Hey everyone, I usually use Linux at work and have been on Macs for years, but I recently got frustrated with the poor game support on MacOS. Now I’m thinking about building or buying a new PC for gaming and considering Linux as the main OS instead of Windows. I’m curious: 1) Could gaming performance actually improve on Linux compared to Windows for the same hardware? 2) Is the game library on Linux good enough, or will I be stuck with fewer games? I mainly use Steam, and I’ve noticed some classic games only show up on Windows. Would love some advice or experiences on whether going Linux for gaming is worth it!
10 Answers
If you’re building a PC specifically for Linux gaming, I’d recommend checking each component’s compatibility beforehand. Sometimes, network cards (WiFi, Bluetooth), sound cards, or Ethernet adapters cause headaches, even if CPUs and drives work fine. In general, AMD GPUs have smoother support and better performance on Linux compared to Nvidia, which can be a bit trickier due to driver issues.
1) Some games may run better on Linux, some worse, and many will feel about the same. 2) ProtonDB is a great resource to check how well games run on Linux. Nvidia cards can be a bit more finicky on Linux than AMD, though performance is usually okay.
One more thing: new Nvidia hardware tends to be supported pretty well on Linux from day one, but older Nvidia cards might lose support over time. AMD tends to support older hardware longer on Linux.
Yeah, Nvidia’s newer stuff gets solid Linux support initially, but their older cards don’t get as much love down the line compared to AMD’s continuous driver updates.
If you have an AMD GPU, you’re more likely to see a performance bump on Linux versus Windows 11. Nvidia GPUs tend to experience a drop in performance on Linux compared to Windows.
Regarding game compatibility, many modern multiplayer games use kernel-level anti-cheat software incompatible with Linux. But lots of single-player and indie games work flawlessly thanks to Proton. Check sites like ProtonDB and areweanticheatyet.com to see which games run smoothly.
From what I’ve seen, AMD GPUs tend to perform about the same on Linux as on Windows, and sometimes Linux fixes bugs that Windows might have. However, Linux rarely offers a big performance boost overall. Also, if you play competitive games with strict anti-cheat software, Linux might not be a great fit since many anti-cheat systems don’t support it well.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Yeah, I figured game studios probably prioritize Windows, but I might try setting up a dual-boot system to get the best of both worlds. Also, I want to avoid some of the issues I dislike about Windows and Microsoft, so Linux seems interesting.
For older DirectX 9 games, you might see noticeable improvements on Linux. Vulkan-based games can perform a little better too. There are also some DirectX 11 titles that run slightly better with AMD hardware on Linux, but those cases are few and far between.
Generally speaking, if your GPU supports Vulkan, Linux can run your games well. These days AMD APUs and GPUs are affordable and have solid Linux drivers.
Bottom line: if your GPU is AMD, expect better or comparable performance on Linux; if it’s Nvidia, performance may be hit or miss. Linux gaming has come a long way, but for some AAA multiplayer games with heavy anti-cheat, Windows is still safer to avoid compatibility issues.
Using tools like gamescope with FSR scaling on Linux can boost performance a lot, especially on older hardware. For example, running games at a lower resolution like 1051×591 and scaling it up can improve frame rates significantly without losing too much sharpness.
On Steam for Linux, you’ll want to enable the compatibility layer (Proton) to play many Windows-only games. Since you’re coming from the Mac side, keep in mind a lot of Macs have AMD hardware, which is generally pretty well supported on Linux. So that’s a plus if you get a similar build for your PC.
I haven’t bought the PC yet, but I like the idea of trying Linux as my main OS since I’m used to UNIX-like environments like MacOS. I got pretty annoyed with CS2 on Mac because it lacked full screen and proper mouse locking. Thanks for the tips!
1) Java games like Minecraft definitely run great on Linux.
2) Thanks to Proton, which is a compatibility layer built into Steam, about 85% of Windows games run on Linux now. The downside is that competitive multiplayer games are often limited outside of titles like Counter-Strike due to anti-cheat challenges. But honestly, it’s completely free to try — just install Linux and test it out!
Thanks! That’s really encouraging. How hard is it to install Linux, and if I decide to go back to Windows later, is it a pain to uninstall and reinstall Windows? Would I need any installation media?
Awesome, thanks for the info!