Linux

Thanks to Valve and Proton gaming on Linux is already pretty viable and it's getting better all the time. I am very happy with how compatible Steam Deck is and what's funnier sometimes stuff that doesn't work on newer Windows versions works perfectly on a Deck. Battle.net Launcher installed as a non-Steam app and set to run with Proton allowing me to install and play Diablo IV just like I would on my PC just blew my mind.

If it doesn't run on Linux (via Proton or direct), I don't play it. It has made some things less than fun (because I can run much lower powered hardware on Linux) but I've managed to keep up with the kids and their Windows-only machine including bigger games like Satisfactory and Hollow Knight.

I use Linux as my daily OS, for study and work. I primarily game on it as well!

Every game that I've tried on Linux runs smoother (less 1% lows) than on Wind0ws. I assume it's because of the bloat on win11, but then again I researched as much as possible to clean up and optimize win11. Still runs much better on Linux. I mainly play Apex Legends, and though I don't consider myself good, I was D3 in S15.

The biggest issue is dealing with the games that use Anti-cheat systems that put kernel-hooks on wind0ws, which can't be emulated.

You can check for yourself if the games you want to play work on Linux, just look up "(game name) ProtonDB" and look for a gold or higher for a good gaming experience. Subjectively, 90% of the games I've tried work well. CSGO, Overwatch 2 (through Lutris), Don't Starve, Deep Rock Galactic and Red Dead Redemption 2 are all games I know play well on Linux since I've tried them myself. It's incredible what Valve has done with Proton for game compatibility on Linux.

Valve has certainly given linux a boost with the SteamDeck and all the work they've funded to make it a viable gaming platform. I just hope they release SteamOS for all platforms soon, maybe we'll see an uptick in PC pre-builds with SteamOS as an option instead of just Windows.

Well the Steam Deck's OS is forked from Arch so.

I play mostly Indie so I couldn't speak for stuff like anti-cheat/graphics but... the types of game I play, for the most part "it just works".
If you're into RPG maker games, they sometimes require workarounds (hint: you can hot-swap the contents of RPG Maker MV/MX/MZ into Linux's native nwjs...)
I think the only games that struggle on my computer are mostly because of GPU (I'm on a laptop) rather than anything else Tbh

Linux gaming is growing a lot, especially in the last couple of years. You can play almost any windows game on Linux, the biggest hang-up right now is anti-cheat. Most anti-cheat made for windows will not like being emulated on Linux, and even if it works a lot of time you will run the risk of being banned.

So bigger multiplayer games, mainly AAA titles, are still lagging behind.

Through Steam and Proton, I'm able to play most of the games I'm interested in: Mass Effect, Last of Us, Jedi Fallen Order & Survivor. Steam Deck is built on Linux too.

Steam deck has grown it a fair bit. Excluding anticheat, most games can be made to work with the assistance of proton See protonDB for specific games, but it's a definite thing.

Linux is a great choice for gaming!

While there may be some anti cheat games it cant run (at the moment), I've heard that some games can run even better on Linux than on Windows!

I have been gaming on Linux since 2017, and it is super super viable now. Did you know that over 70% of the top 1000 games on Steam are playable on Linux?

I use Linux exclusively for gaming. Sometimes there's a performance hit or weird bug, but mostly it runs very well, occasionally better than on Windows. I have quite often heard of windows players complaining about older games no longer running properly, and I've often had no problems with these on Linux, for example the original Dead Space.

However there are technologies which are still quite some ways off. Rtaytracing is improving but still a generation behind windows in terms of performance and support. HDR is barely supported anywhere. Variable refresh rate, is supported in some instances, but not universally, e.g. Gnome doesn't support it yet for Wayland. I don't know anything much about VR but would suspect it may not be very well supported yet either.

Lots of people in this thread are talking about steam and proton, but what about games on other launchers? How easy is it to setup proton without steam at all? One-click setup or 3 hours of crawling through google results and debugging?

With Proton most games run with no issues and just as fast as on Windows. Those that don't are because of anticheat, weird launchers or invasive DRM. I still have a Windows partition for those games and Windows only tools but haven't used it in months.

I'm playing on Linux for 4 and a half years already now. I am a programmer, too, but my home system is used mostly for games.

At this point you can use linux or windows without having to switch around except for more specific applications (things not directly supported through proton can still be run through it by just adding to steam as a non-steam app)

You may not find as many Linux users, but it'd be more a numbers game than anything. The games are definitely there now.

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer. Only play on weekends and almost exclusively SP games. But so far experience is great (Pop OS, NVIDIA GPU, medium tier gaming laptop). Steam games are mostly playable without serious issues (adding some launch parameters or choosing certain Proton version might be advisable for certain games). Emulation also works nice (tried PPSSPP, RPCS3, Yuzu, Cemu). I would say that gaming on Linux is fine, unless you really need to play one of the not fully supported titles (especially ones with those pesky anti-cheats). Couldn't care less about RTX or HDR (would not work well even on Windows with my rig).

I've been gaming on Linux primarily for the last ~5 years. I also use Linux professionally (though I am a research scientist, not a programmer). I would say Linux gaming is 95% feasible if you do SP only. If you do MP in addition to SP, it's maybe 70% ish doable? If you do just MP, that drops to like 20%-30%.

Most things "just work" now, especially for SP games. Occasionally you find an old game with a glitch or bug you need to search the web to fix, but it's not bad, similar things happen on Windows.

If you stick to the biggest supported distros (Fedora, Ubuntu) and stick to Steam, and stick to SP, it's basically no different from Windows as far as ease of use and compatibility.

Check out the steam hardware survey: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

1.47% of steam users

It's been harsh in the past, you just had to sometimes accept lower framerates/performance on the same hardware. These last few years, thanks to Vulkan and DXVK, it's been a blast though. Loving Lutris as my main launcher too.

I don't know where you draw the line for hardcore gamer but I play a lot of games and so does my friend, who is nontechnical and also plays on linux, and we both have very few issues and love the experience more than Windows. It really depends on what games you wanna play but there are very few games that aren't working OOTB. Protondb is a good site that I'm sure other people will link but if you're looking to switch I recommend taking a look at this site for the major games that will/won't work: https://areweanticheatyet.com/

I recommend using an AMD CPU and GPU, but otherwise you can just assume a game works and it will most of the time. If it doesn't, there might be some quick fixes, and if not then it's an unlucky one.

See ProtonDB.

I was putting some old donated computers into a school in the Dominican Republic and they had old Windows versions and I could not update without spending some cash. So I installed Ubuntu Linux on them. It was GREAT! So pretty soon I upgraded my own PC and now I have been using Linux for a decade. The range of games is reduced - some Windows games just won't work. But I am not a "coder" and not really a hardcore gamer either - I do some engineering and some technical writing, surf internet, and watch videos. I have no idea why anyone still uses Windows except for the fact that it came on their PC when they bought it (and it cost them $200 for the privilege!).

Us retrogamers are gamers too, and there's a ton of great emulators on Linux.

I switched near Windows 11 release. I went with Ubuntu hirsute hippo. I had an Nividia card and a steam account and was shocked at how well my games were running. And it has gotten better and better.

Steam is doing great with pleasing gamers.

LTT did a video last year where they tried to go full Linux for their gaming setups. Turns out it's doable, but has some pretty glaring complications if you deviate from the common branch of what people do. USB 3.2.2 remote gaming is unsupported, and they had some issues I can't recall. They basically ended on "Yes you can game, but you're gonna have to tinker a lot to get it working right, unless you're just using steam on a standard PC".

ProtonDB and using a combo with Lutris and Steam. And of course some third party Proton like Proton GE to make games run smooth. Funny enough, the games I found hardest to run been the Neptunia (example Cyberdimension) games. I guess no one really cares about them.

I know Steam (Valve) have metrics on it that probably give a good idea of how Linux fares in the PC market for gaming. Probably not entirely accurate but maybe accurate enough. I know it's the best I've ever seen though.

I’ve been gaming on Linux since Proton first launched. It was good back then, and at this point I can play just about everything in my Steam library (nearly 1000 games). From indies to racing sims to triple a games. It’s great.

Anti-cheat is still hit or miss, but I don’t really play any multiplayer games, so that doesn’t affect me luckily.

It's quite viable at the moment, and with Wine, you can run many Windows programs, including games. Sometimes it even runs some old games much better than current Windows versions.

If the developers don't use DirectX for 3D API, then it's quite easy to port. At least Windows still has OpenGL and Vulkan, unlike MacOS. (Why did they axed those in favor of Metal?)

I've clocked over 660 hours in Apex Legends. recently finished Psychonauts 2. currently playing Valheim with some friends and Witcher 2 on my own. all of that exclusively on Linux.

I use it for work, my personal desktop, and naturally my Steam Deck. It's far from being the majority but it is becoming increasingly common thanks to Valve.

I hate to say it but I haven’t had much luck gaming on Linux. Long time Linux user (bounce between Ubuntu and arch type distro since before 2008).

I haven’t had much luck getting may games working at all on Linux (fallout, Skyrim) or running well (City Skylines, KSP). I’ve followed plenty of guides but have limited luck, so not sure if it’s my aging CPU/GPU or what.

I would like nothing more than to use Linux as my only OS but I have limited time to game (less than 4-5 hours / month), so I’m stuck with windows since I can still quickly fire up games there.

I've been gaming on Linux for years and steam has made it super easy. I used to deal with wine but now the process is exactly the same as any other OS (assuming you're using steam). If you want to play non steam games you probably want to have some knowledge about how Linux works

I play games that are available on Linux via Steam. Not as hardcore as I used to be, though.

I gather it's been doable for quite a while now, but the Steam Deck/SteamOS has given the Proton compatibility layer a huge boost in the last year and a half.