My recent journey down the Linux rabbit hole has been challenging, rewarding and very educational. In the process of covering topics like Ubuntu and Valve's Steam Play initiative here at Forbes, I've had a multitude of Linux-curious gamers reach out and ask about the gaming experience. Some have questions, some have doubts and some just have no idea what to expect. This article is for them!
I've also become connected to many voices who've been entrenched in the Linux community for years. One such seasoned voice is Liam Dawe, the creator of Gaming On Linux, an independent site that exclusively covers PC gaming on the Linux side of the fence. While I can present my opinions after roughly 8 weeks using Ubuntu, I wanted to also recruit Liam for his more experienced perspective, especially as a guy who lives and breathes what he writes about all day long. The site is a full time project for him.
The premise here is simple. I want to dispel some myths about Linux-based gaming but also present a dose of reality to newcomers.
Two Myths About Gaming On Linux
When I first briefly dipped my toes into Linux desktop waters, Steam didn't even exist. Not on Windows, not on Mac and not on Linux. (Steam only launched for Linux in 2013 alongside Valve's SteamOS operating system, although it's available for every Linux distribution.) I remember using Red Hat and SUSE, and only being exposed to a rash of decidedly Penguin-flavoured freeware games like Tux Racer, a bunch of Nethack clones and hundreds of other games with, well, considerably less staying power and quality.
Developers like Loki and RuneSoft were creating and porting a handful of games to "alternative" operating systems, but beyond that, the gaming landscape was pretty barren.
If you haven't had Linux on your radar in the past several years, the above may be the impression you carry today. But that landscape has changed dramatically. Liam Dawe believes this is one the biggest myths that needs to be shattered.
1) There Are No Games On Linux
So how many games are actually available to play on Linux today? "That's a little tricky, considering the amount of different stores that actually sell Linux games like Steam, GOG, itch.io, Humble Store and so on," Dawe says. "Take Steam as an example, specifically looking at just games for Linux it shows me right now there's 4,800 whereas Windows has 23,882. So on Steam specifically, we have about 20% of the library, which is incredible when a few years ago that was a big fat zero."
And don't worry, Steam isn't some foreign or watered-down experience on Linux. "For the most part, Linux gaming is the same as it is on Windows, especially if you're using Steam," Dawe adds. "Install Steam, install a game, hit play."
Of course, I interviewed Dawe before Valve launched its groundbreaking update to Steam Play, which allows users to play games on Steam for Linux that were previously only released on Windows.
The unofficial Steam Play Compatibility website has been tracking the testing of every Windows game now playable on Steam for Linux. To date, more than 3200 titles have been tested. Of those, nearly 1300 have received "Platinum" status, meaning they not only launch with the simple click of the "Install" button on Steam, but they also have Windows-level performance and framerates.
Outside of Steam, you have services like GOG (Good Old Games) which serves up 1000 games that run natively on Linux. And the Humble store doubles that to 2100 listings.
For more adventurous gamers with a moderate level of patience who aren't afraid to open a Terminal window, there are third party solutions like Lutris. Want to install the Blizzard launcher and play Overwatch? Lutris has you covered. A massive number of Windows-only games can be played through Lutris, using compatibility layers like WINE and DXVK. These are automatically installed in the background and translate DirectX to Linux-friendly graphics APIs like OpenGL and Vulkan.
But these come with some notes of caution, which we'll get into below. Before that, how about that second myth?
2) Linux Users Don't Buy Games
I suppose the mentality here is "Linux is free, so Linux users must be penny-pinching, budget-conscious, open source-loving people who expect everything for free, right?" Not according to Dawe.
"As the owner of a website where 99% of what we write about is actually proprietary paid-for software, I'm aware of how much people do actually buy," Dawe says. "Linux users get extremely excited about some of the top new releases, we constantly get emails from people to request us to highlight new games and so on. [Additionally] our partner programs with GOG and Humble Store show a lot of Linux users buying games.
Though it's no longer updated, the Humble Visualizations project gathered research that illustrated how Linux gamers actually spend more money on their games compared to Windows and macOS users. Between 2011 and 2016 and tallying more than 20 million transactions, the average purchase amount for a Humble Bundle was $6.29. Broken down by OS, the average payment for Windows users was $6.09, while the average payment for Linux users was $9.26.
While this is only an isolated stat, it does take 5 years worth of purchases into consideration and these Humble Bundles were predominantly from larger publishers.
My impression thus far is that Linux users are passionate about their platform and about the software which is available for their platform. They're perfectly happy and willing to reach into their pockets to get what they want.
Two Brutal Truths About Gaming On Linux
As Dawe mentioned above and I can confirm, playing games native to Linux is effortless. What's wonderful about Linux is the possibility of playing literally anything that was not developed for the platform. But now it's time for a dose of reality.
1) Playing Windows Games Might Be Disappointing
"When it comes to playing Windows games on Linux, the first thing to remember is: it's never going to be a perfect experience. Don't go into it expecting something to work," Dawe explains. "Go in like that and you won't be too disappointed. There's software called Wine (https://www.winehq.org/) which you can try. PlayOnLinux and Lutris are essentially user interfaces to work with Wine to manage multiple titles with it, each with their own special script to set it all up for you."
Dawe stresses that native gaming is generally a better choice than Wine, which is leveraged through tools like Lutris or PlayOnLinux, or whether it's using Valve's Proton compatibility solution on Steam.
"Wine is a stop-gap solution for certain games that aren't on Linux until you either find a replacement for it that is Linux-native or they put out a Linux release," Dawe says. Wine can be great for old releases that are no longer supported though and there are plenty of Windows-only games that do work fine with it. Some developers have even packaged their older games with Wine for Linux users and put them on Steam."
2) Steam Play Isn't Ready For Prime Time
If you've heard about Linux recently in larger outlets like this one, it's probably because of Steam Play. It's why I see an endless deluge of posts on Reddit and Twitter from people ready to make the switch from Windows to Linux.
So as a newcomer to Linux and someone who's becoming a staunch advocate for the platform, this one is tough to admit. While the technical possibility of playing the thousands upon thousands of Windows-only Steam games on Linux is a revolutionary leap forward, it's far from perfect. When it works it's amazing. When it doesn't it's an exercise in frustration.
I've spent the past two weeks downloading dozens of games to test, and many of the ones Valve has whitelisted do indeed perform well without any hiccups. But some, like 2016's DOOM, simply won't launch. The game works for the majority of people who've submitted their experience to the Steam Play Compatibility Reports website, but for many others, it does not.
Valve can't whitelist a game and take Steam Play out of beta (it's now available to everyone using the Steam for Linux client) until every title they've put their seal of approval on works for everyone who launches it -- provided they meet the software and hardware requirements. I think the worst possible outcome is to see reports of gamers who've wiped out their Windows partition and parked themselves gleefully in the Linux camp, only to be frustrated that the experience they expected isn't happening.
Conclusion
Again, I'll stress that Steam Play is a giant leap forward in establishing Linux as a viable gaming platform. In many ways, it already is one. But for gamers who want it all, Windows is still, unfortunately, the only game in town.
But not for long. Valve is working aggressively on this project, and I hope that other publishers like Blizzard, EA and Ubisoft follow in Valve's footsteps.
If you're curious about Linux, consider dual booting something like Ubuntu or Mint and give Steam a test drive there. (I have a guide for setting it all up on Ubuntu.) I guarantee you'll have fun, and eventually, you may want to start using Linux full time, not just for gaming but for reasons like these.
Special thanks to Liam Dawe of Gaming On Linux for lending his insights and advice. You may also enjoy the Linux GameCast podcast and The Linux Gamer on YouTube.
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