Anyone who wants to play PC games is largely tied to Windows. But that is slowly changing. Comfortable gaming on Linux is a dream that is getting closer and closer. In this article we look at the options and what you need exactly for this.
Gaming on Linux: Which distribution?
Do you want to use the PC with the TV, purely for games, as an alternative to a console? SteamOS was developed specifically for this, but it is not (anymore) the best option. It is too outdated and struggles with modern hardware. Then you’re better or with ChimeraOS, which does about the same thing, but better.
After the installation and some maintenance tasks, Steam already appears in the so-called Big Picture Mode and you can log in with your account. You don’t notice anywhere that the sometimes difficult Arch Linux is used as a basis. The ease of use is very high. A nice added value is that you can play console games via built-in and preconfigured emulators such as RetroArch, Dolphin and RPCS3.
If you also (or mainly) use the PC for productivity tasks, then you also need a good desktop environment. Ubuntu serves a wide audience and is also an excellent option for playing games. A nice variant is Pop!_OS.
Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu, but has a slightly nicer finish and also offers some useful productivity options, for example for arranging windows. You can also go the Arch Linux route with the likes of Manjaro. This is a so-called rolling release, so you always have the latest (tested) software and you don’t have to wait for fixed releases. The package management with Pacman is also very pleasant.
The further differences between distributions are often hidden under the hood. On the outside you mainly see the desktop environment, in which you have a choice, although the aforementioned distributions have a nice standard environment. With Pop!_OS it’s Gnome and with Maniaro it’s stable Xfce.
All the distributions mentioned support video cards from Nvidia without too many problems. With accessories such as controllers and joysticks, there is rarely a problem: it is mostly just plugging in and playing.
About drivers
Many distributions use the open source Nouveau driver. Steps are taken with this, but Nvidia’s own closed-source proprietary driver is almost always preferred because of the better performance and stability. Although Nvidia is often criticized for its Linux policy, it manages the drivers quite well. It’s just not free software (but it is free).
The biggest flaw is the lack of support for the display server Wayland that will one day replace the outdated Xorg. It is not difficult to get the proprietary drivers for Nvidia. Since Ubuntu 19.10 they are built in by default. Pop!_OS offers a separate ISO file with these drivers, so that everything is ready after installation. You can easily install them at Manjaro.
There are more obstacles to getting Windows games to work on Linux. The biggest challenge lies in the special graphical interfaces (APIs) for addressing the video card. It helps enormously if games support the Vulkan platform, which is more or less seen as the successor to OpenGL. More and more games are using this. In such a case, compatibility with Linux is easy to guarantee.
For games that do not use Vulkan, but a DirectX variant, the domain of Windows and Xbox, a compatibility layer is needed. The most important are DXVK (for DirectX 9/10/11) and VKD3D (for Direct3D 12) with which a lot of progress has been made. Even modern games therefore usually work well under Linux.
buy linux games
On both the PC and console, individual discs with games play an increasingly smaller role. Games are delivered digitally through platforms such as Steam, Epic Games Store, Uplay and Origin. And then there are stores that offer individual games or bundles at low prices, such as Fanatical and Humble. In fact, what you buy there are keys that you can redeem on the well-known platforms. In most cases, that’s Steam.
Furthermore, with GOG, there is a platform for buying and downloading DRM-free games. Linux has been supported by this store since 2014. You can immediately see from the icons at games whether they work under Linux. These are so-called native versions. Usually Ubuntu is recommended for these games, so that can also be a variant such as Pop!_OS.
Ubuntu is also officially recommended for Steam, the best-known and largest platform. Although it also works fine under Manjaro, on which it is already installed by default. Fortunately, you can also run a lot of Windows games under Linux these days. A lot of profit has been made in the past two years thanks to Proton.
Windows games in Linux
Linux has been called the future of gaming by some. However, most initiatives are still mainly aimed at making Windows games work under Linux. A good example is the Proton tool launched by Steam in the past.
It is in fact an improved version of Wine, a well-known tool for running Windows applications on Linux (and also on the Mac). This is aided by the DXVK and VKD3D libraries for translating graphical interfaces, which Steam has also supported.
Proton takes almost all the work off your hands to make games work well under Linux. You usually don’t have to configure anything yourself. In the beginning it was a bit difficult, but now it works stable and according to ProtonDB almost 19,000 Windows games play well under Linux. Each version of Proton brings improvements to the playability of a variety of well-known titles.
On ProtonDB you can see per game how well it actually works under Linux, with tips and feedback from users. You can also see which small tweaks are sometimes necessary. For games that you didn’t buy via Steam, but for example on GOG or via Uplay or Origin, it is open source Lutris about the same. Lutris mostly uses Wine and scripts that are created and optimized by the community. You just need to start an installation script.
Xbox Game Pass on Linux?
Microsoft has been trying since the introduction of Windows 10 get a central app store off the ground, mainly offering so-called uwp applications (Universal Windows Platform). This is difficult to get off the ground. It does seem to be fairly successful with Xbox Game Pass for PC, a subscription service that offers access to about a hundred games.
Unfortunately, the subscription is of no use under Linux. The games are distributed and secured as an uwp app and Proton/Wine cannot handle such applications. Also, the protections don’t allow users to “modify” themselves if they want to, for example to add community-created features, which is very popular. It is even difficult to access the installation folder.
It is usually not the titles themselves, some are also for sale as a regular Win32 application via, for example, Steam and most games also appear to be perfectly playable under Linux. There are also exceptions. Flight Simulator, for example, is available via Steam, but does not work under Linux. The game relies on libraries that have not yet been translated.
Support may be lost
The games for which a native version for Linux is available do not always get the same attention from developers as the Windows variant. Especially small development teams sometimes stop supporting the Linux version abruptly, as happened with Human: Fall Flat. The games still work, but lack new features and sometimes the online functionality. Rocket League is a good example of this. The consequence can be guessed.
Many users, even if a native version for Linux is available, often prefers to use Proton. A typical example is Ark Survival Evolved. In this case it is understandable: the native Linux version looks a lot less graphically beautiful than in the Windows version via Proton with DXVK. Users frequently miss graphical features in the Linux version or encounter reduced performance, such as a lower frame rate. This can differ per title. So you will have to do some research.
Finally
If there is a native version of a game for Linux, Steam will default to it when installed. In other cases, you can try the game through Proton. Games that work well under Linux are certified by Valve and can often be installed immediately. You can check this at Steam / Settings / Steam Play. There will be a check mark next to it Enable Steam Play for supported titles.
There are no guarantees for other titles, although some work without problems. To try that, put a check in Enable Steam Play for all other titles. Choose at Run other titles with a recent version of Proton instead of the default option Steam Linux Runtime (Solider). With the latter option, a Linux installation is still done, but then shielded from the rest of the system.
All in all, there are good developments when it comes to playing games under Linux. Sometimes you just have to put in a little more effort. What you can still run into is that there are far fewer fellow users due to the modest market share. Developers are also strongly focused on Windows. That makes it more difficult to get support for a specific problem.
On the other hand, the users that do exist are usually quite knowledgeable and helpful as well. If you keep that in mind, there is still plenty – and always more – to play!