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how is linux for gamers? (endlesstalk.org)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Edvard@endlesstalk.org to c/linux@lemmy.ml

i know that some games arent compitable and been to the site that shows which game is and which is not, and i also know most mods dont work on linux version which is a boomer (skyrim and rimworld mostly)?

so for gamers, why did you change to linux being a mostly a gamer?

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[-] pyssla@quokk.au 68 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Honestly, we've been eating pretty good fam. See https://www.protondb.com/ for game compatibility on Linux.

The only remaining pain points are (see the provided links for databases on what does and doesn't work):

[-] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 2 weeks ago

VR on linux actually works just fine from my experience. I've never had a game not work. The big issue is just headset support. The HTC Vive and Valve Index are the only headsets with official drivers, since they were made by Valve. Standalone headsets, like the Quest for example, also work using ALVR. Anything else doesn't really work. There are open source drivers but they're not complete enough to be useable unless something majorly changed there since I last checked.

[-] ulu_mulu@lemmy.zip 39 points 2 weeks ago

most mods dont work on linux

Mods work just fine, it's mod managers that sometimes don't work.

If mods don't have manual setup instructions, I install them on Windows, copy back to Linux the mod config file and happily play on Linux.

[-] Malgas@beehaw.org 7 points 2 weeks ago

In my experience running the Windows version of the mod manager in the same prefix as the game also works.

[-] Badabinski@kbin.earth 3 points 2 weeks ago

If the game uses Unity and the mods are posted on Thunderstore, then Gale works perfectly.

[-] Neptr 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Pretty good unless your game doesnt enable anticheat support for Linux like the battlefield games or fortnite for example. Performance per game is either on par or better than Windows. Game support can be checked on https://protondb.com/

[-] Brotha_Jaufrey@lemmy.world 27 points 2 weeks ago

I’m joining the linux cult. I’m switching my main gaming pc this week. I’m sick of seeing news of Microsoft aiding in atrocities and destroying game studios.

[-] Godnroc@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago

The Venn diagram of games I want to play and games that won't run on Linux is two disjoined circles. My buddy really likes Helldivers, but that didn't play nice because of the invasive anti-cheat. That has been the only one.

[-] F04118F@feddit.nl 13 points 2 weeks ago

Tell your buddy you can play Helldivers with him!

Helldivers 1 and 2 are platinum and gold rated on ProtonDB with recent reports on both confirming they work well.

https://www.protondb.com/search?q=Helldivers

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[-] warmaster@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Because it's easier, it just works and it doesn't nag me.

I use Bazzite, it's been the best computing experience I had.

Ask anything you want.

[-] Edvard@endlesstalk.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

have you tryed more distros other then bazzites? what would you recommend?

[-] warmaster@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)
  • 1998:

I tried my first linux distro: Mandriva

  • 1998 - 2020

Every year I chose a distro and spent a month with it. Mandrake was a an eye opener. Then Ubuntu was the easiest, but it was not ready for me yet.

  • 2021:

Linux is now ready for work & gaming, so I switched and tried these major distros and their downstream forks:

Debian

  • Ubuntu
    • Zorin
    • POP OS
    • Mint
    • Tails
  • Vanilla OS

Arch

  • Manjaro
  • Endeavour OS
  • Crystal
  • BlendOS
  • SteamOS

Fedora

  • Fedora Workstation
  • Nobara
  • Fedora Silverblue
  • Ublue:
  • Aurora
  • Bazzite

I recommend Bazzite for gamers and Aurora, for everyone else. They are as if not easier to use than a smartphone.

I use Aurora on my work laptop, and Bazzite on my gaming desktop. Both have been great with no issues.

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[-] CountVlad47@feddit.org 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

As far as I know, all Rimworld mods will work with Linux. You can either subscribe to them on the Steam Workshop (and enable them from the mod menu in-game) or download them manually and put them in the mods folder in the installation directory. I've played with modlists that had more than 100 mods in them and never had a Linux related issue.

To answer your other question, I dual booted Linux for a while, mainly because of privacy concerns, but switched to Linux full time around the time Windows 10 came out. The thing that gave me the final push was Windows 10 on my new laptop telling me it couldn't open a zipped folder and I would need to pay for that feature! There was also a backup copy of W10 on a second drive that I didn't know about which automatically overwrote Linux when I tried to install it.

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[-] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I have bazzite on a gaming only HTPC and it's a gazillion times easier to use than having windows boot into big picture mode. It's just so much better, I rarely have to keep a mouse around with me now for when I want/need to change system settings.

[-] MrMobius@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago

The only reason I kept Windows on my PC was to play League with a friend occasionally. So at some point I removed Windows completely to free disk space and I told my friend he could install Dota 2 if he wants to keep playing with me :D

[-] ch00f@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

I built my wife a gaming PC. She's controller only. It's basically an xbox. Decided to try ubuntu to see if we could avoid paying for windows.

She's already 100% Hogwarts Legacy and played a dozen other games.

The only hangup was controller support for Slime Rancher on her 8bitduo. Had to use an xbox controller.

She knows nothing about linux, but she'll install and play games through Steam no problem.

[-] MummysLittleBloodSlut 7 points 2 weeks ago

Sorry your wife likes Harry Potter

[-] GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 2 weeks ago

Seems like most mods work fine on Linux, but I'm sure it depends on the game. For games with built-in mod managers like Baldur's Gate 3, it all just works. For games with manual mods that involve replacing or editing game files, they should generally work since you're running the same game files to begin with.

I haven't had any big compatibility problems recently, though again, I'm sure it depends on that game. Proton (built into Steam) works very very well nowadays.

Just a few years ago I found the experience frustrating. It seemed like everything had something wrong with it, even if it wasn't big. Lots of games had glitchy input, whether using a controller or keyboard/mouse. But somewhere down the line it totally flipped, and everything I play runs great now. I still have a bootable Windows 10 system, but I haven't actually booted it in...two years, maybe?

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[-] VeggieCat@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

I switched to Linux a few weeks ago after being a windows user. Windows is pretty much all I've known and grew up on it. I made the switch after my partner had been using it for a long time. We are both gamers and play things like palworld, sims 4, dark souls, etc. I've found that most games run fine even though they say that it's not Linux supported. My PC runs faster and responds faster than I'm used to than it was on windows.

[-] toynbee@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

most games run fine even though they say that it's not Linux supported

You might appreciate ProtonDB as a resource!

edit: ProtonDB

[-] DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org 7 points 2 weeks ago

It's great if you're not into online multiplayer, and I was already running Linux for years as a daily driver before it 'got good.'

[-] Nemoder@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

To clarify there are several very popular online games with anti-cheat that will never work BUT there are also a ton of other multiplayer games that do work great. You aren't going to be stuck in single-player only moving to Linux, you'll just miss out on a handful of popular competitive games.

[-] utopiah@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 weeks ago

I uninstalled Windows few years ago even though I play the latest AAAs and indies games, including in VR, that's how good Linux for gamers.

You can check my post history but basically once you have your hardware well supported (basically the right drivers) and rely on a good system to evaluate compatibility (e.g. ProtonDB) then you won't get any surprise.

I suggest though that you try it yourself, e.g setup a Linux distribution of your chosing, a game you already own and... see if it feels good. If it does not, feel free to ask around and people will be happy to help if you provide a clear problem with your documented attempts to fix it, at least you can count on me.

So... finally why did I change? Well beside the "it actually works" it is also a lot more coherent with my own WorldView and my skillset. I'm a professional developer, WebXR prototypist to be more specific, so having an OS that does not put arbitrary (well, mostly about control for profit) limits on what I can or can not do is simply better. I can play for fun AND I can tinker with the same OS. I don't have to reboot if I just happen to have an idea that I want to try, I can just do it right here and there.

TL;DR: it works and it's better, giving me all the freedom I need to be creative and not feel constrained.

PS: also not giving more money to multibillionaires from Microsoft does feel nice.

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Because linux wasn't a problem for me gaming anymore

[-] orenj@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 weeks ago

I can play all of my games (well, the ones my 10 year old craptop can handle). The only issue I have is that vulkan shaders can take a minute to cache for some games.

[-] JTskulk@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

I switched to Linux exclusively 2 years ago and I gotta say it's been pretty awesome. Pretty much everything works without fucking around.

I changed to Linux because it's better. Windows sucks ass.

[-] halloween_spookster@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

I switched full time to Linux last year and primarily use my computer for gaming. It's been great. I play games through steam so YMMV with other systems. I haven't had any issues playing a variety of games such as Factorio (built for Linux), GTFO, Horizon: Forbidden West, PEAK, Ready or Not, Plate Up... It's been rare for me to have an issue. I remember an issue trying to play Plate Up via steam remote play.

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[-] DaedalousIlios@pawb.social 4 points 2 weeks ago

I've never played Rimworld, so I don't know the modding situation on it.

I attempted to mod Skyrim, and as far as I can tell, it's not that the mods don't work, it's that the primary mod manager Nexus is currently using (Vortex) is kind of a pain in the ass to set up on Linux. They are currently working on a new mod manager that should be natively compatible and should resolve that issue.

But for every other game I've ever modded on Linux it works exactly the same as it does on Windows.

Truthfully, outside of the handful of games that don't want me playing them because of my OS, 90% of my games work exactly the same, if not better. The remaining 10% might require a little tinkering to get running, or have some weird hiccup (having to run it in Proton instead of native because for some reason they're "different versions" thus menaing I can only play with friends on Windows in the Proton version), but I honestly couldn't be happier.

It feels like I'm playing on my computer again, not Microsoft's computer.

[-] Edvard@endlesstalk.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yee, vortex is inferior to mod manager 2 since long time tho. I guess MO2 world flawless on Linux :o

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[-] communism@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

Games mostly work. If they have a native Linux version they work (and more games have a native Linux version than you may expect). For Windows-only games, there's a compatibility layer called Proton (which is a gaming-focused fork of a more general compatibility layer called Wine) that lets you run Windows executables on Linux. IME most Windows games run flawlessly with Proton. You can check games on https://www.protondb.com/ to see how well they run on Proton.

Rimworld has a native Linux version, and I've not had any problems with Rimworld mods from Steam workshop on Linux. Never tried modding Skyrim so can't say on that.

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[-] root@aussie.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago

Built.myself a new.gaming desktop and decided to dive into thw deep end by installing linux. Been working quite well, so far. Almost all the games i play do not use any anti-cheat, so i don't feel that i'm missing out on anything. The only game which does not work that well is Roadcraft. I'll just wait until it is patched to run better. I have lots of games in my backlog to play anyway.

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 4 points 2 weeks ago

So far most things have worked fine.

It's a little annoying when steam wants to redo the vulkan compilation thing every time, but it seems to work fine if I skip that.

Modding I'm not sure how it'll work yet. Some stuff probably just works, if it's like "edit this file" or "replace that file" but I haven't tried yet.

[-] menemen@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

As a gamer and a Linux user for more than 20 years this thread is so awesome.

I actually mostly stopped playing sometime in the late 2000s (dual booting was annoying) and restarted around 2017. We have come so far...

[-] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

Every game works on my Steam Deck so far.

I always check ProtonDB before buying a game, but I might stop as everything without special anticheat works out of the box.

I just have to add that I’m not into multiplayer games so it might be why everything works easily.

[-] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 weeks ago

What games were you wanting to mod? Mod Organizer 2 works great on Linux. The setup is a bit more complex if you are using it with Steam games though.

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[-] mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

If you just want to play the game, then gaming works surprisingly well on Linux. Very well.

I have the same game on Steam running on 2 separate computers, Fedora and Win 11. On the Fedora one, everything is just rock solid. Heck, even when I am rendering some very intensive 3D stuff on another workspace for work and use 50% of the RAM, the game is still running. On the Win 11 laptop, random issues happen where my cursor dissapears and the entire desktop freezes.

OTOH, if you need the gaming accessories to work properly then I'm not sure, could be a 50/50. For eg, if your laptop has some proprietary sound card, then Linux might not be able to take advantage of that. On Windows, these should work OOTB.

[-] hash@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Gaming on Linux is flourishing. Achievable migration for most games. Biggest niche asterisk from my perspective is VR. Already a technical pain in the ass to get working reliably/efficiently on Windows. Throw Linux into the mix and expect to have a hell of a time configuring and troubleshooting.

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[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago

im not a huge gamer but i don get along quite well with steam games and gog games.

i do miss warcraft classic and would love to play it again but i could never get it to work :(

[-] ScientifficDoggo@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago

I've swapped to linux mostly due to aging hardware and low disposable income. I'm still running A PC that was lower MID a decade ago.

So far its a blast, nothing short of shotty anticheat gets in my way. ProtonDB is a great resource. Wine and the proton layers basically give you parity (and in some cases better performance than windows).

[-] Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

The only game I have not been able to get work has been pubg. Everything else has been great and run fine once proton was up and running. I am using bazzite 41 as my current distro.

[-] vortexal@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It works pretty well. I don't currently play any pc games with anti-cheat, so most games work well without having to do anything special outside of running them in Wine or some other application and there are some games that actually work noticeably better on Linux than Windows. Some games have required some additional setup but it's pretty rare for games to just not work at all. Something I find kind of funny though, is that most of the games I haven't been able to get working on Linux aren't working on Windows either.

I should also mention that I don't really use mods for games. I have used mods for the Linux version of SRB2 but the game is designed to be easily modable, so it makes sense that the mods would just work.

[-] hamms@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Aside from some occasional glitches with SteamVR, it's been several years since I encountered a game which didn't run as good if not better on linux than on windows, and I don't think I've ever had a linux-specific issue with mods. My understanding is that anti-cheat software compatibility can still be an issue for some people, but I haven't run into that yet.

For me, switching to linux was a no-brainer; I prefer it in every way.

[-] VerilyFemme 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Pop!_OS was a lifesaver when I was learning Linux. You can just look up Ubuntu related questions for tech support, the graphics drivers are preconfigured, and the interface is easy to use.

I'm on CachyOS with KDE now, but I highly recommend Pop! for a first-timer not looking to tinker.

Also, with ProtonTricks you can still mod stuff. It's not perfect, but there's a version of Mod Organizer 2 for Linux ;P

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this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2025
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Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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