Switch to Linux Mint

[Harrison]

Linux has come a long way in the last 15 years. The difference now is you don't need Linux specific version of games to play them. Nearly all Windows games in Steam will now work perfectly in Linux and for older games actually better. This is thanks to something called Proton. Based on the older Wine (which is used to run Windows software in Linux). Valve developed this into Proton for the Steam Deck. This allows Steam OS on the handheld to run a large percentage of the Steam library's games. The other Heroic Game Launcher I mentioned above also uses the same Proton to make games run.

You wouldn't even know you were not running a native Linux game or that you were not in Windows.

For older games on Steam a lot of them have trouble installing or running in Windows. Especially games made before 2010. But it seems because on Linux you are using Proton to make the games run this issue doesn't exist as much. On my Steam Deck and in Steam on Linux Mint I've tested quite a few older games in the last couple of years and nearly every game just works. So actually to play older more retro PC games that came out when Win98, 2000 or XP were around it is a far easier solution. Trying to get some of these older games to run on Windows 10/11 can sometimes be hard as you need fan community patches or updated files.

I've also been going though my physical games and a lot of the older ones rely on "Games for Windows". Remember that? That doesn't exist any more so trying to install from the original physical media and run them they look for GFW and fail. Instead using online versions in Linux bypasses this issue. I've just been testing an old Space game that's now that well known, called "Tachyon The Fringe". It's available on Steam at the moment for just ?1.74 so worth a look. And it worked perfectly installing it from Steam. Even automatically let me use an Xbox 360 controller I have joined to this Linux Mint PC.

Linux Mint is the best Linux distro to try if you are coming from Windows. You can setup a live USB stick and boot the PC from it to test out Mint without even needing to install it.

[Tiago]

Didnt know that game stuff was not an issue anymore. That is great. One less reason not to use linux.

[Harrison]

Obviously there will be some games that still don't work, just as there are quite a few that don't easily work in Windows 11. But I've only discovered a few I couldn't get working at all. The main ones that can't be played in Linux are current online multiplayer games that use Anti-cheat systems. This is because they directly access the Os's Kernel and this isn't allowed in Linux because it's a major security risk.

But expect some of those to alter how they are doing things when the Valve Steam Machine ships later this year.