this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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Linux Gaming

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Is Linux support still needed nowadays, or is Steam OS good enough? (imgur.com)
submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hey there!

I'm a solo dev working on a sci-fi grand strategy game (I didn't manage to find if self-promo is allowed so I'll keep the name for myself).

I was updating my planning and started to think: since my game will be published on Steam, it will be playable on Linux using Compatibility Mode even if I don't specifically target Linux itself. I myself play on an Ubuntu and this allows me to play almost every Windows game (old ones are more capricious, but recent ones are ok).

So I'm wondering, is there really an advantage to have native Linux support nowadays? As a solo dev, the thing I lack the most is time. The days/weeks/months it would take me to add it and fix all the probable bugs it entails could be used to improve the game itself or add features instead for example.

On a more general note, what do you other Linux players expect from a Linux game?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

Sigh... this is exactly the sort of developer decision people were worried about when Proton first came out, and why some Linux users were opposed to it. Obviously in retrospect the benefits of Proton have been worth it, but those folks wouldn't be wrong to say "I told you so."

My take on it is that if you're not developing Xbox-first (which would imply being forced into DirectX etc.) you should pick libraries that give you cross-platform compatibility "for free" (I know it's not that simple, but you know what I mean) to begin with. It has to be part of the plan from the beginning (and integrated into your build/test pipeline, etc.); writing the whole game for Windows first and then trying to add Linux support after the fact is a fool's errand.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Well, I'm using Godot which can target all three big OS, though clicking on the export button and actually supporting a platform is not the same.

In the end I think I'll try to make builds for all OSes and have testers for each platform, and estimate the viability of the builds from the amount of bugs they give me back.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

In the end I think I'll try to make builds for all OSes and have testers for each platform, and estimate the viability of the builds from the amount of bugs they give me back.

Don't forget to consider the possibility that getting more bug reports from Linux users doesn't necessarily mean the Linux version is more buggy, but instead that Linux users may be better at finding bugs or more willing to report them.

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