Although it has been repeated for years that Linux is not the best platform for gamingThe current reality is very different. Between free games, independent projects, commercial titles with native versions, and the huge boost from Steam and Proton, it's now perfectly possible to set up a good gaming corner on the penguin system without touching Windows.
Furthermore, the Linux ecosystem includes a mix of 100% free games, open source, and highly polished commercial projectsMany recapture the essence of classic PC and console games, others embrace fresh ideas, and almost all can be installed with a couple of clicks from the usual repositories, Steam, or stores like Epic via Heroic. Let's take a look at a good handful of options to ensure you have plenty of hours of gaming fun.
How gaming on Linux has changed
In practice, Gaming on Linux today is nothing like it was a decade ago.Previously, you had to struggle with installers, scripts, misconfigured WINE, and endless forums. Now there are several much easier ways:
- Native games for LinuxThey install and function like any other system, without any intermediate layers. Many indie games and some major releases already include them.
- Steam with ProtonValve has created a compatibility layer (based on Wine) optimized for gaming. With Proton, thousands of Windows titles run on Linux with a single click.
- Heroic Games Launcher: an unofficial Linux client that allows you to enjoy games from Epic, GOG, and Prime Gaming quite comfortably.
- Cloud gaming with GeForce NOWYou run the games on NVIDIA servers and you only receive the video streamed from your browser.
- Classic repositories and FlathubThey remain home to many free and open source games, easy to install and keep up to date.
Taken together, this makes Don't rely solely on pure native gamesYou can combine free software, native commercial titles, Windows games that work very well with Proton, and tools like WinBoatAnd, if you'd like, some streaming for the heavier ones.
Free games inspired by great classics
A huge part of the free catalog for Linux originates as direct homage to legendary games for PC and console. Sometimes they are blatant clones, other times very careful reinterpretations, but they all have something in common: they can be played for free and are usually in the repositories of any current distro.
Luanti (formerly Minetest): free alternative to Minecraft
If you like the Minecraft vibe but prefer something free and very open, Luanti is a true must-see.It used to be called Minetest, and more than a closed game, it's an engine with which you can load different "game worlds" created by the community.
When you install it you will see that You don't enter a single gameInstead, you choose between several worlds, modes, and experiences: survival, creative building, multiplayer servers, mods with new creatures, blocks, and mechanics… The gameplay is very reminiscent of Minecraft: collecting materials, building bases, exploring caves, crafting tools and weapons, etc.
One very curious advantage is that You can customize the game style by turning damage on or off.If you just want to relax building and tinkering with blocks without worrying about enemies, you can instantly transform the game into a creative sandbox. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a more intense experience, you can activate damage and survival mechanics and you'll have your own survival-style adventure.
In most distributions, it is installed directly from the usual repositories: apt, pacman, zypper or similarIn many cases you'll also find it packaged on Flathub.
Sopwith SDL: Retro airplane shooter
For those who long for the days of Atari-style consoles and tape-based computers, Sopwith SDL recovers the essence of side-scrolling shoot 'em up gamesYou control a small plane and your objective is to bomb enemy structures until they are reduced to dust.
Although the idea is very simple, The game is more addictive than it seemsYou can play against the AI, but the real fun is in the TCP/IP multiplayer mode. All you need is the IP address of the friend you want to play with, connect at the same time, and you're good to go: guaranteed aerial chases and classic rivalries.
Just like with other free titles, it's as simple as opening the terminal and installing it from the repositories, either with apt, dnf, pacman or zypper, according to your distribution.
0 AD: Real-time strategy in the style of Age of Empires
If you like real-time strategy games like Age of Empires0 AD is probably the best thing you have on Linux in the free world. It focuses on historical civilizations with a very fine level of detail: units, buildings, technology, and aesthetics are all drawn directly from historical sources.
In each game you will have to manage resources, erect buildings, establish trade routes And, of course, forge alliances or declare wars when necessary. You can play solo against the computer, but one of the best features is multiplayer: knowing your opponent's IP address, you can set up a direct match in no time.
Although the project is still under development and has long been labeled as alpha, Today it offers a very complete and addictive experienceIt can be installed from repositories in virtually any distro (0ad in Debian, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, etc.).
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup: Classic dungeon roguelike
For fans of endless dungeons and the roguelike format, Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is one of those games that steals hours from your life without you even noticing.It inherits the spirit of the old Dungeon Crawl, which was a huge hit decades ago, and updates it with several graphical interfaces and a host of improvements.
The mechanics are clear: Explore dungeons filled with traps, enemies, treasures, and mysterious objectsEvery step matters, every fight could be your last, and the element of randomness ensures that no two playthroughs are ever the same. If you die, you start from scratch; if you survive, you unlock new possibilities and learn new tricks.
Also has multiplayer mode and a very active online communityThis adds a lot of life to the system. You'll find it in the repositories as crawl-tiles or similar variants in Debian/Ubuntu, Arch, and openSUSE.
Other highly recommended free and open source games
Beyond the four mentioned above, Linux also has a true festival of open source projects covering almost every genre: racing, platformers, strategy, puzzles, FPS... They may not have the production value of a triple-A game, but they're more than enough to have a good time.
SuperTuxKart: Mario Kart-style racing
SuperTuxKart is the A free and irreverent version of Mario Kart-style kart gamesRaces on crazy circuits, power-ups to mess with rivals, and characters inspired by the free ecosystem, with Tux leading the way.
It's not just about going faster: You'll have to use weapons and advantages to overtake or slow down others.Dodging obstacles and learning the tracks. It's perfect for short games, and in local or online multiplayer, it's great for some serious competition.
Xonotic, Alien Arena, Nexuiz, OpenArena and more free FPS games
In the realm of frenetic shooters like Quake or Unreal Tournament, Linux has plenty of open source optionsXonotic stands out in particular: it is a spiritual successor to Quake 3 Arena with modern graphics, very fast physics and up to 16 different game modes, from Deathmatch to Capture the Flag.
Along the same lines you have Nexuiz, Alien Arena, AssaultCube, OpenArena or SauerbratenThey all share that straightforward arcade FPS style, with fast-paced matches, lots of jumping, strafing, and headshots galore. Some even add vehicles, more tactical gameplay modes, or tools for creating your own maps.
Furthermore, thanks to the fact that the engines of Quake, Doom, Rise of the Triad And company were released, on Linux you can install native ports, load the WADs or original data and play both the classic campaigns as well as thousands of levels created by the community.
Hedgewars, Warmux and company: Worms clones
If you're into turn-based combat with crazy physics, Hedgewars and Warmux offer the Worms experience with its own personalityIn Hedgewars the protagonists are hedgehogs armed to the teeth; in Warmux, a battalion of pets and characters from free projects.
The idea is the same as always: design the best shot with bazookas, grenades, airstrikes, and absurd weapons trying to send the opposing team flying. They work really well in quick matches with friends, both locally and online, and have a very '90s charm that's hard to resist.
Platforms and arcades: Frogatto, Maze of Galious, PIX Bros, Blob Wars…
In platformers and arcades, the Linux repositories are full of gems. Frogatto and Friends It's a highly polished platformer, considered by many to be superior to SuperTux 2 in terms of level design and difficulty. If you're coming from the MSX era, the remake of Maze of Galious It's a fantastic homage to the Konami classic.
You also have Blob warsA rather wild platformer/arcade game starring a yellow ball that gleefully dishs out lead, and PIX Bros, which combines several classic mechanics of retro “smash bros” in a single title.
Puzzles, minigames and other light vices
For quieter sessions, there are also plenty of options. Pingus It's a Lemmings clone where you guide penguins to the exit using special abilities; Numpty Physics It forces you to solve puzzles by drawing objects that obey physical rules; Neverputt It's a 3D mini-golf course ideal for killing time.
If you prefer something with easy driving, BattleTanks It proposes 2D tank battles between colleagues, and Trigger It challenges you to keep the car on the road on rally circuits that are not exactly easy.
Graphic adventures and rescued classics
Those nostalgic for point & click adventures also have their place. Beneath a Steel Sky and Flight of the Amazon Queen They are available legally and for free, and can be enjoyed on Linux with ScummVM or specific packages in the repositories.
They are adventures with meticulously crafted stories, carefully considered dialogue, and that leisurely pace that encourages thinking more than shooting. Perfect for alternating with more intense shooter or strategy sessions.
Where to get and install games on Linux
With the catalog more or less clear, comes the practical question: Where can I get all these games? In Linux there are several very well-defined channels, each with its own advantages.
Distro repositories and Flathub
For most free and open source games, it's enough to use the official repositories of your distribution or Flathub. Luanti, Sopwith SDL, 0 AD, Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, SuperTuxKart, Battle for Wesnoth, Hedgewars, Pingus, OpenTTD, Neverputt, and many more are usually just a couple of clicks away in the Software Center or with a command in the terminal.
The advantage is that Updates are included with the system.And you don't have to go chasing after individual installers. For Linux newcomers, this is often the most user-friendly way to get started.
Steam: the great pillar of gaming on Linux
Steam is, by far, the platform that has cared the most about LinuxIn addition to offering a large number of native games, Valve promotes Proton, the compatibility layer that allows you to play tons of titles designed exclusively for Windows. If you're interested in the context regarding game availability, see Why are there so few games for Linux?.
Among the free or very popular games you can enjoy from Steam on Linux are: Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, War Thunder, Team Fortress 2, Unturned, Path of Exile, Guild Wars 2, Yu-Gi-Oh: Master Duel, World of Warships, World of Tanks Blitz, Dota Underlords, Artifact and many others. Some are native, others work wonderfully with Proton (gold or platinum in ProtonDB).
There are also very powerful paid games that They have a Linux version or work perfectly with ProtonFrom Valheim, Slay the Spire, Into the Breach, and the Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy to racing games, RPGs, strategy games, and more. If you have any doubts, ProtonDB is your best ally for checking compatibility.
Heroic: Epic, GOG and Prime Gaming on Linux
Heroic Games Launcher has become The reference client for enjoying the Epic Games Store on Linux, along with tools such as lutrisIt also allows you to link GOG and Prime Gaming accounts, so you can manage libraries from multiple stores from a single application.
Many of the free games that Epic gives away throughout the year can be Playing on Linux via Heroic, using Wine/ProtonTitles like Rocket League, Smite, Warframe, or even some single-player releases have been fully playable on GNU/Linux thanks to these types of solutions.
GeForce NOW: Cloud gaming from your browser
GeForce NOW is the least popular option among many Linux users, but It deserves to be in the conversationIt allows you to stream tons of titles from Steam, Epic and other stores from your browser (Chrome or Edge on Linux).
The free plan has clear limitations (waiting lines, sessions of up to one hour), and paid subscriptions aren't cheap, but in return you can to play very demanding games without having a powerful machineCall of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, Destiny 2, Lost Ark, World of Tanks and many other titles become accessible even from a modest laptop.
Today, if you feel like playing games on Linux, you have many more options than it appears at first glanceFrom free gems like 0 AD, Luanti, Battle for Wesnoth, Hedgewars, and SuperTuxKart, to modern heavyweights like Stardew Valley, Project Zomboid, Crusader Kings III, Valheim, Psychonauts 2, and Counter-Strike 2, not to mention a whole ocean of free-to-play games via Steam, Heroic, and GeForce NOW. You just need to do a little digging, try them out, and stick with what best suits your play style, because there's plenty of content to get hooked on Linux.
