Do I Need to Worry About Steam Working Differently on Linux Distros?

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I’m gearing up to release my game on Steam and Valve suggested I thoroughly test it on a fresh Linux setup. I’ve been a Linux user for about ten years, primarily on Debian, and while the game runs fine on Windows, I want to ensure it works well on Linux too. I’m curious if Steam behaves consistently across different distros. I’ve noticed that Arch is the most popular distro among Steam users and I know the Steam Deck is based on it, but I’m hesitant to set up Arch just for testing since I’ve faced some issues with `archinstall` before. I’d really prefer to avoid unnecessary setup. Have any of you experienced issues with Steam games that were specific to a particular Linux distro?

Do I Need to Worry About Steam Working Differently on Linux Distros
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2 Answers

QuestGamer42 -

If your game runs smoothly on Debian Stable or Linux Mint, you probably won’t face issues on other popular distros either. Just remember to test it on both stable and bleeding edge Mesa or Nvidia drivers for best results.

EpicLootS4vage -

Thanks for the reassurance!

CodeCrafter77 -

Make sure your game’s compiled using the oldest glibc version across the distros you’re supporting. This is key since glibc isn’t selected from the Steam Linux runtime. Just a heads-up!

EpicLootS4vage -

Thanks! I’m using Godot to build the game, so I don’t compile directly, but I’m utilizing Godot’s compatibility renderer for older systems.

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