this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
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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IMO that is a disingenuous way to state that. It makes it sound like they had to work to find games that worked on Linux at all and suggests that most games do not. Which is far from the truth. Most games just work these days and it is only a handful that don't, so only a handful work 100% better. Then it all really depends if you care about those few games or not.
To add my own experience, I play a lot of Japanese visual novels (it's a good 80% of what I play). Very few Japanese visual novels are released on Steam. But if they are on Steam, they're usually DRM-free or work in Proton anyway. However, most of these games are English-only. I play them in Japanese.
So I need to get my games from other places, like digital storefronts such as DLsite and DMM. However, I quickly found out that absolutely no games that DMM sells will work in Wine. This is because they are all encumbered with a form of DRM that isn't compatible with Wine. DMM is the largest digital storefront for VNs. DLsite sells some games with various kinds of DRM. PlayDRM does work in Wine, but the rest doesn't. They also sell DRM-free games. The selection isn't as large, but it's good. We recently got the DRM tagging feature in VNDB, so it should give you a good idea of what games are incompatible.
You can also buy VNs physically. Some games are DRM-encumbered but many are DRM-free. You generally don't know until you buy, though, and it can be an expensive mistake. Hopefully we can change that with the new VNDB DRM tagging system.
Even when they're not DRM-encumbered, though, you have a decent chance of facing issues with media playback. Older games using DirectShow you can probably get working with native DLLs using Winetricks. If it's a newer game that uses Media Foundation, you might not be able to get it to work at all. Worst case, the game crashes on the opening movie. I'm looking for a way to improve that section of the wiki since I know very little about Media Foundation for solving these issues.
There also tend to be a bunch of Windowing issues with older VNs like fullscreen being broken. Gamescope will solve those issues.
So, while you can play a lot of VNs in Wine, you need to be careful about it. Fortunately, only two of the VNs I bought are unplayable and they're both from DMM.
I do love DRM just ruining people's experiences
Few games? Man, you and I are definitely having a different experience.
For years now I just buy Steam games without even checking compatibility. They just work. No joke on my partners a Windows machine they’ve bought the same game once or twice and it regularly crashes for them.
There is of course luck in games I choose.
My guess is that some genres are going to be more problematic due to more extensive use of anti cheat. What are some of the games you're having trouble with?
My issue(I think) is a combination of games utilizing anticheat(I've not gotten a single one to work yet) and also trying to play non-new games that were not designed during the Steam push for compatibility. I can't use linux to play the games I like to play so I use a Win host for gaming and to run my linux install in a VM on the second screen.
I do all my gaming on my Steam Deck and I haven't run into anything that didn't work – even "unverified" games. But I also eg. don't play any multiplayer games so I don't have troubles with anti-cheat systems which are apparently still a big pain point for Linux gaming and might be one reason for your bad experiences
Gufufufu
Edit: ah, i believe you hadn't enabled Proton. Yeah, i can see why you'd have the misconception that Linux sucks for gaming (well, if you ONLY play certain multiplayer games and don't branch out to others, yeah you might have a rough time).
Having been a chronic distrohopper since I joined Linux a couple of years ago, this is wrong. I've had some hiccups with Steam, yeah, but that was more the version of Steam I installed (Flatpak. Learned right quick to just install what was on the repos) and it didn't not outright work on any of the distros I used: be they Fedora, Ubuntu-based, Arch-based, or OpenSUSE. Steam's always worked
They do. I regularly play and mod Oblivion, Fallout New Vegas, and Skyrim and can play as well as one does on Windows. It's not limited to those either: Doom, Evil Within, Ghostwire, Rage...all those work with very little configuration (which honestly is just personal prefrences on my part. They'll still work by enabling Proton in the Steam settings, and in the game properties if you wanna be extra sure or are using a GE version of Proton). Starfield also works. So it's not just oldies either.
Except I play Souls and Souls-likes all the time, and I'm currently playing Lies of P with no problems on Linux. If anything I had more problems with when i tried playing a Soulsborn on Windows. Elden Ring stuttered like crazy on Windows, but i had next to zero problem playing on my Arch install, even playing Multiplayer.
The other games you mentioned are also playable on Linux. Don't know who told you they don't but 90% of Steam works on Limux and Steam Deck. Just go to account settings and in compatibility, check "Enable Steam Play for all titles" and restart Steam. Otherwise, you get ONLY games with a native Linux version (which are...hit or miss at times). The only games you'd actually have trouble running on Linux would be ones that were given a hard "we're not supporting Linux" like Fortnite and those with heavy Anti-Cheats like Rainbow 6 Seige, Black Desert, or Valorant (and even those are getting Linux compatability: Dead By Daylight works now, Master Cheif collection apparantly works now, but I haven't played it in a while to check, Apex has worked for a while, etc)
I don't think this is fully true. You get all native games plus all verified games. Which is only a small subset of games overall, but quite a bit more than just the native games. Though most others do work and only really require toggling that switch.
Elden Ring, Uncharted, and God of War absolutely work because on Linux is the only way I've played any of them. Starfield has been the only game recently that did not (still doesn't) work on Linux via Steam without issue. And Starfield is a Nvidia issue not really a Linux issue.
Did you enable Proton in your account settings? If not, you're only going to be able to play native Steam games (which are both meh, and are at the mercy of how much the devs maintained it, or are incomplete like the Binding of Isaac one not having an Afterbirth DLC linux version so without Proton, you wouldn't be able to access it).
If you haven't and are still on Linux, go to your account, find the compatability tab, and check "Enable Steam Play for all titles". Steam will ask to restart, and after a restart, you'll be good
Yeah, before I knew that it's better to just use Proton over the Native Linux game, it threw me for a loop too NGL
Damn you really don't know what you are talking about, yet you speak so confidentially.
For future reference just bc a game doesn't have a native Linux version doesn't mean it won't run on Linux and that logo you are looking at specifically talks about what OS the game is specifically made for.
out of my current library of ~250ish games about 30 have native Linux ports and out of my 20 recently played games only Terraria has a native Linux ports (I still use the windows version anyways) hell I am currently playing Control with ray tracing
Welcome to the intersection of gamers and Linux users
The Linux OS symbol only tells you if the game is Linux native or not. Since valve released proton it is not very useful. The deck Verified/Deck Playable symbols are a far better indication of if a game will work. But even then, quite a few of the unsupported games still work on Linux overall, just less well on the deck. ProtonDB is the more definitive source of if a game will work as well as any tweaks you can do to make it run better.
Edit: Oh sorry, I missed the other reply thread.
EA games and such sound plausible, but
I have probably played their whole steam catalogue on linux. They work fine.
Same for TES and Fallout.
Just to make sure, you did enable proton for "unsupported" games, right?
Could be some legality issue where a game they cannot Mark a game which is not linux native with the linux logo
I think it is a simpler case of legacy. They had the Linux/Windows/Mac symbols before proton was a thing and back then you needed it to be a native Linux game for it to work on Linux. Or you had to install all of steam inside wine and had pot luck as to if anything would work. Since they released proton they have kept the OS symbols the same. And since they released the steam deck they have added new deck verified/deck playable symbols which are a much better indication of playability on Linux.
Maybe not the best marketing. But I don't think it is really due to legality issues, more so legacy ones.
It's probably just to not falsely advertise support when some of the untested games don't work.
Name one. I don't know of any.
Personally I've never had one not work, and that includes Starfield on launch day.
Elder Scrolls on Linux didn't have the stutter it had on Windows at launch. It was literally a better experience and it continues to run great. God of War runs great on Linux. Returnal runs great on Linux.
Seriously, the number one issue for Linux gaming right now is people in comments telling other people it doesn't work.