I'd argue "mainstream gaming" should mean all the most popular multiplayer titles, since they pull the biggest chunk of the total gamer base. And that means Linux is not ready for mainstream gaming. LoL, Roblox, PUBG, Valorant, Battlefield, R6S. These don't work on Linux. I think posts like these are very misleading, as some people will think that all these popular multiplayer titles will work fine on Linux.
this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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Yes. Next question.
I mean, it runs everything I need. But what is mainstream gaming to everyone else? Is it fortnite? Call of duty? Destiny 2? Pubg? Valorant? GTA? Battlefield? (weirdly a lot of shooters), Apex? Siege?
May not matter to people like us but they each command something to the effect of hundreds of thousands of concurrent players. Capable as Linux distros are for gaming (truly the best way to experience classic games) the anticheat situation is no less dire.
My kid after I helped them install Windows for Fortnite: "Ugh, Windows sucks!"
TLDR: Yes
I've been gaming on Linux for a few years now and it runs anything I've picked without issues (even bigger stuff like Baldurs Gate 3). In fact I'm surprised how smooth and trouble free the experience is.
Linux is pretty much flawless for single player gaming at this point.
Linux is pretty freaking good for a good chunk of MMO's and multiplayer games, too.. But you have to approach these games with caution and research to make sure the one you are interested in doesnt have invasive rootkit anticheats.. cause those games wont work on linux, and thats entirely because of the game dev's choices, not a linux issue.
I'm doing this daily so: yes
yes, as long as ppl don't try to run malware masquerading as video games that is
For me it's ready since 2020.
Most multiplayer games that use anticheat are the only kind of games Linux can't handle these days it would seem. Proton changed the game man.
Combine that with the rise of indie titles, its a good time to be a Linux gamer. Timberborn and Ostranauts have been a blast.
Well mostly Timberborn, Ostranauts kept kicking my ass.
Is the little Tux inviting you to play, or does it not know how to hold a gamepad?
Linux gaming and Playstation gaming is gonna be my combo in the next few years.
Playstation for demanding titles or sim racing and Steam Deck for the rest.
Then, at one point, depending on some of Sony’s decisions, Linux gaming might be the only one left.
It can run pretty much everything that I've thrown at it these days.
The only major game that I can't run that I'd like to is Command: Modern Operations. There is some anti-cheat stuff for multiplayer games that may be an issue for some other players. And some mods in some games, like Bethesda's, are more of a hassle to set up, because the Windows modding environment has more users.
I did discover, after trying for the first time the other day, that ReShade works fine in Linux (I tried it in Kenshi) using this script, which is neat. Was one of the few utilities that I wasn't sure I could get functioning in Linux.
The Bethesda modding issue is being worked on, though.
Nexus are working on a beta mod manager (only supports a small number of games atm) that actually natively supports linux. Which will make downloading and installing mods so much easier for pretty much any game that is supported by nexus by the time it gets its full release.
Been maining bazzite on the gaming rig for a while over here, legit love it, and works very very well for us use case!!
Linux is ready for mainstream gaming right now. Mainstream gaming doesn’t like it because they see Windows users as dumb money bags, and Linux users as annoying freeloaders. That’s not true, but that’s the general sentiment in a bunch of execs. That’s why anticheat is available for Linux, but companies refuse to enable it.
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