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Why should I use Linux for gaming?

  • Less or no DRM (GOG, itch.io and Humble Bundle's DRM-FREE titles)
  • Open source & transparency
  • Advantages, disadvantages and what's coming in the future
  • RAM usage could be overall lower, since Linux loads "less" or more efficient
  • Linux has the better ecosystem in general compared to Windows
  • For almost every closed source software there is a alternative available, platforms like alternative.to](http://alternativeto.net/) can be used to quickly find alternatives.
  • Better input latency and flexibility, Linux is easy when it's well supported
  • In-game overlays of all sorts of hardware statistics are possible without large bulky programs
  • Linux can have more FPS than Windows in some circumstances going back to 2012
  • Some legacy games are running better on Linux via WINE

Problems with Linux as Gaming platform

  • Drivers (not all) are still "optimized" for Windows, not available on Linux or are proprietary...
  • Compatibility issues with the software you currently use
  • Emulation might be slow(er)
  • Some publisher refusing to port their games or to use API's which are working on every OS ("Windows exclusive" games and game deals)
  • other reasons

Workaround for the Gaming situation

Use Linux as your daily OS, but dual boot Windows for those titles which are not going to work under Linux.

Back in 2018, Valve release a compatibility software called Proton that is based on WINE. This change was good because it allows to run some (older) games emulated. You can check ProtonDB to see if your "Windows only" games run fine under it or if there are known problems. WINE itself has a database called Wine AppDB, which shows if your favourite software works under Wine (emulated) or not.

Via GPU-Passthrough, this is more for experts.

Gaming Distribution

There are officially only only two distributions that are supported by Valve, this is Ubuntu LTS and Steam OS.

However, just because "Valve says so" doesn't mean it isn't possible to game on other distros, here is my list which I recommend which are for gamers and "Windows switcher".

Software

You can install Steam, and Wine (if not already preinstalled) via apt.

// Install Steam
// sudo means "super user do" and apt is the package manager's name, the install command tells the package manager to install program x
sudo apt install steam
// Install WINE
// Must read: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine
sudo apt install wine
// Update your OS/Software
sudo apt upgrade

So you installed every program and everything is running, that#s good. However you might want to use PlayOnLinux to improve your "WINE experience" (it's a helper program), an alternative would be Lutris.

Which API's working under Linux

From a gaming perspective these API's working fine:

  • D9VK is a d3d9 to Vulkan-layer based off DXVK's codebase.
  • DXVK is a Vulkan-based D3D11 and D3D10 implementation for Linux and Wine.
  • Gallium Nine: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS.
  • VK9 is a Direct3D 9 compatibility layer using Vulkan API.
  • WINE currently does not support DirectX 12!

All of these mentioned projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands.

Improving Shader Caching

Shader caching is a strategy to reduce stuttering and improve overall performance by ‘prebaking’ some of the work your GPU has to do before it has to do so in-game.

NVidia GPUs Make sure that you have the latest (!) Nvidia drivers installed on your operating system. You can use these environment variables:

  • __GL_THREADED_OPTIMIZATION=1 for OpenGL games.
  • __GL_SHADER_DISK_CACHE=1 to create a shader cache for a game
  • __GL_SHADER_DISK_CACHE_PATH=/path/to/location to set the location for the shader cache.

For Ubuntu-based distros (i.e. Ubuntu, Pop_OS!, Mint etc.)

Use this PPA.

AMD GPUs Valve is working on ACO, a shader compiler that requires Mesa version 19.3 or higher.

For Arch-based distros (i.e. Arch, Manjaro)

Tutorials

Here are some video tutorials which might help you to setup things.

Overclocking Tutorials

Some general tips for smoother game experience on Linux

There is a huge wiki about gaming on Linux with some interesting tricks and tips.

Other Resources

Linux stress test tools

Linux Performance Tools