With all that’s going on. I’ve been really considering setting up a dual boot and testing Linux Mint properly. (i hate virtual desktops, but I have Mint running on one now) I know I have to make some changes to my productivity workload, as I’m an Adobe Lightroom user. I’ll keep that on Windows for now.
But my question is regarding gaming.
I play a lot of varying games, from new singleplayer and multiplayer stuff to old games back up to about 1999. I know I have to do a bunch of research setting things up, but right off the bat I have a question.
What games will not be possible to use on Linux?
For example, will something like Escape from Tarkov work? That’s a game I do not want to even install of there’s a chance it will lead to a ban.
And is comparability with older games better or worse than W11?
Edit: I just wanna extend a huge thanks to the community already! There’s some great info here so I’m gonna set up a dual boot soon!
Edit 2: Dual boot is now setup! Even though Mint makes sense from a long time Windows user. There's a bit of a learning curve. But I'll try it as a daily driver for a few days.
Right now my disk setup prioritize Windows, obviously. But if I end up loving Mint, I'll make a full switch and keep a small partition for Windows to run whatever Mint can't.
Edit3: Spent hours trying to get anything to work. Games just would not launch and I exhausted everything I found online. Trying a reinstall and Pop Os this time. Learned a bunch of lessons my first try
Most do work. Anything with EAC or Battleye (the huge majority) work as long as the devs have updated it recently really.
EfT runs (with some effort last I tried, most of the issues coming from the launcher I needed to run to install the game, not the game itself) but I think multiplayer probably doesn't work. I was trying to play the Single Player Tarkov mod last I played, and it was able to work.
It can work but most of them won't check the box because Linux has a statistical overrepresentation of cheaters.
That's a claim I've heard, but never from a credible source. Are you aware of actual data backing that claim up?
Which one?
The Linux having an over representation of cheaters one.
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/02/blocking-linux-steam-deck-in-apex-legends-led-to-a-meaningful-reduction-in-cheaters/
That's the one I remember being skeptical of, since it also corresponded with a drop in players overall as the game aged.
Well, lot of devs don't allow Linux players, and I don't have a better explanation for why.
Could it be that maybe the devs are also humans and were also misled into making a decision based on bad statistics?
What bad statistics?
Because developing for Linux takes time, and it doesn't have a large enough market share to be considered worth it.
There's no development required.
It requiring extra development is the only explanation I can think of for why almost no games come with native linux builds, not even single player ones.
Well in the past it was due to extremely small userbase. 1-2% of Steam users.
Now with Proton there's really not even a good reason to make a native Linux port. They just make sure its optimized for Proton, which is usually nothing at all.