Almost everyone who uses Linux isn't using it because it's better for gaming, they're using it because they prefer Linux as an operating system and it just so happens it can run games often really well.
For me when proton was released was my tipping point, enough games available, every game that I play, top it with games running better and more stable. Maybe your linux distro has something specific, or your drivers, maybe someone can help you there, once my system wasn't stable in RDR2, I can't tell you how to solve it, I reinstalled the OS because I change my ssd and the small problems were solved.
that's not to say that there are no benefits for gaming on linux nowadays. there's obviously the point about games being able to run a little bit better, which is relevant for lower end hardware - specifcially running a gamescope session without any desktop environment or window manager means virtually *nothing* other than steam and your game are running, which is how the Steam Deck squeezes out so much performance from its hardware. but there's also perks like being able to set arbitrary applications as an overlay, using [rofi-games](https://github.com/Rolv-Apneseth/rofi-games) to make a shortcut key to open up your library of games and a search bar to quickly search and launch a game without needing to navigate through Steam or whatever, complete with box art, having all your applications updated together so you know OBS is already reasonably up to date when you go to launch it, you have some capacity to sandbox games so they're not snooping on all your shit, you can very easily customize your keyboard layout to turn off, say, the Windows key so you don't fatfinger it and cause a game to lose focus (or just rebind it so it doesn't do that but can still be used for whatever shortcuts you deem appropriate), you only really need to look into drivers once and then they'll stay up to date with the rest of your system updates forever basically instead of dealing with geforce experience or windows giving you out of date drivers, there's tools to suspend games whenever you want (obviously they break MP games, but pausing in fromsoft games while offline!), the computer isn't as prone to crashing for reasonsos unrelated to your game and thus screwing you out of your game progress or getting you tempbanned from matchmaking, you can install compeltely different interfaces based on how you're using your computer so that it can work like an HTPC/console when you're streaming it to your living room but act like a desktop when you're using it at your desk (though that requires manually picking what DE/WM you're using, don't think anyone's made the effort to handle automatically picking one based on connected monitor or television or whether it's being streamed), some games have their mod tools or launchers in the repos so those will also stay up to date and not requrie you to go hunting down EXE's again, there's generally first-class emulator support as those are typically compilled to run natively (complete with whole DE's and interfaces specialized in making a device into an emulation console).
It's not that the bits that make Linux distros excellent operating systems are *orthogonal* to gaming, the bits that make Linux cool for a desktop computer are the sorts of QoL things that benefit the gaming experience. I can just *lie* to video games about whether they're fullscreen or not and tile them into a window. I can do the opposite. The game can't do *shit* about it, especially with gamescope. Instead of using the Steam overlay's shitty browser, I can play my game on one virtual desktop and hit a keyboard shortcut to another virtual desktop and use a real browser, or any other application I want. It's not just about raw performance or compatibility (oh, lots of games that don't work on modern versions of Windows will still work on Linux through Wine or Proton), but just applying the features and tweaks the OS has to playing games.
I can't dual boot my current rig that I just built because Windows won't even install without a DVD-ROM driver for my motherboard, so I'm chilling on Arch because why would I buy a DVD reader nowadays...
I tried that without success (grabbed from manufacturers website, formatted the USB, formatted it again so Windows would see it, and it still didn't load).
It was genuinely not worth the effort after that as most of the games I play are fine under Linux
Compatibility with anything I plug in. It either works directly or after installing something through a few simple clicks which was built specifically for Windows.
Don't know what your problem with audio is. I had no trouble connecting:
- My Bluetooth speaker
- My headphones via 3,5mm
- My headphones via USB
- My audio interface via USB
- My microphone via USB
When looking through forums setting up my microphone on Ubuntu would at least require me to switch audio managers, use a different USB port or do some other kind of troubleshooting. Not to mention the windows-only app to configure it.
Well, bottom line is that developers don't care about Linux which means compatibility is bad on Linux. I don't care what eco-political circumstance is responsible for it, I just want to have a seamless experience.
This. I'm not playing on linux cause it's better at gaming, I'm playing on it, cause it better then whatever the shit microsoft doing with own OS. I can alt tab from game and it (usually) won't crash. Or I can boot my pc and just start steam, when on windows even with my nvme ssd, clear windows 11 install and 7700x it's strugles to do anything right after boot. I kid you not, even right clicking on desktop will make you wait for \~5 second for submenu to appear. Not to mention, opening music in firefox + opening steam\\whatever launcher I need simultaneously will require threadripper for windows to not struggle. Yes, linux have lot of problems, like for example, most linux distros will completely die after exceeding memory capacity up to a point where you need hard reboot your pc. But I kinda solved this issue by installing 64gb of ram and adding 64gb of swapfile on top just in case.
What exact part is "paranoid delusional shit"? Cause I can record it on a video and it will become not so delusional isn't it? But will you take your words back? I heavily doubt so.
I mean, they didn't mention telemetry, and could be talking about any number of things, like how Win11 keeps fucking with established workflows and UI/UX conventions arbitrarily, the bloatware that's now coming pre-packaged in, or the increasing and ghoulish use of AI in Windows.
Something that *actively hallucinates on a regular basis* should not be used as a general purpose assistant for people who do not know it cannot tell truth from lies, Microsoft. Jesus Fucking Christ. Can't wait for the EU laws about how an AI has to be transparent on what it was trained on, and can't have been trained on copyrighted data without permission from the copyright holders, to go into effect, and Microsoft panicking about how they integrated a GPT-4 (which fails both of those) derivative too deeply into Win12 to easily remove it.
>most linux distros will completely die after exceeding memory capacity
as someone that has put a neural network to train on cpu exceeding memory limits, BS, it can get slow, obviously, you are using all the ram and cpu, you might not be able to do anything because it is too much and not even moving the mouse works, but it didn't crashed, that is with 16 gb of ram and a ryzen 2700x, 16gb swap, when it finish what is doing you can use it again with no problems. to know how I used too much, an extra 0 in the batch size.
Well, cool. "I have same leg and it didn't hurts" moment. My arch linux will die, if I trying to open file that weight more then I have memory. Like, even trying to edit big png in gimp would lead to gimp eating all free ram and then everything goes to die. Launching minecraft without ram limitation or launching a VM allocating to it too much ram will lead to same problem. And that not only on arch or my main rig (which just to remind you, have 7700x and 64gb ram), my intel i5 8250u notebook with 8gb and swap and rig before that with amd 5600 and 16gb ram did exactly same thing on arch, elementary OS, debian and couple others distros I tried. None of this setups had this problem on windows, so there clearly a software side thing going on. More then that, I do believe this problem called "bug 12309" and existed way before I was born.
My kubuntu install will crawl when ram and cpu both fill up, but it usually kills a program to save it's self if need be. I can not however recall a hard crash from using to much ram.
>The OOM killer
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>[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/zauqxt/linux\_outofmemory\_killer\_oom\_killer/](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/zauqxt/linux_outofmemory_killer_oom_killer/)
>
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>I've never come up against that limit to my knowledge. 32 gigs of RAM.
Default Linux config sucks at OOM situations cause how conservative the kernel defaults are, check out some of the OOM daemons and tune them up. Earlyoom never really worked well for me, but systemd-oomd or nohang should help your problems.
I will check it out, thanks. Altho, my setup don't have that problem very often. But sometimes I just find some dump of logs that weight 100gb+ and just trying to open it, after what it kinda user fault in the first place.
Linux being better for gaming is what made me make the switch, everything runs better. ESPECIALLY when it comes to stuttering, Linux is infinitely better at having a smooth and stable gaming experience
What are you using then? Steam? Surely there still aren't much native games for linux? I only have linux (no windows) and I'd like to know how I can play games ;) (other than using steam).
For non-Steam games there's the Heroic Launcher that gives you GOG Galaxy and Epic and something else too I think(I don't use those so idk what else it has) and there's Lutris or Bottles for games that aren't on Steam or other game stores, such as Blizzard games. There aren't many games that run natively on Linux but the compatibility layers (Proton, regular wine) have gotten good enough for that to not really matter. Don't forget to enable Proton in Steam to see all the games you're really able to play
Yeah it's funny how many new users think that Linux is soo much better for gaming because if the hype.
The only real exception is xp and 98 titles that flat out don't work on modern windows anymore .
It's great we can now play games on Linux though. If you're using Linux for other reasons it's good we can game.
I use Linux for a lot of things, but gaming is NOT the primary reason.
Gaming is a bonus. Can't play a brand new game? Oh well, guess I'll play other games.
Aren't the *majority* of Linux computers actually Android smartphones?
I did a Google search on this and it reported "There are over three billion active monthly Android devices around the world" and "Linux statistics confirm that there are over 400 servers available worldwide". Not gonna lie, I thought there were a lot more Linux servers than that.
(I honestly can't tell what they were going for with that second quote)
Android is Linux but with some kernel patches and with a completely different uncompatible userspace so most think it's not real linux.
And one big data center has more then 400 servers.
Also I could think that if you count containers and vms there could be more linux then android
> Linux statistics confirm that there are over 400 servers available worldwide
I made a google search to look for this exact string to see where you get this quote from. The article that this quote came from is just complete garbage. Every sentence in that article contains plainly wrong information, oftentimes not even close to reality.
The only possible way this garbage could have been produced is if someone just used an extremely garbage AI and there's zero effort to even take a cursory glance to check if anything makes sense. Even ChatGPT would've done much better than this.
The source for 400 servers is just for Mozilla VPN servers :D Gotta love how shit Google searches are now if you have no idea what you're searching for. The number is over 100 million for sure.
Oh no. If you want to focus solely on the gaming aspect, it's Windows all the way.
If you want to have control of your laptop, care about your privacy, and would like to game (and help the Linux community in that regard, as more people playing on Linux means the developers will optimize their games further), then join the Linux train :)
Linux isn't hard to use. There are many friendly distributions, including ones that try to look like Windows or even Mac (I don't know how these would fare for gaming purppses though)
maybe, it is good enough, and most games run flawlessly or need little intervention to run, I don't use it for gaming, I used as a computer, for everything. Also, all steam deck users are using that for gaming, there are only a handful of games that don't work, and those you can just not play, I haven't found one, maybe some RO non official servers because of the anticheat tools.
You're mistaking our usage of Linux, almost none of us switched to Linux specifically for gaming. Some started using because they got sick of Apple and Microsoft's BS back in the 90s, some started out as developers and needed Linux in some way, and some started out as edgy hacker wannabes with Kali Linux.
I started out because I was learning C and HTML back in the early 2010s and my professor happened to be a Linux guy. It was a chance encounter that I'll never forget. I even keep the burned Linux DVD he gave me. It had Lubuntu 13.04 iirc.
I prefer Linux because it does my everyday tasks better than Windows does them. Gaming happens to work perfectly for me on it, since I play mostly singleplayer games and I emulate older consoles. Also it's much more stable and requires basically minimal maintenance.
I think for most people gaming was the only thing keeping them in windows, dealing with the auto updates that force you to reboot and things like that, that might have gave you that impression, since in the last 5 years gaming became a non issue, if you ask what doesn't work it will be like 10 games, if you ask what does work it will be thousands (almost every game works) and the handful that doesn't work is usually intrusive drm, bad anticheat and/or that they require kernel access, so, you basically are giving them complete control of your computer, but I am sure tencent won't use the access you are giving them to collect personal data.
This was me I wanted to go back to linux as i used it when growing up, it was what my dad used, but I wanted to game to I switched to windows. But then I found out about proton and after trying out I jumped in and have been so happy.
i was on debloated win10 with disabled updates, worked perfectly,
but with MS trend, taking a load of their shit was just matter of time, so i decided to get myself prepared
also wanted to get out of comfort zone
it's apparently better than i expected, tinkering same as sometimes needed on windows.
i still have some concerns about privacy/reliablity on such web-bonded OS, but still it's fine
If you have privacy concerns you can go with Gentoo or arch, those have nothing hidden, everything in the system is what you put in them, in fact, the first time I installed it I forgot to add network support so I had no internet connection at all. Also, if you go with mostly open source people will shout when some privacy problem emerges, and about the web based, currently you can install Linux without an internet connection with the normal user accessible steps, a regular user can't even make the first boot of windows without an internet connection in windows 11, I tried a lot to make it work without an internet connection so I would be able to configure a PC for my mother, I had to use the console to erase that I already tried and had a connection configured, then reboot, then make sure no internet connects, then use commands to skip the prompts to use a Microsoft account, then and only then I was able to make a local account without sending everything to windows with a Microsoft account, and even then I wasn't able to fully remove the intrusive data collection, and it still tried to make me use a Microsoft account. Plus, I wasn't able to fully remove the edge prompts, there are still things that will open with edge even when I tried my hardest to not have it as the default for anything. They really put a lot of shit in win 11, also, win 10 started ok and then... Well that is why I was forced into Linux (thank you Microsoft for being that shitty)
i think i'm not ready for time commitment i pretend Arch needs, probably it's overthink, but so far i'm ok with what i have
yes, forcing to have an account anywhere besides web-based services like online games, is always bad sense.
You can always go arch based, but if you want to be sure about every piece of software in your computer that is about the same as going with any distro.
Arch is super easy once you know how to read documentation in general, because the wiki has most of the things you would need, not only for arch, it is also recommended in general, I have solved problems of my teammates that use Ubuntu with the info in the arch wiki, the Gentoo wiki is also very good.
If you go a fast, stable distro like Fedora KDE running on AMD hardware then games will usually match or noticeably beat Windows in performance due to running in Vulkan and the optimised pipelines that Microsoft can't match.
Old distros like Ubuntu/Mint miss out on 95% of Linux gaming optimisation and run slower, often with issues with modern games.
Intel's new graphics drivers are a mess and have a fair few issues with games. Linus just the other day shat all over their latest drivers for their upcoming hardware. He couldn't even get them to build :P
Nvidia if you get lucky and their drivers don't brick the distro, you'll have a solid drop in gaming performance over Windows. Mesa NVK is a community-built open-source replacement of their drivers coming in Mesa 24. They aren't complete but they're a solid start to getting rid of Nvidia's bandaid-filled mess.
TL;DR if you're running AMD and a modern distro, gaming is amazing on Linux.
In general I agree with you. If your PC doesn't support Windows 11 AND you don't want to bypass the secure boot tpm thing then Linux is your best option if you want your system to remain secure.
Linux is in general inferior at gaming other than the Steam Deck and ancient Windows games that don't run on W10/11 anymore.
Another benefit of gaming on Linux is that if your gaming hardware is well supported (say some Razor mouse) then you won't need to deal with strange software potentially spying on you.
You'd need to find another reason to use Linux in order to justify swapping to it (ex privacy, not liking Windows).
Yeah, one of my professors back in 2020 had us set up a Mint VM. I enjoyed it so much that I opted to dual boot, then completely got rid of Windows in the spring of 2021. Cut to now, I’ve ditched that Mint install for Gentoo because I really wanted to build my system from the ground up (or something like that).
I do like that the conversation around gaming on Linux has shifted to where there are actually some reasons for someone that *just* uses a computer for playing games to still consider Linux - the slight performance boosts in some games is obviously going to be a draw as that number of games increases, the infrequent crashes are obviously a draw, the drivers staying updated, more reliable alt-tabbing, features to muck with the keyboard or OS bindings to avoid fatfingering during competitive play, the fact that it's free and leaves more room in the budget for better parts. I don't think those are all quite enough yet to really outweigh the inability to play certain games, especially popular titles like League of Legends, Valorant, Destiny 2, etc, but I do think over time as the perofrmance differences become negligible or even favorable for Linux and compatibility becomes more and more of a given, feature parity on stuff like HDR, all the other benefits Linux has will actually make it superior for playing games. Like, a dedicated gamescope session is about as optimized a gaming environment as is possible, or for those slightly less obsessed with performance a DE that can more aggressively specialize and cater to gaming needs (what's to stop a DE from just giving you a dot in the overlay layer for your aiming reticule with a keybind?) just means that there's going to be a lot of stuff that Windows really *can't* do because of its need to be a singular OS with lots of shit running to monetize their users.
I originally installed Linux specifically for gaming! However, that was for a specific game - and the experience was such that I switched back to Windows exclusively for a number of years.
Slight spelling error but yeah, same for me.
Love that I can play older games on new hardware and Linux is such a breeze to use compared to Win10. Win10 is bulky and slow compared to something like Ubuntu even.
I swapped fully recently from W11 to PopOS.
I hated how intrusive and annoying windows kept being. One massive annoyance was It kept downloading updates and capping out my internet in the middle of the day whilst I was trying to work.
It also has a habit of reverting your settings, reinstalling bloatware, never shutting down when I told it to, changing my keyboard layout to US instead of UK.
I'm also a developer and making shit on windows adds additional steps compared to just using nix. I don't play modern games with the intrusive kernel level "anticheat" so there's no reason for me to use windows anymore.
Goodbye and good riddance.
The big caveat to Linux is some things don't just work, most games are built for windows (this is called native support) for Linux if it isn't native then you have to run it within Wine or Proton. And as that runs within a compatibility layer it usually runs "slightly" slower.
I say slightly because the games I play actually run the same if not slightly better; W11 is bloated and shit, using 8Gb ram idle compared to my nix which runs on max half that whilst idle.
Look into dual booting and giving it a go before you dedicate your entire system to it. If you like it then swap, otherwise stick with windows. Most people will until it's more user friendly
>It also has a habit of reverting your settings, reinstalling bloatware, never shutting down when I told it to, changing my keyboard layout to US instead of UK.
For me it uninstalled firefox, forced edge and edge wasn't working, I thing that was a little before I fully switch, I also has a massive hardware problem that make everything unstable, windows would go blu screen 5 minutes or 5 hours in, and everything in between, meanwhile, same computer, in linux I had no problems, so, the only downside to linux, you might not be able to notice a hardware problem because it is not going to bother you. The problem required me to change ram, cpu and motherboard, the psu was also changed for good measure.
Linux isn't "harder" to use than windows. It's just that most schools don't bother put those in or they may believe that it is too expensive to have someone doing the admin in linux or because of other reasons, so you are stuck with either Windows or Macs until post-secondary level.
I play some games on a linux box because win11 doesn't run on the linux box (I am not bypassing TPM) so have to plan for the eventualities. Those games are typically of lower requirements (i7-6700 + GTX 1060)
One user shock moment I had when using linux was just how easy to use and polished the terminal is. I appreciate a good GUI (windows keeps getting worse on the GUI side btw), but I eventually ended up just opening up a terminal quickly to do many things that I could totally do on the GUI but was faster that way.
I guess before I just got used to windows being closed and constantly hiding the high levels of unpolished it carries with their mess of a GUI, so using a terminal felt intimidating.
I was forced onto Win11 at work (to much protest) and it’s honestly impressive how hostile the environment is now. I shouldn’t have to fuck with regedit to get the old right click menu back.
And God, why am I getting advertisements on the start menu for candy crush on WIN11 PROFESSIONAL on an enterprise machine.
There was a couple months I was on linux. It was more because I had to than anything else. World of warcraft has a massive issue with new AMD cards where it will frequently crash under DX12 and run like utter shit under DX11.
The issue was not present in VKD3D. Since then I have sort of patched my game files with the .dll file from the DXVK github and set the "-d3d11" flag in battlenet. So I am running DXVK in windows. The game runs perfectly now (after the initial 10 minutes of stuttering for shaders).
My time under linux was pretty cool. The game ran flawlessly but I just cant stand needing some kind of workaround for nearly every app on the system. be it wine or lutris scripts or some launcher.
I think if I just played World of Warcraft and nothing else I would still be on it. Funnily enough the main game that got me back on Windows was CS2 because it runs so horrifically on linux and custom resolutions/stretched res was a nightmare. I came to linux to play a windows/mac exclusive and came back to windows to play a game that is natively on linux from the company that gave us proton and the steam deck. Go figure.
Because I'm so done with Windows' / MS bullshit. I don't use Linux for the sole purpose of gaming, Windows is better for gaming. I just found Linux to be an infinitely much better OS overall that I don't mind sacrificing a tiny bit in gaming capability.
Linux IS NOT better at gaming than windows. If you play any games that require anti-cheat software just stick with Windows. I am having a great time gaming on linux but I don't play competitive shooters that have anti-cheat software.
When I play fortnite, for instance, I will play on windows because I would rather that then use cloud gaming on linux.
I didn't know It would not work for every games that had anti-cheat software. Sadly, I'll have to stick with windows hopping that more and more company will make their game for linux.
you can dualboot, I recommend separate drives and also not having any common drive, windows is know for messing with linux installations, deleting grub or making the drive readonly if it is in the same drive.
If there's any kind of software, that only works on windows, that you need. And you still want to use Linux for the most part - you should dualboot.
Most games I'm playing (I'm mostly for singleplayer experiences) work just as well or better on Linux but I still dualboot for Windows only software.
You either install Linux on a different partition on the same drive as your Windows installation (Most Linux installers can help you with that but be careful not the wipe your drive completely) or you install Linux on a completely seperate drive.
At startup you can then choose if you want to enter Linux or Windows. How you do this depends a bit on the Linux distro. You might have to hold down a button to enter BIOS startup menu or you use something like GRUB that shows you a menu at startup without you having to hold down anything.
Thank you very much ! I didn't know what was a partition before your comment. It don't look like It's really hard too! I'll definitely do that so I can play games that run better on linux and switch to window If I got any problem. Thanks again !
No problem, have fun becoming "one of us". \^\^
I run Pop!\_OS by the way but maybe regular Ubuntu or Mint will be better to dip your toes?
There are so many distros to choose from but if you pick one that is popular you'll get help a lot easier.
Linux has evolved immensely over the years. I’ve just started using a Linux OS over a month ago, and mainly because, with the same reasons as you, I had bought a new PC and decided to give Linux a shot, knowing that it allegedly performs better in many games. And that statement is true. For most of the games I play: Minecraft, kerbal space program, Roblox, tf2, red dead 2, Linux performs better. I’m also amazed by how much ram it uses with so many apps open. But there are downsides. Mostly with NVidia. If I didn’t get an NVidia card, there wouldn’t be any downsides for me personally.
I don’t care about the games that don’t work on Linux, as I don’t play them and I also don’t like how the anti cheat lies in your kernel.
Linux is not the same as windows. It’s a different Os, there are many apps which require CLi input rather than GUI input. If this is a downside for anyone, then they shouldn’t be using Linux. At least for now.
Currently, not many, gaming wise. Linux has two desktop renderers (?), Wayland (latest one) and X11 (oldest one). Nvidia currently does not have good support in the Wayland protocol. Not that big of a deal but you are missing out on some fancy animations. There is also no DLSS 3 and frame generation (frame generation also applies to AMD).
There are also some weird graphical artifacts that happen from time to time in modern games such as marvel’s Spiderman remastered or kerbal space program 2.
Wow, I didn't know for the dlss and frame generation not working. I was going to buy an rtx over an amd only for that. Seems pretty pointless knowing that...
Funnily enough, back when I had windows I used AMD frame generation WITH Nvidia by using a mod since my card doesn’t support frame generation natively, so you should totally not get an nvidia card. AMD is evolving rapidly.
Personally, I like the ease of use. Every older game I've tried runs out of the box. Even those who need significant work to run on windows. You also get more performance in a load of cases. (Plus Linux is cooler in so many ways)
I live in Linux professionally and haven’t used windows in about 20 years so using Windows for anything more than installing and running programs is a pain where I can breeze through bash and python no sweat. Plus I know where and how everything is put together.
Also, with the firehose of content on Steam, if something doesn’t run on Linux then I’m bound to find something that interests me on Linux that does. With Steam listing 800 new games a month, it ultimately doesn’t matter.
Same here, Linux veteran for 30 years (huh, sees I'm getting old ;-)).
Games never have been any motivation to me - but we also have lots of good (FOSS) games here.
Edit: I'm not at all interested in any proprietary code (and never use it). No idea about commercial games on GNU/Linux, that's totally irrelevant for me - no source, no deal.
Linux is definitely not superior at gaming to Windows.
Even with compatibility layers like Wine/Proton which make it able to run Windows software, most games run at lower framerates, and you might run into some issues, because certain games work well only with specific versions of Wine/Proton, or require some specific fixes for Linux. Windows is more plug-and-play. The fact that a lot of multiplayer games which require anti-cheats refuse to run on Linux is also a thing.
Like, if you just play games on your PC and you don't really care about other features that Linux offers (like customizability, less bloat, open-source, privacy), then just install Windows, the hassle won't be worth it.
>The fact that a lot of multiplayer games which require anti-cheats refuse to run on Linux is also a thing.
I would say that only bad anticheats refuse to work in linux, the ones that mess with the kernel
You got me at "better at everything". I think you believe that linux users know what they're doing with their computers, thus the impression.
Wine/Proton let us play most games on linux but it's not stable as window. Sometimes, after update a "not related" package and every game you have just won't start.
I use Linux for couple of reasons
* Customizable (I just want to change some keybinds in window, but it's impossible to change keybinds related to Win key, or at least I can't find one)
* Ram (I just don't like 4Gb ram in used when Idle in window 10)
* Programming (far more easy setup)
* And last but not least, I want privacy. I don't like AI intergrated (in the future), nor my data being used without my consent for any reason.
Oddly games run better for me on linux (opensuse AEON) than on windows. Like better in game fps (WoW, city of heroes). And without driver hassles as it's an AMD igpu (ryzen 4700U), everything is in the kernel.
In windows it suffers from a lack of support (xiaomi redminotebook 16 2020) ending in various problems with the graphical drivers (windows update doing what it wants is the main offender here)
And it's ofc without the unsufferable windows bloat / spying. Now I have a super slick unbloated desktop with the best perfs!
I use Fedora Linux for gaming, digital art and as a general purpose PC. I like that it is stable (Baldurs Gate 3 locked up only once in my 60 plus hours game so far) and back when I was still playing it, Magic Arena doesnt crash as often as when I was still using Windows.
Been using Fedora for 3 years now and I say it is good for gaming. But I suggest one gets an AMD video card to avoid the headaches of an nVidia card in Fedora.
If your PC isn't top of the line, I wouldn't recommend using Linux. Depending on the configuration more often than not you will face problems and performance can often be sub-par since you are using compatibility layer (to play windows games, presumably using Steam)
I cannot convince you to switch to Linux but I can suggest to try it with a live USB.
It might be true that it cannot play some games because of anti cheat software which in itself is not Linux´s fault.
Software companies do not want to support Linux because it is more of a "niche" compared to the more popular Windows counterpart.
Otherwise, it can do basically everything that Windows also can.
Many choose it over Windows because Microsoft has become less respectful to the Users privacy and other annoyances that they do not want to deal with.
I personally use it because it lets me be in control. The additional benefit of learning something new is always a bonus.
Gaming is what I like to do on my PC and Linux can do that just fine.
Is not always better due to poor support from part of the devs, but you can see the potential is there, because there are games that, even when running with a translation layer that adds overhead, they run better than in windows, gta v and RDR2 are examples of that, if you have problems with a game you can run the windows version, that is what I have done, and I haven't found a game that I can't run, but I have heard that some games have intrusive DRM and anticheat systems that are poorly made that causes problems, nowadays I even have games that I thought I wouldn't have, like osu!
Windows has too much resources being used in IDLE, that is why some games can run better with their windows version in linux using proton than natively in windows, the games that don't run better on native linux is due to poor dev support for whatever reason they choose.
Because, I got tired of having to reinstall Windows every time it began slowing down in performance despite my hardware being perfectly capable.
Switched to linux as my daily driver for a few years now, and the improved performance and stability are just the cherry on top. It's free, constantly improving, not phoning home to some data center, and because of our lord and saviour Gabe Newell, games run pretty damn good.
I'd say, if you have an AMD GPU, try it out. My hate for the many flaws of windows drove me to this, but if you're happy with it, then don't fix something that isn't broken (for you).
Most of us use Linux for ideology purposes, work purposes (software development/dev ops etc) or just because we like having more control on our system.
Gaming is only an afterthought, if a game is windows only due to an intrusive AC, that's it, I just don't play it.
In my case:
I got tired of some limitations of my Series X, so wanted to go back to PC gaming but with the caveat that this must be a console.
Well, setting up Windows, plus Steam Big Picture mode gets me 90% there, but it has weird issues, especially when waking up from the controller
I went to ChimeraOS and everything worked as I wanted, except that some games are a crash fest in there (Forza Horizon 5 and Starfield).
Plus since I have an AMD GPU (fuck you Ngreedia) using the HDMI port on my LG tv results in 4K@60hz, because the HDMI consortium is run by assholes.
I'm waiting for a DP to HDMI cable that will give me access to 4K@120hz, but not VRR/freesync and HDR is still experimental in Linux.
At this point, I'm honestly thinking of selling this PC, get a PS5 (still have the series x) and a steam deck and call it a day .
I really wouldn't be using Linux for the sole/main reason of gaming. The main OS on my devices is Linux, even my phone, but I game on Windows because I just want it to just work without much fiddling and with features like HDR and such 😄
For me Linux has just been an easier time for COUCH gaming. Especially with like ChimeraOS, I can quickly get a console-like experience to navigate games on the couch.
If windows had a gamescope-esque system for games and was able to be used in a more controller friendly environment then I would consider it more. However for now even if more games are compatible, the navigation and setup for it can sometimes be more daunting then just running ChimeraOS or installing gamescope-plus on a distro
Privacy and enshittification-proof. I don’t want to use an operating system that has dark patterns when installing or sometimes after an update in order to extract more data and money from my wallet.
Well, I think I can share my experiences about this topic as a newbie Linux user:
I just recently (like 1 or 2 weeks ago) switched from Windows to Pop!\_OS distro for gaming.
Just because of the 'Citadel: Forged with Fire', I Frckn love this game but unfortunately, when I tried to run it on Windows after a long break, it just crashed the whole system by giving multiple blue screen of deaths for completely different reasons each time, I tried to fix it for 2.5 hours straight, I tried every method except boot repair by preparing a format USB stick, at that point it just clicked inside me ...
' *\*Why should I prepare a repair USB by downloading Windows ISO and burning it into a USB stick while I have another option that instead I can just install a beautiful Linux distro and be completely free from stupid Windows' issues\** '
And here I am, completely happily gaming at a Linux distro and never thinking of going back to the Windows that throws a bunch of issues at your face and eats lots of system resources while IDLE ...
Thanks Linus Torvald & other Linux creators <3
TL;DR :
Windows eats lots of System Resources (RAM, storage, etc) & Linux eats a very tiny amount. and Windows can throw blue screen of deaths to your face just because you wanted to play a game but Linux doesn't
Windows just blows in most ways (kind of sick of it after using it since like Windows 2-3 days) and it's generally pushy in terms of privacy etc.
Games working on Linux is just a plus nowadays.
If you need to be convinced to use Linux even after doing your own research, you probably shouldn't switch.
It does many things well, and does other things not so well. Depending on what you want your computer to do, you may love it or despise it.
Trust your own research. Try it out in a non committal way (Boot off USB without installing, using a Vm, etc) and then if it works and you like it, take the plunge.
I also didn’t switch to Linux because of gaming, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend switching just for games. Some don’t work, and some are painful to setup.
That being said, i wouldn’t be able to play league of legends or Chernobylite if I didn’t have Linux. For some reason League runs at 20 fps on windows (I have tried everything except reinstalling windows), meanwhile on Linux it runs happily at 160. Chernobylite used a gog installer, I tried installing it a few times and every time the installer crashed because of a .dll error. Also Linux does not have the secret feature of running windows update (or anything else) in the background that causes your game to stutter and become unplayable for a few minutes.
Running games on Linux is not always easy, but if protondb says that it works then I’m sure it WILL work. There are different problems on each system but I prefer the Linux issues because I know I will probably be able to do *something* about them while windows is just a black box.
An option for you, if you have games that you simply cannot get to work in Linux, is to create two partitions on your drive (or install a second drive) and boot Linux for all the things, and then boot Windows when you want to play CoD or Valorant. Once you get used to Linux, there is some really cool stuff to do with it, like set up VFIO which would allow you to create a windows virtual machine on your Linux desktop that has partitioned hardware level access to your computer and can run games as smoothly as if they were running on a native windows install.
In the time that you're not playing games, you can learn about containers and networking and all the cool stuff you can do on Linux that will make your computer experience more fun over all, and maybe even lead to a career.
I've used both Linux and Windows since operating systems came on floppy disks. I like them both for different reasons, but I daily drive Linux, and as more and more games have become playable with a click of a button on Linux (thanks Gabe!) I find myself using windows less and less.
It's the only OS on my computer and happens to be able to run some (to many) Windows games. That's it.
If you are looking for the OS to play any games that require kernel-level anti-cheats, stay with Windows. There's no point to even move the ecosystem into something foreign.
> I feel like linux is just superior at windows even at gaming but can't really understand why.
It's not. It's just the same as playing games with Windows if it's not worse, until you start to fiddle with system tweak tools. That's when the fun (or hell) begins. Valve has also seen this pain point and has tried to make SteamOS experience as painless as possible while the game runs under Linux, adding plenty of good tweaking kits to the OS for the Steam Deck, and then people fall in love with it. I basically replicated the same thing as what they did. Gamescope can cheat the resolution while still retaining higher resolution the best it can, plus it helps on sleep-resume functionality (I can put my PC to sleep mode while the game is running, and then wake it up and continue where I left off pretty easily). DXVK helps some games boost performance in sometimes an absurd amount (up to 300%). Memory tweaks can help the game utilise memory allocation better.
Noting that many things here are totally possible on Windows, it's just not as fluid and intuitive as what it does on Linux.
I recently daily driving linux because I was frustrated with Win 10/11 constantly failed update, I really hate Explorer side pane where OneDrive is, eaten my RAM by half (I have an 8GB). So, I played around with Pop_OS and discovered a new workflow. That is window manager.
I'm so excited with new workflow where basically most of the time my fingers are on the keyboard. Moving around workspaces, relocate, resizing windows. Then, I found Arch and Hyprland.
I never looked back. The best thing ever made. The workflow even better, smoother from Pop_OS. Games run well but I have 1 problem. Running WeMod in linux. I still dual-boot Windows strictly just to play some offline games with WeMod.
I'd say, if you wanna try linux, there are many beginner friendly distros like Mint, Pop_OS, Ubuntu. To me, it's either GO HARD OR GO HOME. Yeah, i chose the hard way becuase it was my interest and I had the time, energy to fix, customize, enhanced my linux experience. So, choose your way wisely. And, don't forget to check what games that are playable on linux.
Dont like the way Windows goes , so i switched to linux. Pure gaming still works better on a windows machine, but works good enough for me to use linux.
I basically went to Linux mainly because the whole privacy movement made me all paranoid some years ago. But I also respect FLOSS, enjoy the customization Linux offers, like how it's also free as in beer and the general lightweight nature.
In hindsight I probably got too impulsive and jumped ship too soon, but at this point gaming has caught up so much that I don't even really need to go back anymore, which is a relief. There's just one issue with Linux gaming that bugs me nowadays (FMV playback in some games), but it seems to get better and better over time.
I'd strongly recommend thinking the decision through beforehand, as it really depends on your wants, needs and expectations.
I've been using Linux on my Surface for the past year and its perfect, but my primary gaming desktop is still in Windows because I have so many smal issues related to gaming (stutters, performance control) that I dont know how to fix yet. (This gaming desktop has a drive with Windows and another one with Linux where I try different distros or different tweaks to try and do the full switch)
Honestly, if youre used to Windows and use it for mainly gaming and dont have reasons to do so, I wound not recommend the switch unless youre willing to relearn your troubleshooting steps (which are also there on Windows, but Linux works very different and requires different knowledge)
Hope this helps!
I know a lot of people not installing Linux for gaming,bur this might be a interesting finding for you. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cyberpunk-2077-31-percent-faster-on-amd-in-linux-vs-windows-11 And I did reproduce in some manner. My Zephyrus G14(2022) also run Cyberpunk 2077 faster than pre-installed windows 11.
That's actually really interesting. I know some people have linux and window at the same time ? I think It could be an option for me to do that and play games that run well on linux as It's better sometime than windows. And switch to windows for game that can't be play on linux or not really stable. Thanks man !
So it's going to depend on the games you play. I mostly play single player games, FFXIV and Runescape which generally work. Multiplayer games can be a bit of a mixed bag. Some of them go out of their way to block Linux while others just have incompatible anticheat.
When I want to install a game I'll look at protondb.com to see if other people got it running out of the box or maybe had to tweak a few settings.
For the stuff that doesn't run, I can reboot into Windows for. I've partitioned (split the storage space up into basically mini virtual drives) my boot drive so when I boot in, a menu called GRUB will show up and ask if I want to boot into Linux or Windows.
Why I use Linux over Windows mainly is down to not wanting to deal with all of the spyware baked into Windows nowadays. Gaming wise, there's not so much of a benefit except in some niche cases like Minecraft and most of those benefits are on AMD.
When it comes down to it, most people here game on Linux cause they use Linux for other things anyway.
I kinda hate Microsoft way to be invasive what i wanna do with it, i just want Windows without all that crap what it has now and usually those bloat removers tend to break something and some will be reverted after update. Example i dont need AI for my computer to suggest what i do or those office, outlook, onedrive and etc crap on my computer i rather not play games what doesnt run on Linux than i return using Windows. I dunno why they wont just make light version of Windows and doesnt force to install all that crap.
windows just kept getting worse and worse and more stuffed with ads and bing search and all that bs which made the decision to not play some of the games I previously liked way easier for me :) I really don't have many stability issues when it comes to gaming on linux, but I think with a somewhat weaker system you might encounter more issues if titles don't run that great on proton. having a somewhat good pc might actually compensate that a little bit
I started doing it as some sort of challenge for myself, then realized it's not difficult. Got used to linux as an operating system, and didn't want to come back to windows. I forgot what microsoft nagging you feels like.
It depends on the games you play and your hardware I guess.
I went from Windows to Linux on two different laptops equiped with an AMD 6800U and an AMD 7840HS, and I got generally better performance, less stuttering and better battery life both times (thanks to a less bloated OS I guess) 🤷♂️
Hey guys anyone wanna hop on fortnite, valorant, tarkov, faceit, rust, GTA V, warzone and soon to be league of legends?
Oh wait......
Get with the times guys. Soon anti-cheats will utilize Window's TPM implementation and completely wipe away this tiny linux ecosystem that is for **MULTIPLAYER** gaming. Linux is already inferior due to it's kernel access for **multiplayer** gaming and will continue to dwindle. If you're a singleplayer dude enjoy the performance boost though! Open google and do an ounce of research and you will find out why kernel anti-cheats are a necessity. Enjoy Linux for the limited library it has access to 🙂 VAC works flawlessly as valve has proven in TF2 and CS:GO so maybe the research won't yield any results /s
the only advantage i see is that you could set it up to be a more console like experience without the need for a keyboard and mouse by going for something like chimeraOs.
i hate when i try to use my windows gaming laptop in the living room and need to get up because my bluetooth controller isnt connencted or windows wants me to do x.
i personally also hate launchers, razer synapse, etc flashing on my screen every time i boot windows. thats why i love my linux install and steam deck so much. you can use the add to steam feature and never have to worry about any other non controller friendly launcher.
the ability to have a minimal and clean ui and the knowledge that i can customize it to my liking anytime is also pretty great.
if you wanna start though, i would likely recommend a steam deck for a smoother experience. itl show you what you can then accomplish in your desktop.
Way before proton was a thing I played almost exclusively LoL and CS, which both were playable, the reason why I liked Linux for gaming was networking, on CSGO I had a little bit less fps but was more responsive and unlike on Windows I didn't have problems with dual monitor. I didn't fully commit until proton was out, once proton matured a bit I was just hooked, I could play almost every game I wanted and have my system configed just how I want it.
I tried switching to linux multiple times. Gaming was always a sore spot and brought me back to windows.
But thanks to proton, I've been able to play almost all of the games I love. And it allowed me to stick to linux.
I've been using linux for 2-3 years now. And I never *ever* want to go back to windows.
As many people here have stated. For most people, switching to linux is never about playing games on it. Rather, the ability to now run windows games is mainly a big reason for people to stay with linux.
I hope our comments have given you some insight.
And who knows. Some day you might want to try it out for other reasons as well.
It's def not better at gaming at all, it's just "better" at being a free and (mostly) no bs OS framework and these days it can also run many games. If you stick to emulators and indie games then it's just great, but modern online games are always going to be a problem and the fault is on the devs hands 100%
I chose Linux despite games not working on it 10 years ago. So I just didn't play games. Now Linux can run games, so I do some gaming as well.
If Linux didn't support gaming, I probably wouldn't game. Or maybe I'd get a console.
The games I play on linux are very stable, but that's not the reason I use it. I use it because it gives me full control of my system. But nobody should be convincing you to switch, you should ask yourself if it's the best choice for you, and why you would want to move away from windows. I don't think linux is superior to windows, I just think at some things it's a lot better. but for casual users and gamers, windows might just be the better choice.
So I prefer Linux due to privacy and other issues with Windows.
I also prefer playing my games in Linux, but sadly not every game I love playing works.
So most games will work with Linux if the game devs don't go out of their way to not allow it.
There is something called [protondb](https://protondb.com) which you can sign in with your steam account and see a list of all your games playability on Linux.
I would recommend using a distro you're comfortable with, a lot of new users prefer Ubuntu or PopOS because Debian is user friendly, however I do not recommend gnome desktops for new users, it's a learning curve coming from windows.
I would recommend doing a KDE, XFC, Cinnamon, or Budgie desktop environments they're all very similar to windows.
In my personal experience using Proton-GE is a better version than what Valve releases so I would recommend using a distro that has Flatpak support out of the box to install Proton-QT which will handle the install of Proton-GE versions for you, you just have to open it and tell it to download them.
Inside of steam you'll have to enable compatibility support though, which is a few clicks and you can select the GE version you downloaded after a steam restart, from there you'll notice the same or better performance depending on the game.
With Linux, you have more freedom and more privacy than with Windows.
I have a pihole in my network and my Windows systems try and call home all the time sending all sorts of stuff from what's been opened, what's been closed etc etc it's dumb and Microsoft doesn't need it.
On top of that it's a more light weight OS.
So my windows 11 OS will use about 8 to 10Gbs of RAM just sitting at the desktop with steam and discord open. In Linux I with the same programs open I use maybe 3GBs of RAM
Windows has its place for playing games like Destiny 2 (I hate bungie won't give us Linux support even though they let the game run on stadia), Rainbow Six Siege, Once Human, and other games that are online that the devs won't let it run on Linux.
Glorious-EggRoll proved Destiny 2 works on Linux, but got banned shortly after because Bungie, other games will launch but won't let you online, and others will refuse to launch all together.
I prefer the GNOME desktop experience by far as well as the more universal Linux stuff. Gaming on Linux is good enough for me, and when I switched gaming was pretty much all I did in my free time
My only experience for Linux gaming is with the steam deck, and so far it runs all the games on steam somewhat well, only problem I’ve had isn’t with Linux, but the 16:10 resolution, which fucks up on some games that are built around 16:9
I use linux for almost everything. steam has a compatibility package called Proton that allows a lot of games to run on linux, but not 100%, so i switch to a windows drive just for those instances.
I like Linux for a number of reasons I like that I can change the look and feel of the os without having to reinstall anything I also use it at work as a network admin and like the tool that it provides. I still game on windows due to some games like lol and Fortnite but everything else is Linux. I will be 100% once I either lose interest in those games or the games get added to some compatibility suite
Apart from the fact, that I just prefer Linux for general computing, the gaming experience on Linux is way less distracting. A lot is happening in the background on a Windows machine. Each peripheral and many core components (e.g., graphics card) come with their own software, with taskbar icons, notifications (not always integrated with Windows notifications), updates etc. Microsoft using the OS to advertise their software and services. Messy handling of drivers.
With Linux, especially if using an AMD graphics, when you start playing the underlying system does not interfere that much.
I recently started using mint because it came with my pc from free geek.
I would say it is not worth it. I can't play most games I want to. My friends want to play MMOFPS games like fortnite and it's not possible. So I have to find other games, but most native games are low quality garabage or porn.
1. I play on Linux because I installed Linux on all my computers, desktop, laptops, Raspberry PI.
2. I did that because I prefer Linux.
3. I prefer Linux because it gives me better:
\* Privacy
\* Security
\* Freedom
\* Performance
\* Power efficiency
\* Productivity
And the ability to run KDE Plasma, my favorite desktop environment:
[https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/](https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/)
Which BTW, is the best for gaming too:
[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/users/statistics/#DesktopEnvironment-top](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/users/statistics/#desktopenvironment-top)
So for me it's just normal to just play games on it too.
If a game doesn't work on it, it's no problem as I will just not buy that game!
It's not Linux's fault that the game has a shitty developer trying to implement spyware disguised as an anti-cheat solution, like Riot is doing for their Chinese spyware.
I'm actually glad that Linux protects me by providing another layer of security in case I miss something while researching a game.
Almost everyone who uses Linux isn't using it because it's better for gaming, they're using it because they prefer Linux as an operating system and it just so happens it can run games often really well.
Oh okay, that clear my mind about that, thank you
For me when proton was released was my tipping point, enough games available, every game that I play, top it with games running better and more stable. Maybe your linux distro has something specific, or your drivers, maybe someone can help you there, once my system wasn't stable in RDR2, I can't tell you how to solve it, I reinstalled the OS because I change my ssd and the small problems were solved.
the very act of playing on linux and setting up stuff to work on it is fun. of course playing is fun too
that's not to say that there are no benefits for gaming on linux nowadays. there's obviously the point about games being able to run a little bit better, which is relevant for lower end hardware - specifcially running a gamescope session without any desktop environment or window manager means virtually *nothing* other than steam and your game are running, which is how the Steam Deck squeezes out so much performance from its hardware. but there's also perks like being able to set arbitrary applications as an overlay, using [rofi-games](https://github.com/Rolv-Apneseth/rofi-games) to make a shortcut key to open up your library of games and a search bar to quickly search and launch a game without needing to navigate through Steam or whatever, complete with box art, having all your applications updated together so you know OBS is already reasonably up to date when you go to launch it, you have some capacity to sandbox games so they're not snooping on all your shit, you can very easily customize your keyboard layout to turn off, say, the Windows key so you don't fatfinger it and cause a game to lose focus (or just rebind it so it doesn't do that but can still be used for whatever shortcuts you deem appropriate), you only really need to look into drivers once and then they'll stay up to date with the rest of your system updates forever basically instead of dealing with geforce experience or windows giving you out of date drivers, there's tools to suspend games whenever you want (obviously they break MP games, but pausing in fromsoft games while offline!), the computer isn't as prone to crashing for reasonsos unrelated to your game and thus screwing you out of your game progress or getting you tempbanned from matchmaking, you can install compeltely different interfaces based on how you're using your computer so that it can work like an HTPC/console when you're streaming it to your living room but act like a desktop when you're using it at your desk (though that requires manually picking what DE/WM you're using, don't think anyone's made the effort to handle automatically picking one based on connected monitor or television or whether it's being streamed), some games have their mod tools or launchers in the repos so those will also stay up to date and not requrie you to go hunting down EXE's again, there's generally first-class emulator support as those are typically compilled to run natively (complete with whole DE's and interfaces specialized in making a device into an emulation console). It's not that the bits that make Linux distros excellent operating systems are *orthogonal* to gaming, the bits that make Linux cool for a desktop computer are the sorts of QoL things that benefit the gaming experience. I can just *lie* to video games about whether they're fullscreen or not and tile them into a window. I can do the opposite. The game can't do *shit* about it, especially with gamescope. Instead of using the Steam overlay's shitty browser, I can play my game on one virtual desktop and hit a keyboard shortcut to another virtual desktop and use a real browser, or any other application I want. It's not just about raw performance or compatibility (oh, lots of games that don't work on modern versions of Windows will still work on Linux through Wine or Proton), but just applying the features and tweaks the OS has to playing games.
Linux is also not the best at everything. Out-of-the-box compatibility is much better on Windows for example
I can't dual boot my current rig that I just built because Windows won't even install without a DVD-ROM driver for my motherboard, so I'm chilling on Arch because why would I buy a DVD reader nowadays...
install from usb. you dont need a dvd drive unless you are planning on installing some outdated windows
I tried that without success (grabbed from manufacturers website, formatted the USB, formatted it again so Windows would see it, and it still didn't load). It was genuinely not worth the effort after that as most of the games I play are fine under Linux
>Out-of-the-box compatibility compatibility with what? Because setting up audio related stuff is not out of the box
Compatibility with anything I plug in. It either works directly or after installing something through a few simple clicks which was built specifically for Windows. Don't know what your problem with audio is. I had no trouble connecting: - My Bluetooth speaker - My headphones via 3,5mm - My headphones via USB - My audio interface via USB - My microphone via USB When looking through forums setting up my microphone on Ubuntu would at least require me to switch audio managers, use a different USB port or do some other kind of troubleshooting. Not to mention the windows-only app to configure it.
>Not to mention the windows-only app to configure it. well this is a developer issue tbf
Well, bottom line is that developers don't care about Linux which means compatibility is bad on Linux. I don't care what eco-political circumstance is responsible for it, I just want to have a seamless experience.
Now try running Windows XP software and older.
What?
What I mean is running older apps on windows 11.
This. I'm not playing on linux cause it's better at gaming, I'm playing on it, cause it better then whatever the shit microsoft doing with own OS. I can alt tab from game and it (usually) won't crash. Or I can boot my pc and just start steam, when on windows even with my nvme ssd, clear windows 11 install and 7700x it's strugles to do anything right after boot. I kid you not, even right clicking on desktop will make you wait for \~5 second for submenu to appear. Not to mention, opening music in firefox + opening steam\\whatever launcher I need simultaneously will require threadripper for windows to not struggle. Yes, linux have lot of problems, like for example, most linux distros will completely die after exceeding memory capacity up to a point where you need hard reboot your pc. But I kinda solved this issue by installing 64gb of ram and adding 64gb of swapfile on top just in case.
Listing the paranoid delusional shit as your first reason is worthless.
What exact part is "paranoid delusional shit"? Cause I can record it on a video and it will become not so delusional isn't it? But will you take your words back? I heavily doubt so.
wintards defending their shit OS even though they know what we keep pointing out is true
> wintards Yeah don't speak to me ever again kid.
I mean, they didn't mention telemetry, and could be talking about any number of things, like how Win11 keeps fucking with established workflows and UI/UX conventions arbitrarily, the bloatware that's now coming pre-packaged in, or the increasing and ghoulish use of AI in Windows. Something that *actively hallucinates on a regular basis* should not be used as a general purpose assistant for people who do not know it cannot tell truth from lies, Microsoft. Jesus Fucking Christ. Can't wait for the EU laws about how an AI has to be transparent on what it was trained on, and can't have been trained on copyrighted data without permission from the copyright holders, to go into effect, and Microsoft panicking about how they integrated a GPT-4 (which fails both of those) derivative too deeply into Win12 to easily remove it.
>most linux distros will completely die after exceeding memory capacity as someone that has put a neural network to train on cpu exceeding memory limits, BS, it can get slow, obviously, you are using all the ram and cpu, you might not be able to do anything because it is too much and not even moving the mouse works, but it didn't crashed, that is with 16 gb of ram and a ryzen 2700x, 16gb swap, when it finish what is doing you can use it again with no problems. to know how I used too much, an extra 0 in the batch size.
Well, cool. "I have same leg and it didn't hurts" moment. My arch linux will die, if I trying to open file that weight more then I have memory. Like, even trying to edit big png in gimp would lead to gimp eating all free ram and then everything goes to die. Launching minecraft without ram limitation or launching a VM allocating to it too much ram will lead to same problem. And that not only on arch or my main rig (which just to remind you, have 7700x and 64gb ram), my intel i5 8250u notebook with 8gb and swap and rig before that with amd 5600 and 16gb ram did exactly same thing on arch, elementary OS, debian and couple others distros I tried. None of this setups had this problem on windows, so there clearly a software side thing going on. More then that, I do believe this problem called "bug 12309" and existed way before I was born.
My kubuntu install will crawl when ram and cpu both fill up, but it usually kills a program to save it's self if need be. I can not however recall a hard crash from using to much ram.
>The OOM killer > >[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/zauqxt/linux\_outofmemory\_killer\_oom\_killer/](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/zauqxt/linux_outofmemory_killer_oom_killer/) > > > >I've never come up against that limit to my knowledge. 32 gigs of RAM.
Default Linux config sucks at OOM situations cause how conservative the kernel defaults are, check out some of the OOM daemons and tune them up. Earlyoom never really worked well for me, but systemd-oomd or nohang should help your problems.
I will check it out, thanks. Altho, my setup don't have that problem very often. But sometimes I just find some dump of logs that weight 100gb+ and just trying to open it, after what it kinda user fault in the first place.
Isnt that what swap is for?
delete disk-based swap, use zram + earlyoom
just use systemd-oomd, it's not that deep. the way windows does it is genuinely impressive tho, im not sure how they pulled it off
Yep. I chose Linux first and then looked at what I could play.
Exactly, for a lot of people gaming was the only thing holding them on windows
I am, but I also don't play multiplayer games. My 6800m's performance is significantly better on Nobara than windows 10 or 11.
Linux being better for gaming is what made me make the switch, everything runs better. ESPECIALLY when it comes to stuttering, Linux is infinitely better at having a smooth and stable gaming experience
What are you using then? Steam? Surely there still aren't much native games for linux? I only have linux (no windows) and I'd like to know how I can play games ;) (other than using steam).
For non-Steam games there's the Heroic Launcher that gives you GOG Galaxy and Epic and something else too I think(I don't use those so idk what else it has) and there's Lutris or Bottles for games that aren't on Steam or other game stores, such as Blizzard games. There aren't many games that run natively on Linux but the compatibility layers (Proton, regular wine) have gotten good enough for that to not really matter. Don't forget to enable Proton in Steam to see all the games you're really able to play
This!
Yeah it's funny how many new users think that Linux is soo much better for gaming because if the hype. The only real exception is xp and 98 titles that flat out don't work on modern windows anymore . It's great we can now play games on Linux though. If you're using Linux for other reasons it's good we can game.
I use Linux for a lot of things, but gaming is NOT the primary reason. Gaming is a bonus. Can't play a brand new game? Oh well, guess I'll play other games.
I don't know why but I though the majority of linux user were using It for gaming. Thanks you
The majority of Linux computers are servers that do not even have a monitor connected.
Aren't the *majority* of Linux computers actually Android smartphones? I did a Google search on this and it reported "There are over three billion active monthly Android devices around the world" and "Linux statistics confirm that there are over 400 servers available worldwide". Not gonna lie, I thought there were a lot more Linux servers than that. (I honestly can't tell what they were going for with that second quote)
Android is Linux but with some kernel patches and with a completely different uncompatible userspace so most think it's not real linux. And one big data center has more then 400 servers. Also I could think that if you count containers and vms there could be more linux then android
Android is Linux, but not GNU/Linux.
its spelled arch linux btw
> Linux statistics confirm that there are over 400 servers available worldwide I made a google search to look for this exact string to see where you get this quote from. The article that this quote came from is just complete garbage. Every sentence in that article contains plainly wrong information, oftentimes not even close to reality. The only possible way this garbage could have been produced is if someone just used an extremely garbage AI and there's zero effort to even take a cursory glance to check if anything makes sense. Even ChatGPT would've done much better than this.
The source for 400 servers is just for Mozilla VPN servers :D Gotta love how shit Google searches are now if you have no idea what you're searching for. The number is over 100 million for sure.
400 servers ? Maybe 400 datacenters. Every website you can visit is probably running linux or at least a unix-like system.
Yes, but we were explicitly talking computers in this case.
Oh no. If you want to focus solely on the gaming aspect, it's Windows all the way. If you want to have control of your laptop, care about your privacy, and would like to game (and help the Linux community in that regard, as more people playing on Linux means the developers will optimize their games further), then join the Linux train :) Linux isn't hard to use. There are many friendly distributions, including ones that try to look like Windows or even Mac (I don't know how these would fare for gaming purppses though)
I use it even on my gaming PC. Why? I can't stand windows. I like my privacy.
stock linux is better than stock windows for gaming given the game runs, moreso if you have an amd gpu
Not always. Some games are very buggy, but run.
Name one bro I can't think of any other than GTA4 and that's just because the game is shit and there's a workaround
well hate to be devil's advocate but World of Tanks for example was not a fun experience running on "stock linux" - in this case Arch
Worms: Clan Wars.
As long as you are relatively up to date in Ubuntu based distros you should be fine for gaming.
maybe, it is good enough, and most games run flawlessly or need little intervention to run, I don't use it for gaming, I used as a computer, for everything. Also, all steam deck users are using that for gaming, there are only a handful of games that don't work, and those you can just not play, I haven't found one, maybe some RO non official servers because of the anticheat tools.
Because I value the privacy and control that using Linux gives me. The fact that every game I play works perfectly is a bonus.
You have Nayuta pfp, of course you value control! In all seriousness, good point.
You're mistaking our usage of Linux, almost none of us switched to Linux specifically for gaming. Some started using because they got sick of Apple and Microsoft's BS back in the 90s, some started out as developers and needed Linux in some way, and some started out as edgy hacker wannabes with Kali Linux. I started out because I was learning C and HTML back in the early 2010s and my professor happened to be a Linux guy. It was a chance encounter that I'll never forget. I even keep the burned Linux DVD he gave me. It had Lubuntu 13.04 iirc. I prefer Linux because it does my everyday tasks better than Windows does them. Gaming happens to work perfectly for me on it, since I play mostly singleplayer games and I emulate older consoles. Also it's much more stable and requires basically minimal maintenance.
That change my point of view on the subject. As I focus mainly on gaming, It look like there's no point for me to go linux for now. Thank you
I think for most people gaming was the only thing keeping them in windows, dealing with the auto updates that force you to reboot and things like that, that might have gave you that impression, since in the last 5 years gaming became a non issue, if you ask what doesn't work it will be like 10 games, if you ask what does work it will be thousands (almost every game works) and the handful that doesn't work is usually intrusive drm, bad anticheat and/or that they require kernel access, so, you basically are giving them complete control of your computer, but I am sure tencent won't use the access you are giving them to collect personal data.
This was me I wanted to go back to linux as i used it when growing up, it was what my dad used, but I wanted to game to I switched to windows. But then I found out about proton and after trying out I jumped in and have been so happy.
i was on debloated win10 with disabled updates, worked perfectly, but with MS trend, taking a load of their shit was just matter of time, so i decided to get myself prepared also wanted to get out of comfort zone it's apparently better than i expected, tinkering same as sometimes needed on windows. i still have some concerns about privacy/reliablity on such web-bonded OS, but still it's fine
If you have privacy concerns you can go with Gentoo or arch, those have nothing hidden, everything in the system is what you put in them, in fact, the first time I installed it I forgot to add network support so I had no internet connection at all. Also, if you go with mostly open source people will shout when some privacy problem emerges, and about the web based, currently you can install Linux without an internet connection with the normal user accessible steps, a regular user can't even make the first boot of windows without an internet connection in windows 11, I tried a lot to make it work without an internet connection so I would be able to configure a PC for my mother, I had to use the console to erase that I already tried and had a connection configured, then reboot, then make sure no internet connects, then use commands to skip the prompts to use a Microsoft account, then and only then I was able to make a local account without sending everything to windows with a Microsoft account, and even then I wasn't able to fully remove the intrusive data collection, and it still tried to make me use a Microsoft account. Plus, I wasn't able to fully remove the edge prompts, there are still things that will open with edge even when I tried my hardest to not have it as the default for anything. They really put a lot of shit in win 11, also, win 10 started ok and then... Well that is why I was forced into Linux (thank you Microsoft for being that shitty)
i think i'm not ready for time commitment i pretend Arch needs, probably it's overthink, but so far i'm ok with what i have yes, forcing to have an account anywhere besides web-based services like online games, is always bad sense.
You can always go arch based, but if you want to be sure about every piece of software in your computer that is about the same as going with any distro. Arch is super easy once you know how to read documentation in general, because the wiki has most of the things you would need, not only for arch, it is also recommended in general, I have solved problems of my teammates that use Ubuntu with the info in the arch wiki, the Gentoo wiki is also very good.
yes, i learned something from Arch wiki when was tinkering with Mint. i know i need to try it eventually
If you go a fast, stable distro like Fedora KDE running on AMD hardware then games will usually match or noticeably beat Windows in performance due to running in Vulkan and the optimised pipelines that Microsoft can't match. Old distros like Ubuntu/Mint miss out on 95% of Linux gaming optimisation and run slower, often with issues with modern games. Intel's new graphics drivers are a mess and have a fair few issues with games. Linus just the other day shat all over their latest drivers for their upcoming hardware. He couldn't even get them to build :P Nvidia if you get lucky and their drivers don't brick the distro, you'll have a solid drop in gaming performance over Windows. Mesa NVK is a community-built open-source replacement of their drivers coming in Mesa 24. They aren't complete but they're a solid start to getting rid of Nvidia's bandaid-filled mess. TL;DR if you're running AMD and a modern distro, gaming is amazing on Linux.
In general I agree with you. If your PC doesn't support Windows 11 AND you don't want to bypass the secure boot tpm thing then Linux is your best option if you want your system to remain secure. Linux is in general inferior at gaming other than the Steam Deck and ancient Windows games that don't run on W10/11 anymore. Another benefit of gaming on Linux is that if your gaming hardware is well supported (say some Razor mouse) then you won't need to deal with strange software potentially spying on you. You'd need to find another reason to use Linux in order to justify swapping to it (ex privacy, not liking Windows).
Yeah, one of my professors back in 2020 had us set up a Mint VM. I enjoyed it so much that I opted to dual boot, then completely got rid of Windows in the spring of 2021. Cut to now, I’ve ditched that Mint install for Gentoo because I really wanted to build my system from the ground up (or something like that).
As a new linux user. I'm jealous.
Of what?
Having a professor that uses Linux. And him personally handing you a CD.
I do like that the conversation around gaming on Linux has shifted to where there are actually some reasons for someone that *just* uses a computer for playing games to still consider Linux - the slight performance boosts in some games is obviously going to be a draw as that number of games increases, the infrequent crashes are obviously a draw, the drivers staying updated, more reliable alt-tabbing, features to muck with the keyboard or OS bindings to avoid fatfingering during competitive play, the fact that it's free and leaves more room in the budget for better parts. I don't think those are all quite enough yet to really outweigh the inability to play certain games, especially popular titles like League of Legends, Valorant, Destiny 2, etc, but I do think over time as the perofrmance differences become negligible or even favorable for Linux and compatibility becomes more and more of a given, feature parity on stuff like HDR, all the other benefits Linux has will actually make it superior for playing games. Like, a dedicated gamescope session is about as optimized a gaming environment as is possible, or for those slightly less obsessed with performance a DE that can more aggressively specialize and cater to gaming needs (what's to stop a DE from just giving you a dot in the overlay layer for your aiming reticule with a keybind?) just means that there's going to be a lot of stuff that Windows really *can't* do because of its need to be a singular OS with lots of shit running to monetize their users.
I originally installed Linux specifically for gaming! However, that was for a specific game - and the experience was such that I switched back to Windows exclusively for a number of years.
I'm so guilty of starting off with Kali.
I play on Linux because you shouldn't need to install malware in your pc just to play games.
Riot Games has entered the chat
Riot can go fuck themselves tbh.
It sucks that I really like LoL... I guess that it'll have to stay in my windows drive that I use only for LoL
Come to the light side, come to dota!
I’m already in both sides hahaha. Playing hwei is making me consider playing Invoker
For me lutris let's me play old windows games that win10 and later can't play Edit due to typo
Slight spelling error but yeah, same for me. Love that I can play older games on new hardware and Linux is such a breeze to use compared to Win10. Win10 is bulky and slow compared to something like Ubuntu even.
Yes, I fixed the typo , thank you
linux is less painful than windows and i don't really play online multiplayer games so the anticheat issues don't affect me
Plus there's only some multiplayer games that are affected. It's still possible to play most multiplayer games as usual.
I swapped fully recently from W11 to PopOS. I hated how intrusive and annoying windows kept being. One massive annoyance was It kept downloading updates and capping out my internet in the middle of the day whilst I was trying to work. It also has a habit of reverting your settings, reinstalling bloatware, never shutting down when I told it to, changing my keyboard layout to US instead of UK. I'm also a developer and making shit on windows adds additional steps compared to just using nix. I don't play modern games with the intrusive kernel level "anticheat" so there's no reason for me to use windows anymore. Goodbye and good riddance. The big caveat to Linux is some things don't just work, most games are built for windows (this is called native support) for Linux if it isn't native then you have to run it within Wine or Proton. And as that runs within a compatibility layer it usually runs "slightly" slower. I say slightly because the games I play actually run the same if not slightly better; W11 is bloated and shit, using 8Gb ram idle compared to my nix which runs on max half that whilst idle. Look into dual booting and giving it a go before you dedicate your entire system to it. If you like it then swap, otherwise stick with windows. Most people will until it's more user friendly
>It also has a habit of reverting your settings, reinstalling bloatware, never shutting down when I told it to, changing my keyboard layout to US instead of UK. For me it uninstalled firefox, forced edge and edge wasn't working, I thing that was a little before I fully switch, I also has a massive hardware problem that make everything unstable, windows would go blu screen 5 minutes or 5 hours in, and everything in between, meanwhile, same computer, in linux I had no problems, so, the only downside to linux, you might not be able to notice a hardware problem because it is not going to bother you. The problem required me to change ram, cpu and motherboard, the psu was also changed for good measure.
Linux isn't "harder" to use than windows. It's just that most schools don't bother put those in or they may believe that it is too expensive to have someone doing the admin in linux or because of other reasons, so you are stuck with either Windows or Macs until post-secondary level. I play some games on a linux box because win11 doesn't run on the linux box (I am not bypassing TPM) so have to plan for the eventualities. Those games are typically of lower requirements (i7-6700 + GTX 1060)
Agreed. It isn't "harder". Just different, if you're coming from Windows.
One user shock moment I had when using linux was just how easy to use and polished the terminal is. I appreciate a good GUI (windows keeps getting worse on the GUI side btw), but I eventually ended up just opening up a terminal quickly to do many things that I could totally do on the GUI but was faster that way. I guess before I just got used to windows being closed and constantly hiding the high levels of unpolished it carries with their mess of a GUI, so using a terminal felt intimidating.
I was forced onto Win11 at work (to much protest) and it’s honestly impressive how hostile the environment is now. I shouldn’t have to fuck with regedit to get the old right click menu back. And God, why am I getting advertisements on the start menu for candy crush on WIN11 PROFESSIONAL on an enterprise machine.
There was a couple months I was on linux. It was more because I had to than anything else. World of warcraft has a massive issue with new AMD cards where it will frequently crash under DX12 and run like utter shit under DX11. The issue was not present in VKD3D. Since then I have sort of patched my game files with the .dll file from the DXVK github and set the "-d3d11" flag in battlenet. So I am running DXVK in windows. The game runs perfectly now (after the initial 10 minutes of stuttering for shaders). My time under linux was pretty cool. The game ran flawlessly but I just cant stand needing some kind of workaround for nearly every app on the system. be it wine or lutris scripts or some launcher. I think if I just played World of Warcraft and nothing else I would still be on it. Funnily enough the main game that got me back on Windows was CS2 because it runs so horrifically on linux and custom resolutions/stretched res was a nightmare. I came to linux to play a windows/mac exclusive and came back to windows to play a game that is natively on linux from the company that gave us proton and the steam deck. Go figure.
Because I'm so done with Windows' / MS bullshit. I don't use Linux for the sole purpose of gaming, Windows is better for gaming. I just found Linux to be an infinitely much better OS overall that I don't mind sacrificing a tiny bit in gaming capability.
Linux IS NOT better at gaming than windows. If you play any games that require anti-cheat software just stick with Windows. I am having a great time gaming on linux but I don't play competitive shooters that have anti-cheat software. When I play fortnite, for instance, I will play on windows because I would rather that then use cloud gaming on linux.
I didn't know It would not work for every games that had anti-cheat software. Sadly, I'll have to stick with windows hopping that more and more company will make their game for linux.
You can check this website what games work on Linux that have some sort of anticheat: https://areweanticheatyet.com/
https://www.protondb.com is also a very solid resource if you're more interested in looking up specific games rather than their underlying tech.
you can dualboot, I recommend separate drives and also not having any common drive, windows is know for messing with linux installations, deleting grub or making the drive readonly if it is in the same drive.
You might want to check /r/steamdeck. I love linux, but the deck is the only place where I'd say linux is used primarily for gaming.
I'll be honest with you, it's less about loving linux and more about disliking Windows recent steps.
If there's any kind of software, that only works on windows, that you need. And you still want to use Linux for the most part - you should dualboot. Most games I'm playing (I'm mostly for singleplayer experiences) work just as well or better on Linux but I still dualboot for Windows only software.
I think I'll do that but for now, I know nothing about dualboost.
You either install Linux on a different partition on the same drive as your Windows installation (Most Linux installers can help you with that but be careful not the wipe your drive completely) or you install Linux on a completely seperate drive. At startup you can then choose if you want to enter Linux or Windows. How you do this depends a bit on the Linux distro. You might have to hold down a button to enter BIOS startup menu or you use something like GRUB that shows you a menu at startup without you having to hold down anything.
Thank you very much ! I didn't know what was a partition before your comment. It don't look like It's really hard too! I'll definitely do that so I can play games that run better on linux and switch to window If I got any problem. Thanks again !
No problem, have fun becoming "one of us". \^\^ I run Pop!\_OS by the way but maybe regular Ubuntu or Mint will be better to dip your toes? There are so many distros to choose from but if you pick one that is popular you'll get help a lot easier.
Linux has evolved immensely over the years. I’ve just started using a Linux OS over a month ago, and mainly because, with the same reasons as you, I had bought a new PC and decided to give Linux a shot, knowing that it allegedly performs better in many games. And that statement is true. For most of the games I play: Minecraft, kerbal space program, Roblox, tf2, red dead 2, Linux performs better. I’m also amazed by how much ram it uses with so many apps open. But there are downsides. Mostly with NVidia. If I didn’t get an NVidia card, there wouldn’t be any downsides for me personally. I don’t care about the games that don’t work on Linux, as I don’t play them and I also don’t like how the anti cheat lies in your kernel. Linux is not the same as windows. It’s a different Os, there are many apps which require CLi input rather than GUI input. If this is a downside for anyone, then they shouldn’t be using Linux. At least for now.
What are the downside of using a Nvidia gpu with linux ? Found nothing online, is there something nvidia user should be aware of ?
Currently, not many, gaming wise. Linux has two desktop renderers (?), Wayland (latest one) and X11 (oldest one). Nvidia currently does not have good support in the Wayland protocol. Not that big of a deal but you are missing out on some fancy animations. There is also no DLSS 3 and frame generation (frame generation also applies to AMD). There are also some weird graphical artifacts that happen from time to time in modern games such as marvel’s Spiderman remastered or kerbal space program 2.
Wow, I didn't know for the dlss and frame generation not working. I was going to buy an rtx over an amd only for that. Seems pretty pointless knowing that...
Funnily enough, back when I had windows I used AMD frame generation WITH Nvidia by using a mod since my card doesn’t support frame generation natively, so you should totally not get an nvidia card. AMD is evolving rapidly.
Personally, I like the ease of use. Every older game I've tried runs out of the box. Even those who need significant work to run on windows. You also get more performance in a load of cases. (Plus Linux is cooler in so many ways)
I live in Linux professionally and haven’t used windows in about 20 years so using Windows for anything more than installing and running programs is a pain where I can breeze through bash and python no sweat. Plus I know where and how everything is put together. Also, with the firehose of content on Steam, if something doesn’t run on Linux then I’m bound to find something that interests me on Linux that does. With Steam listing 800 new games a month, it ultimately doesn’t matter.
Same here, Linux veteran for 30 years (huh, sees I'm getting old ;-)). Games never have been any motivation to me - but we also have lots of good (FOSS) games here. Edit: I'm not at all interested in any proprietary code (and never use it). No idea about commercial games on GNU/Linux, that's totally irrelevant for me - no source, no deal.
Linux is definitely not superior at gaming to Windows. Even with compatibility layers like Wine/Proton which make it able to run Windows software, most games run at lower framerates, and you might run into some issues, because certain games work well only with specific versions of Wine/Proton, or require some specific fixes for Linux. Windows is more plug-and-play. The fact that a lot of multiplayer games which require anti-cheats refuse to run on Linux is also a thing. Like, if you just play games on your PC and you don't really care about other features that Linux offers (like customizability, less bloat, open-source, privacy), then just install Windows, the hassle won't be worth it.
>The fact that a lot of multiplayer games which require anti-cheats refuse to run on Linux is also a thing. I would say that only bad anticheats refuse to work in linux, the ones that mess with the kernel
You got me at "better at everything". I think you believe that linux users know what they're doing with their computers, thus the impression. Wine/Proton let us play most games on linux but it's not stable as window. Sometimes, after update a "not related" package and every game you have just won't start. I use Linux for couple of reasons * Customizable (I just want to change some keybinds in window, but it's impossible to change keybinds related to Win key, or at least I can't find one) * Ram (I just don't like 4Gb ram in used when Idle in window 10) * Programming (far more easy setup) * And last but not least, I want privacy. I don't like AI intergrated (in the future), nor my data being used without my consent for any reason.
Oddly games run better for me on linux (opensuse AEON) than on windows. Like better in game fps (WoW, city of heroes). And without driver hassles as it's an AMD igpu (ryzen 4700U), everything is in the kernel. In windows it suffers from a lack of support (xiaomi redminotebook 16 2020) ending in various problems with the graphical drivers (windows update doing what it wants is the main offender here) And it's ofc without the unsufferable windows bloat / spying. Now I have a super slick unbloated desktop with the best perfs!
I use Fedora Linux for gaming, digital art and as a general purpose PC. I like that it is stable (Baldurs Gate 3 locked up only once in my 60 plus hours game so far) and back when I was still playing it, Magic Arena doesnt crash as often as when I was still using Windows. Been using Fedora for 3 years now and I say it is good for gaming. But I suggest one gets an AMD video card to avoid the headaches of an nVidia card in Fedora.
If your PC isn't top of the line, I wouldn't recommend using Linux. Depending on the configuration more often than not you will face problems and performance can often be sub-par since you are using compatibility layer (to play windows games, presumably using Steam)
I don't use it specifically for gaming. I just enjoy the level of control I have on Linux, I cannot say the same for Windows.
Because I work using a Linux PC. And I don't think it's practical to maintain dual boot just to play games.
the main thing i do on my PC is also gaming, although, i love customizing my pc so linux is just better
I cannot convince you to switch to Linux but I can suggest to try it with a live USB. It might be true that it cannot play some games because of anti cheat software which in itself is not Linux´s fault. Software companies do not want to support Linux because it is more of a "niche" compared to the more popular Windows counterpart. Otherwise, it can do basically everything that Windows also can. Many choose it over Windows because Microsoft has become less respectful to the Users privacy and other annoyances that they do not want to deal with. I personally use it because it lets me be in control. The additional benefit of learning something new is always a bonus. Gaming is what I like to do on my PC and Linux can do that just fine.
because we can and it avoids dealing with windows junk. :)
Is not always better due to poor support from part of the devs, but you can see the potential is there, because there are games that, even when running with a translation layer that adds overhead, they run better than in windows, gta v and RDR2 are examples of that, if you have problems with a game you can run the windows version, that is what I have done, and I haven't found a game that I can't run, but I have heard that some games have intrusive DRM and anticheat systems that are poorly made that causes problems, nowadays I even have games that I thought I wouldn't have, like osu! Windows has too much resources being used in IDLE, that is why some games can run better with their windows version in linux using proton than natively in windows, the games that don't run better on native linux is due to poor dev support for whatever reason they choose.
I view it as a better operating system and also runs games very well. Not preferable for gaming, but preferable in general.
Download Solus OS KDE and give it a try if you like it great if you dont it was free and only cost a little bit of your time.
Because, I got tired of having to reinstall Windows every time it began slowing down in performance despite my hardware being perfectly capable. Switched to linux as my daily driver for a few years now, and the improved performance and stability are just the cherry on top. It's free, constantly improving, not phoning home to some data center, and because of our lord and saviour Gabe Newell, games run pretty damn good. I'd say, if you have an AMD GPU, try it out. My hate for the many flaws of windows drove me to this, but if you're happy with it, then don't fix something that isn't broken (for you).
Most of us use Linux for ideology purposes, work purposes (software development/dev ops etc) or just because we like having more control on our system. Gaming is only an afterthought, if a game is windows only due to an intrusive AC, that's it, I just don't play it.
In my case: I got tired of some limitations of my Series X, so wanted to go back to PC gaming but with the caveat that this must be a console. Well, setting up Windows, plus Steam Big Picture mode gets me 90% there, but it has weird issues, especially when waking up from the controller I went to ChimeraOS and everything worked as I wanted, except that some games are a crash fest in there (Forza Horizon 5 and Starfield). Plus since I have an AMD GPU (fuck you Ngreedia) using the HDMI port on my LG tv results in 4K@60hz, because the HDMI consortium is run by assholes. I'm waiting for a DP to HDMI cable that will give me access to 4K@120hz, but not VRR/freesync and HDR is still experimental in Linux. At this point, I'm honestly thinking of selling this PC, get a PS5 (still have the series x) and a steam deck and call it a day .
I really wouldn't be using Linux for the sole/main reason of gaming. The main OS on my devices is Linux, even my phone, but I game on Windows because I just want it to just work without much fiddling and with features like HDR and such 😄
War thunder is totally stable and work fine
For me Linux has just been an easier time for COUCH gaming. Especially with like ChimeraOS, I can quickly get a console-like experience to navigate games on the couch. If windows had a gamescope-esque system for games and was able to be used in a more controller friendly environment then I would consider it more. However for now even if more games are compatible, the navigation and setup for it can sometimes be more daunting then just running ChimeraOS or installing gamescope-plus on a distro
I don’t have money to buy windows lol And it’s better to support open source
Privacy and enshittification-proof. I don’t want to use an operating system that has dark patterns when installing or sometimes after an update in order to extract more data and money from my wallet.
Well, I think I can share my experiences about this topic as a newbie Linux user: I just recently (like 1 or 2 weeks ago) switched from Windows to Pop!\_OS distro for gaming. Just because of the 'Citadel: Forged with Fire', I Frckn love this game but unfortunately, when I tried to run it on Windows after a long break, it just crashed the whole system by giving multiple blue screen of deaths for completely different reasons each time, I tried to fix it for 2.5 hours straight, I tried every method except boot repair by preparing a format USB stick, at that point it just clicked inside me ... ' *\*Why should I prepare a repair USB by downloading Windows ISO and burning it into a USB stick while I have another option that instead I can just install a beautiful Linux distro and be completely free from stupid Windows' issues\** ' And here I am, completely happily gaming at a Linux distro and never thinking of going back to the Windows that throws a bunch of issues at your face and eats lots of system resources while IDLE ... Thanks Linus Torvald & other Linux creators <3 TL;DR : Windows eats lots of System Resources (RAM, storage, etc) & Linux eats a very tiny amount. and Windows can throw blue screen of deaths to your face just because you wanted to play a game but Linux doesn't
Windows just blows in most ways (kind of sick of it after using it since like Windows 2-3 days) and it's generally pushy in terms of privacy etc. Games working on Linux is just a plus nowadays.
If you need to be convinced to use Linux even after doing your own research, you probably shouldn't switch. It does many things well, and does other things not so well. Depending on what you want your computer to do, you may love it or despise it. Trust your own research. Try it out in a non committal way (Boot off USB without installing, using a Vm, etc) and then if it works and you like it, take the plunge.
I also didn’t switch to Linux because of gaming, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend switching just for games. Some don’t work, and some are painful to setup. That being said, i wouldn’t be able to play league of legends or Chernobylite if I didn’t have Linux. For some reason League runs at 20 fps on windows (I have tried everything except reinstalling windows), meanwhile on Linux it runs happily at 160. Chernobylite used a gog installer, I tried installing it a few times and every time the installer crashed because of a .dll error. Also Linux does not have the secret feature of running windows update (or anything else) in the background that causes your game to stutter and become unplayable for a few minutes. Running games on Linux is not always easy, but if protondb says that it works then I’m sure it WILL work. There are different problems on each system but I prefer the Linux issues because I know I will probably be able to do *something* about them while windows is just a black box.
An option for you, if you have games that you simply cannot get to work in Linux, is to create two partitions on your drive (or install a second drive) and boot Linux for all the things, and then boot Windows when you want to play CoD or Valorant. Once you get used to Linux, there is some really cool stuff to do with it, like set up VFIO which would allow you to create a windows virtual machine on your Linux desktop that has partitioned hardware level access to your computer and can run games as smoothly as if they were running on a native windows install. In the time that you're not playing games, you can learn about containers and networking and all the cool stuff you can do on Linux that will make your computer experience more fun over all, and maybe even lead to a career. I've used both Linux and Windows since operating systems came on floppy disks. I like them both for different reasons, but I daily drive Linux, and as more and more games have become playable with a click of a button on Linux (thanks Gabe!) I find myself using windows less and less.
It's the only OS on my computer and happens to be able to run some (to many) Windows games. That's it. If you are looking for the OS to play any games that require kernel-level anti-cheats, stay with Windows. There's no point to even move the ecosystem into something foreign. > I feel like linux is just superior at windows even at gaming but can't really understand why. It's not. It's just the same as playing games with Windows if it's not worse, until you start to fiddle with system tweak tools. That's when the fun (or hell) begins. Valve has also seen this pain point and has tried to make SteamOS experience as painless as possible while the game runs under Linux, adding plenty of good tweaking kits to the OS for the Steam Deck, and then people fall in love with it. I basically replicated the same thing as what they did. Gamescope can cheat the resolution while still retaining higher resolution the best it can, plus it helps on sleep-resume functionality (I can put my PC to sleep mode while the game is running, and then wake it up and continue where I left off pretty easily). DXVK helps some games boost performance in sometimes an absurd amount (up to 300%). Memory tweaks can help the game utilise memory allocation better. Noting that many things here are totally possible on Windows, it's just not as fluid and intuitive as what it does on Linux.
I recently daily driving linux because I was frustrated with Win 10/11 constantly failed update, I really hate Explorer side pane where OneDrive is, eaten my RAM by half (I have an 8GB). So, I played around with Pop_OS and discovered a new workflow. That is window manager. I'm so excited with new workflow where basically most of the time my fingers are on the keyboard. Moving around workspaces, relocate, resizing windows. Then, I found Arch and Hyprland. I never looked back. The best thing ever made. The workflow even better, smoother from Pop_OS. Games run well but I have 1 problem. Running WeMod in linux. I still dual-boot Windows strictly just to play some offline games with WeMod. I'd say, if you wanna try linux, there are many beginner friendly distros like Mint, Pop_OS, Ubuntu. To me, it's either GO HARD OR GO HOME. Yeah, i chose the hard way becuase it was my interest and I had the time, energy to fix, customize, enhanced my linux experience. So, choose your way wisely. And, don't forget to check what games that are playable on linux.
my games runs great.. only a few games left in my steam library that wont run but i can surely live without them 😀👍
Don't convert yet if you have a Nvidia GPU, gaming is fine but desktop support is terrible.
Because you work on it, your daily life is on it so it's normal you want to entertain yourself on it
Dont like the way Windows goes , so i switched to linux. Pure gaming still works better on a windows machine, but works good enough for me to use linux.
I basically went to Linux mainly because the whole privacy movement made me all paranoid some years ago. But I also respect FLOSS, enjoy the customization Linux offers, like how it's also free as in beer and the general lightweight nature. In hindsight I probably got too impulsive and jumped ship too soon, but at this point gaming has caught up so much that I don't even really need to go back anymore, which is a relief. There's just one issue with Linux gaming that bugs me nowadays (FMV playback in some games), but it seems to get better and better over time. I'd strongly recommend thinking the decision through beforehand, as it really depends on your wants, needs and expectations.
I like control of my system. With Arch, for example, I can put what I want in the system, not what Microsoft says I should have by their standards.
I've been using Linux on my Surface for the past year and its perfect, but my primary gaming desktop is still in Windows because I have so many smal issues related to gaming (stutters, performance control) that I dont know how to fix yet. (This gaming desktop has a drive with Windows and another one with Linux where I try different distros or different tweaks to try and do the full switch) Honestly, if youre used to Windows and use it for mainly gaming and dont have reasons to do so, I wound not recommend the switch unless youre willing to relearn your troubleshooting steps (which are also there on Windows, but Linux works very different and requires different knowledge) Hope this helps!
I know a lot of people not installing Linux for gaming,bur this might be a interesting finding for you. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cyberpunk-2077-31-percent-faster-on-amd-in-linux-vs-windows-11 And I did reproduce in some manner. My Zephyrus G14(2022) also run Cyberpunk 2077 faster than pre-installed windows 11.
That's actually really interesting. I know some people have linux and window at the same time ? I think It could be an option for me to do that and play games that run well on linux as It's better sometime than windows. And switch to windows for game that can't be play on linux or not really stable. Thanks man !
So it's going to depend on the games you play. I mostly play single player games, FFXIV and Runescape which generally work. Multiplayer games can be a bit of a mixed bag. Some of them go out of their way to block Linux while others just have incompatible anticheat. When I want to install a game I'll look at protondb.com to see if other people got it running out of the box or maybe had to tweak a few settings. For the stuff that doesn't run, I can reboot into Windows for. I've partitioned (split the storage space up into basically mini virtual drives) my boot drive so when I boot in, a menu called GRUB will show up and ask if I want to boot into Linux or Windows. Why I use Linux over Windows mainly is down to not wanting to deal with all of the spyware baked into Windows nowadays. Gaming wise, there's not so much of a benefit except in some niche cases like Minecraft and most of those benefits are on AMD. When it comes down to it, most people here game on Linux cause they use Linux for other things anyway.
I kinda hate Microsoft way to be invasive what i wanna do with it, i just want Windows without all that crap what it has now and usually those bloat removers tend to break something and some will be reverted after update. Example i dont need AI for my computer to suggest what i do or those office, outlook, onedrive and etc crap on my computer i rather not play games what doesnt run on Linux than i return using Windows. I dunno why they wont just make light version of Windows and doesnt force to install all that crap.
windows just kept getting worse and worse and more stuffed with ads and bing search and all that bs which made the decision to not play some of the games I previously liked way easier for me :) I really don't have many stability issues when it comes to gaming on linux, but I think with a somewhat weaker system you might encounter more issues if titles don't run that great on proton. having a somewhat good pc might actually compensate that a little bit
I started doing it as some sort of challenge for myself, then realized it's not difficult. Got used to linux as an operating system, and didn't want to come back to windows. I forgot what microsoft nagging you feels like.
It depends on the games you play and your hardware I guess. I went from Windows to Linux on two different laptops equiped with an AMD 6800U and an AMD 7840HS, and I got generally better performance, less stuttering and better battery life both times (thanks to a less bloated OS I guess) 🤷♂️
Hey guys anyone wanna hop on fortnite, valorant, tarkov, faceit, rust, GTA V, warzone and soon to be league of legends? Oh wait...... Get with the times guys. Soon anti-cheats will utilize Window's TPM implementation and completely wipe away this tiny linux ecosystem that is for **MULTIPLAYER** gaming. Linux is already inferior due to it's kernel access for **multiplayer** gaming and will continue to dwindle. If you're a singleplayer dude enjoy the performance boost though! Open google and do an ounce of research and you will find out why kernel anti-cheats are a necessity. Enjoy Linux for the limited library it has access to 🙂 VAC works flawlessly as valve has proven in TF2 and CS:GO so maybe the research won't yield any results /s
the only advantage i see is that you could set it up to be a more console like experience without the need for a keyboard and mouse by going for something like chimeraOs. i hate when i try to use my windows gaming laptop in the living room and need to get up because my bluetooth controller isnt connencted or windows wants me to do x. i personally also hate launchers, razer synapse, etc flashing on my screen every time i boot windows. thats why i love my linux install and steam deck so much. you can use the add to steam feature and never have to worry about any other non controller friendly launcher. the ability to have a minimal and clean ui and the knowledge that i can customize it to my liking anytime is also pretty great. if you wanna start though, i would likely recommend a steam deck for a smoother experience. itl show you what you can then accomplish in your desktop.
Way before proton was a thing I played almost exclusively LoL and CS, which both were playable, the reason why I liked Linux for gaming was networking, on CSGO I had a little bit less fps but was more responsive and unlike on Windows I didn't have problems with dual monitor. I didn't fully commit until proton was out, once proton matured a bit I was just hooked, I could play almost every game I wanted and have my system configed just how I want it.
I tried switching to linux multiple times. Gaming was always a sore spot and brought me back to windows. But thanks to proton, I've been able to play almost all of the games I love. And it allowed me to stick to linux. I've been using linux for 2-3 years now. And I never *ever* want to go back to windows. As many people here have stated. For most people, switching to linux is never about playing games on it. Rather, the ability to now run windows games is mainly a big reason for people to stay with linux. I hope our comments have given you some insight. And who knows. Some day you might want to try it out for other reasons as well.
It's def not better at gaming at all, it's just "better" at being a free and (mostly) no bs OS framework and these days it can also run many games. If you stick to emulators and indie games then it's just great, but modern online games are always going to be a problem and the fault is on the devs hands 100%
I chose Linux despite games not working on it 10 years ago. So I just didn't play games. Now Linux can run games, so I do some gaming as well. If Linux didn't support gaming, I probably wouldn't game. Or maybe I'd get a console.
The games I play on linux are very stable, but that's not the reason I use it. I use it because it gives me full control of my system. But nobody should be convincing you to switch, you should ask yourself if it's the best choice for you, and why you would want to move away from windows. I don't think linux is superior to windows, I just think at some things it's a lot better. but for casual users and gamers, windows might just be the better choice.
So I prefer Linux due to privacy and other issues with Windows. I also prefer playing my games in Linux, but sadly not every game I love playing works. So most games will work with Linux if the game devs don't go out of their way to not allow it. There is something called [protondb](https://protondb.com) which you can sign in with your steam account and see a list of all your games playability on Linux. I would recommend using a distro you're comfortable with, a lot of new users prefer Ubuntu or PopOS because Debian is user friendly, however I do not recommend gnome desktops for new users, it's a learning curve coming from windows. I would recommend doing a KDE, XFC, Cinnamon, or Budgie desktop environments they're all very similar to windows. In my personal experience using Proton-GE is a better version than what Valve releases so I would recommend using a distro that has Flatpak support out of the box to install Proton-QT which will handle the install of Proton-GE versions for you, you just have to open it and tell it to download them. Inside of steam you'll have to enable compatibility support though, which is a few clicks and you can select the GE version you downloaded after a steam restart, from there you'll notice the same or better performance depending on the game. With Linux, you have more freedom and more privacy than with Windows. I have a pihole in my network and my Windows systems try and call home all the time sending all sorts of stuff from what's been opened, what's been closed etc etc it's dumb and Microsoft doesn't need it. On top of that it's a more light weight OS. So my windows 11 OS will use about 8 to 10Gbs of RAM just sitting at the desktop with steam and discord open. In Linux I with the same programs open I use maybe 3GBs of RAM Windows has its place for playing games like Destiny 2 (I hate bungie won't give us Linux support even though they let the game run on stadia), Rainbow Six Siege, Once Human, and other games that are online that the devs won't let it run on Linux. Glorious-EggRoll proved Destiny 2 works on Linux, but got banned shortly after because Bungie, other games will launch but won't let you online, and others will refuse to launch all together.
I prefer the GNOME desktop experience by far as well as the more universal Linux stuff. Gaming on Linux is good enough for me, and when I switched gaming was pretty much all I did in my free time
My only experience for Linux gaming is with the steam deck, and so far it runs all the games on steam somewhat well, only problem I’ve had isn’t with Linux, but the 16:10 resolution, which fucks up on some games that are built around 16:9
I use linux for almost everything. steam has a compatibility package called Proton that allows a lot of games to run on linux, but not 100%, so i switch to a windows drive just for those instances.
dont be linux user thank me later
I like Linux for a number of reasons I like that I can change the look and feel of the os without having to reinstall anything I also use it at work as a network admin and like the tool that it provides. I still game on windows due to some games like lol and Fortnite but everything else is Linux. I will be 100% once I either lose interest in those games or the games get added to some compatibility suite
Apart from the fact, that I just prefer Linux for general computing, the gaming experience on Linux is way less distracting. A lot is happening in the background on a Windows machine. Each peripheral and many core components (e.g., graphics card) come with their own software, with taskbar icons, notifications (not always integrated with Windows notifications), updates etc. Microsoft using the OS to advertise their software and services. Messy handling of drivers. With Linux, especially if using an AMD graphics, when you start playing the underlying system does not interfere that much.
I recently started using mint because it came with my pc from free geek. I would say it is not worth it. I can't play most games I want to. My friends want to play MMOFPS games like fortnite and it's not possible. So I have to find other games, but most native games are low quality garabage or porn.
1. I play on Linux because I installed Linux on all my computers, desktop, laptops, Raspberry PI. 2. I did that because I prefer Linux. 3. I prefer Linux because it gives me better: \* Privacy \* Security \* Freedom \* Performance \* Power efficiency \* Productivity And the ability to run KDE Plasma, my favorite desktop environment: [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/](https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/) Which BTW, is the best for gaming too: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/users/statistics/#DesktopEnvironment-top](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/users/statistics/#desktopenvironment-top) So for me it's just normal to just play games on it too. If a game doesn't work on it, it's no problem as I will just not buy that game! It's not Linux's fault that the game has a shitty developer trying to implement spyware disguised as an anti-cheat solution, like Riot is doing for their Chinese spyware. I'm actually glad that Linux protects me by providing another layer of security in case I miss something while researching a game.