktop Mode at least once to log into your storefront accounts and confirm everything works before switching back to Gaming Mode. Later in this guide, Step 11 covers adding Heroic itself – and the games installed through it – to Steam Deck’s Game Mode so you don’t have to switch to Desktop Mode every time you want to play.
Because Discover installs the exact same Flathub-distributed Flatpak used on any other Linux desktop, there’s no Steam-Deck-specific fork to keep track of – updates, bug fixes, and new Heroic releases land on Steam Deck at the same time they land everywhere else. This also means storage considerations are identical to a regular Linux install: budget the ~500 MB for Heroic itself plus roughly 1-2 GB per Proton/Wine build you download later in Step 8, on top of whatever your actual game library needs.
Step 5: Installing Heroic Games Launcher on Windows
Windows users have three install paths: the standard installer .exe, a portable .exe that needs no installation, or WinGet from the command line. WinGet is the fastest for anyone comfortable with PowerShell or Windows Terminal:
winget install HeroicGamesLauncher.HeroicGamesLauncherExpect output similar to this:
Found Heroic Games Launcher [HeroicGamesLauncher.HeroicGamesLauncher]
Downloading https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases/download/v2.22.0/Heroic-2.22.0-Setup-NoAutoUpdate.exe
Successfully installedIf you’d rather not use WinGet, download the setup executable directly from the official downloads page – both an x64 build and a native ARM64 build are available, the latter aimed at Copilot+ PCs and Surface devices with ARM processors. On Windows, Heroic hides the Wine/Proton manager entirely, since Windows games run through Windows’ own native runtime rather than a compatibility layer.
Two installer variants are offered on Windows: a standard setup .exe that installs like any other desktop application and registers itself for auto-updates, and a portable .exe that runs from any folder – including a USB drive or external SSD – without writing to the standard Program Files location. The portable build is worth choosing if you manage multiple PCs and want a single, self-contained copy of Heroic you can carry between them.
Step 6: Installing Heroic Games Launcher on macOS
macOS supports both Apple Silicon and Intel builds, distributed either as a .dmg or through Homebrew. Homebrew is the quicker route for anyone who already has it set up:
brew install --cask heroicTo install manually instead, download the correct .dmg for your chip (Apple Silicon or Intel) from the downloads page, open it, and drag Heroic into your Applications folder. On first launch, macOS Gatekeeper may flag the app as being from an unidentified developer – right-click the app and choose Open to bypass that warning on first run only.
macOS is the one platform where Heroic exposes alternative compatibility layers beyond Wine-GE: the in-app Wine Manager on macOS also supports Wine-Crossover, Wine-Staging, and Apple’s own Game Porting Toolkit, all tuned specifically for running Windows games on Apple hardware.
Make sure you pick the correct build for your chip before downloading – an Intel-only .dmg will run on Apple Silicon under Rosetta 2, but you lose the native-ARM performance advantage, and the reverse simply won’t launch at all. If you’re not sure which chip your Mac has, check Apple menu → About This Mac before choosing.
Step 7: Linking Your Epic, GOG, and Amazon Accounts
With Heroic installed on any platform, the next step is identical everywhere. On the left-hand sidebar, click the Login (or Add Account) button for each store you want to connect – Epic Games, GOG, and Amazon Games are configured independently, so you can connect one, two, or all three.
- Click Add Account under the store you want to connect.
- Heroic opens an embedded browser window pointed at that store’s real login page.
- Sign in with your existing credentials (or create a free account if you don’t have one).
- Approve the login, and the window closes automatically, returning you to your now-populated library.
Nothing about this step is Heroic-specific – you’re logging into Epic, GOG, or Amazon’s own authentication pages inside a browser window the launcher controls, the same way a browser-based OAuth login works for any other app. If a login window appears completely blank, that’s one of the more common early hiccups – see the troubleshooting table further down for the fix.
Step 8-9: Configuring Wine and Proton with the Wine Manager
This is the step that separates a Heroic install that merely opens from one that actually runs Windows-only games well on Linux or macOS. Heroic’s built-in Wine Manager, found under Settings → Wine/Proton Manager, downloads and manages compatibility runtimes without needing a separate package manager.
Step 8. Open Settings → Wine Manager and download a GE-Proton build – the community-maintained GloriousEggroll fork of Valve’s Proton, which adds DXVK and VKD3D patches that the stock Proton build doesn’t include. The current release is GE-Proton11-1, published 24 June 2026, listed at github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom.
Step 9. Once downloaded, set GE-Proton as the default runtime in Settings, or override it per game from that title’s own settings page. For fine-tuning, you can pass launch-time environment variables the same way you would under Steam Proton – for example, enabling a performance overlay:
DXVK_HUD=fps,gpuload %command%Check compatibility reports for a specific title at ProtonDB before assuming a game will run – reports there reflect Steam Proton usage, but DXVK/VKD3D behavior is shared closely enough with GE-Proton to be a useful signal either way.
It’s worth setting expectations here with the project’s own official guidance, stated plainly in Heroic’s FAQ: “Proton was not designed to run games outside of Steam, and the results may vary.” Most titles work fine, but Wine and Proton were built for a different context than Heroic uses them in, and a small percentage of games – especially those with kernel-level anti-cheat – won’t run regardless of which Proton build you pick.
It also helps to understand two distinct locations Heroic manages per game, since confusing them is a common source of “where did my save go” questions. Per the project’s own Linux Quick Start documentation, the game installation folder contains the primary contents of the game itself, while the prefix is a separate, self-contained “virtual Windows C: drive” holding dependencies and game saves. Deleting and reinstalling a game normally only touches the installation folder – the prefix (and anything saved inside it) persists separately unless you clear it deliberately, which matters if you’re troubleshooting a corrupted install versus a corrupted save.
Step 10: Installing and Launching Your First Game
With at least one account connected and, if needed, a Proton/Wine build downloaded, installing a game is the same three-click flow across every platform: open the Library tab, click a game’s tile, choose an install location and language if prompted, then click Install.
Heroic shows real-time download progress with speed and ETA in the same window. Once the install finishes, the Install button becomes a Play button. For advanced or headless setups, remember that Heroic is a GUI wrapper – the Epic Games side, for instance, runs through Legendary underneath, which is also directly scriptable if you prefer a CLI-only workflow (covered in the Advanced Tips section below).
If a game needs a specific Wine or Proton version different from your global default, set it from that game’s own gear-icon settings before the first launch – changing it after installing usually just means relaunching cleanly, not reinstalling.
Step 11-12: Adding Heroic to Steam Deck Game Mode and Staying Updated
Step 11. On Steam Deck, you’ll want Heroic itself – and ideally the games inside it – reachable from Gaming Mode without dropping into Desktop Mode each time. Heroic includes a built-in shortcut to handle this: from Settings, use the option to add Heroic to Steam as a non-Steam game, then set Steam Input and a controller layout for it from Steam’s own Big Picture interface. Individual games installed inside Heroic can be added the same way for a fully native Gaming Mode entry.
Step 12. Keeping Heroic updated depends on how you installed it. Flatpak and native Linux packages update through your system’s normal update mechanism (`flatpak update`, or your distro’s package manager); the AUR `-bin` package updates through your AUR helper (`yay -Syu`); Windows installer builds check for updates automatically on launch; macOS Homebrew casks update with `brew upgrade –cask heroic`. You can always confirm your installed version from Heroic’s own About screen, or from the terminal on Flatpak installs:
flatpak run com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl --versionAt this point you have a complete, working Heroic Games Launcher setup: one or more storefronts connected, a Proton/Wine runtime configured if needed, at least one game installed and launched, and – on Steam Deck – a Gaming Mode shortcut in place. Everything past this point is optimization.
Repairing, Resetting, or Uninstalling Heroic Games Launcher
If Heroic starts behaving oddly – a corrupted download, a stuck update, or a UI that won’t render correctly – a full reinstall is usually faster than debugging the app itself, and on Flatpak it’s a single command. The Flatpak reinstall flag rebuilds the application files without touching your saved data or configuration:
flatpak update && flatpak install --reinstall com.heroicgameslauncher.hglThat command deliberately will not remove or clear any data or configuration – it repairs the application itself while leaving your connected accounts, installed-game records, and Wine/Proton runtimes intact, which is what you want for a corrupted-app scenario rather than a full wipe.
For a genuine clean slate – for example, if you’re troubleshooting login issues that persist across reinstalls – remove the Flatpak entirely and let it recreate its data directory on next install:
flatpak uninstall com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl
flatpak install flathub com.heroicgameslauncher.hglOn Windows, the standard installer registers an uninstaller in Settings → Apps like any other application; on macOS, quitting Heroic and dragging it from Applications to the Trash is sufficient since it doesn’t install a background service. In every case, remember that your actual game installations and prefixes live outside the Heroic app itself (see the previous section), so uninstalling the launcher does not delete your games – reinstalling Heroic afterward and re-adding your accounts will pick your existing library back up.
Common Pitfalls When Setting Up Heroic Games Launcher
Most Heroic Games Launcher problems trace back to one of these avoidable mistakes:
- Assuming Arch has an official package. Heroic is AUR-only on Arch and its derivatives – there’s no Extra-repo package, so `pacman -S heroic-games-launcher` will simply fail. Use an AUR helper as shown in Step 3.
- Launching a Windows-only game with no Proton/Wine build installed. A fresh Heroic install has no compatibility runtime by default on Linux or macOS – skipping the Wine Manager step and expecting a game to “just work” is the single most common source of crash-on-launch reports.
- Expecting automatic cloud saves for every game. Cloud saves are a manual per-game toggle, and only function at all if the underlying storefront (Epic, GOG, or Amazon) supports cloud saves for that specific title – Heroic can’t add cloud-save support to a game that doesn’t already have it.
- Expecting anti-cheat-protected games to run. Titles using kernel-level anti-cheat generally will not launch through Heroic/Wine/Proton regardless of which runtime build you choose – this is a limitation of the anti-cheat vendor’s Linux support, not something Heroic can patch around.
- Mixing up Heroic’s Wine Manager with a system-wide Wine install. Runtimes downloaded through Heroic’s Wine Manager live in their own isolated prefixes and don’t interact with any Wine version you may have installed separately through your OS package manager – don’t expect settings from one to carry over to the other.
- Grabbing the wrong Windows architecture build. Copilot+ PCs and Surface ARM devices need the native ARM64 build, not the standard x64 installer – running x64 under emulation works but leaves real performance on the table.
- Treating a Flatpak sandbox limitation as a Heroic bug. When performance overlays like MangoHud, or system theming, don’t appear inside a Flatpak-installed game, that’s usually the Flatpak sandbox isolating the app from host-level tools, not a defect in Heroic itself – the fix is a Flatpak permission or extension, not a Heroic settings change.
Troubleshooting Heroic Games Launcher Problems
If your setup isn’t behaving as expected, check the symptom against this table before assuming something is broken beyond repair:
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Game crashes immediately on launch | Default Wine/Proton lacks DXVK/VKD3D patches | Install GE-Proton via the Wine Manager and set it as that game’s runtime |
| Epic login window stays blank | Embedded browser/webview cache issue | Update Heroic to the latest version, clear the app cache, and retry |
| Heroic missing from Steam Deck Gaming Mode | Game wasn’t added as a non-Steam game | Use Heroic’s built-in “Add to Steam” option, then set a controller layout in Big Picture |
| Very slow download speeds | Legendary/gogdl backend CDN behavior for that store | Check the storefront’s own server status; retry later or switch networks |
| GOG achievements not appearing on the game page | Feature was only added in Heroic v2.21.0 and later | Update Heroic to the current version (2.22.0 or newer) |
| AUR build fails to compile on Arch | Outdated AUR helper cache or missing base-devel group | Run `yay -Syu`, confirm the base-devel package group is installed, then retry |
| macOS blocks the app with an “unidentified developer” warning | Gatekeeper flags unsigned/ad-hoc builds by default | Right-click the app and choose Open once; subsequent launches work normally |
| Wine Manager download stuck at 0% | GitHub rate limiting or a network hiccup fetching the runtime | Wait and retry, or check GitHub’s status page before assuming Heroic itself is broken |
| Flatpak install can’t see MangoHud or other system tools | Flatpak sandboxing isolates the app from host-installed packages | Install the matching Flatpak extension, or grant filesystem access via Flatseal |
Advanced Tips for Power Users
Once the base setup is working, a few power-user features are worth exploring. Because Heroic’s Epic Games Store support is built on top of Legendary, anyone comfortable with a terminal can skip the GUI entirely for scripting, headless servers, or automation:
legendary list
legendary install
legendary launch
legendary update
legendary auth Other features worth knowing about once you’re past initial setup:
- REDMod integration – Heroic includes built-in mod-management support for Cyberpunk 2077 through CD Projekt Red’s REDMod tooling, directly from the game’s page in the launcher.
- Per-game launch options – environment variables and custom arguments can be set individually per title, separate from your global Wine/Proton defaults, which is useful when one game needs a workaround that would break others.
- 40+ community-translated languages – including French, useful if you’re setting up a shared or family machine with non-English-speaking users.
- Console-style fullscreen navigation – added in v2.21.0 (22 April 2026), this mode adds joystick/gamepad navigation and a Deals page, and was extended in v2.22.0 with in-mode install/update/skip-update actions – handy on a Steam Deck or HTPC where reaching for a keyboard is inconvenient.
If you regularly hit games that don’t run well even with GE-Proton, CrossOver – a commercial, support-backed Wine distribution – is a supported alternative on macOS for titles that need more targeted compatibility fixes than the free tooling provides.
Heroic Games Launcher vs Lutris vs Playnite vs Bottles
Heroic isn’t the only launcher in this space, and it’s not trying to solve the same problem as all of them. The table below compares the four tools most often mentioned alongside it:
| Tool | GitHub Stars | License | Platforms | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heroic Games Launcher | 11,843 | GPLv3 | Linux, Windows, macOS | Epic, GOG, Amazon Games – automated, built-in Wine/Proton manager |
| Lutris | 10,107 | GPL-3.0 | Linux | Broader: Epic, GOG, Battle.net, Ubisoft Connect, plus emulators via community scripts |
| Playnite | 13,588 | MIT | Windows | Meta-launcher aggregating Steam, Epic, GOG, Heroic and others into one library view |
| Bottles | 8,617 | GPL-3.0 | Linux | Not a store launcher – a sandboxed Wine-prefix manager for arbitrary Windows software |
In practice, these tools aren’t mutually exclusive. Playnite can display your Heroic-installed games in the same view as your Steam library; Lutris makes more sense if Battle.net or Ubisoft Connect titles are a priority alongside Epic and GOG; Bottles is worth adding separately for standalone Windows applications that aren’t games at all. Heroic Games Launcher earns its place specifically because of how automated its three supported storefronts are – you’re not hand-configuring a Wine prefix per game the way Bottles requires.
If you’re deciding where to start rather than running all four, the honest breakdown is: pick Heroic Games Launcher if your library is mostly Epic, GOG, and Amazon Games; add Lutris on top if Battle.net or Ubisoft Connect titles matter too; reach for Playnite specifically if you’re on Windows and want one unified view across every launcher you already have installed, Heroic included; and treat Bottles as a separate utility for non-game Windows software rather than a competitor to any of the other three.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Heroic Games Launcher safe to use?
Yes. It’s open-source under GPLv3, the code is publicly auditable on GitHub, and it only talks to Epic, GOG, and Amazon’s own official login and download APIs – it doesn’t intercept or store your credentials itself.
Is Heroic Games Launcher free?
Yes, entirely free and open-source. You still need to pay for or claim the games themselves through their respective stores; Heroic is just the launcher.
Does Heroic Games Launcher support Battle.net or Ubisoft Connect?
No. Heroic is limited to Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Games. If Battle.net or Ubisoft Connect support matters to you, Lutris covers those storefronts instead.
Can I use Heroic Games Launcher on Steam Deck in Gaming Mode?
Yes. Install it through Discover in Desktop Mode, then use Heroic’s built-in option to add itself (and individual games) to Steam as non-Steam games so they appear in Gaming Mode with full Steam Input controller support.
Do I need to install Wine or Proton separately?
No, not on Linux or macOS – Heroic’s built-in Wine Manager downloads GE-Proton, Wine-GE, or (on macOS) Wine-Crossover and Game Porting Toolkit builds directly inside the app. Windows doesn’t need this step at all, since Windows games run through the native Windows runtime.
Does Heroic Games Launcher support cloud saves?
Yes, but as a manual per-game toggle, and only for titles where the underlying store (Epic, GOG, or Amazon) already supports cloud saves. Heroic can’t add cloud-save capability to a game that doesn’t already have it upstream.
What’s the difference between Heroic Games Launcher and Lutris?
Heroic focuses on three storefronts (Epic, GOG, Amazon) with a highly automated setup and built-in Proton/Wine management. Lutris covers more storefronts, including Battle.net and Ubisoft Connect, plus emulators, but generally requires more manual configuration per install script.
Will anti-cheat-protected games work in Heroic Games Launcher?
Usually not. Games using kernel-level anti-cheat typically block execution under Wine/Proton entirely, regardless of which build you configure – this is a restriction from the anti-cheat vendor, not something Heroic, GE-Proton, or Wine-GE can work around.
Does uninstalling Heroic Games Launcher delete my installed games?
No. Game installation folders and Wine prefixes are stored separately from the Heroic application itself. Uninstalling and reinstalling Heroic, then signing back into your accounts, will detect and restore your existing library rather than requiring a full re-download.
Can I run Heroic Games Launcher and the official Epic, GOG, or Amazon apps at the same time?
On Windows and macOS there’s no technical conflict running both, though most users pick one per store to avoid confusion over which client actually owns a given install. On Linux, Heroic is generally the only option anyway, since none of the three official clients ship a native Linux build.
