Is now the right time to switch to Linux?
Is now the right time to switch to Linux?
Experience: I have a bit of experience with Linux. I started around 2008, distro-hopped weekly, decided on Debian until around 2011, when I switched to Windows as I started getting interested in gaming. Tried switching back around 2015, this time using Arch Linux for about a month, but had some bad experiences with gaming and switched back to Windows. I have had a Debian and Arch VM in Virtual Box since then for testing different applications and a more coherent environment to work with servers.
Understanding: Which brings me to now, I am really interested in using Linux for gaming, I know there is Proton from Valve and that they have been really pushing Linux gaming forward with it.
Thoughts: I have been contemplating dual booting by installing Debian to an SSD and simply using the UEFI boot menu to choose instead of having to install to the EFI of Windows.
I guess, I should just do it, as it won't affect my Windows installation, and I could test different games and if all works well, move over. This would also allow me to try different distributions, though my heart is for Debian, I even like Debian Unstable.
Note: I am sorry for the wall of text, I am just kind of anxious I guess.
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Once you get it set up, all the anxiety goes away.
Back your shit up, and do it. Games that can't be played on Linux at all are decreasing. A dual boot setup solves that problem entirely.
Yeah, proton can take a bit to get set up and running, but there's plenty of help for it out there with a search. And, again, you'll still have the dual boot option. Linux really does cut down on the bullshit.
On steam it's basically just a toggle. Maybe setting the proton version in the game's properties. For non steam games, launchers like heroic can even detect and use the proton versions you installed through steam, so you don't ever need to really do any setup yourself.
How much % would you say of the games can be played on Linux?
Since that's going to depend a lot on your own personal Steam library, you can check what works well on Proton with this site. https://www.protondb.com/
You can even enter your Steam Profile link in there and it will show you the ratings of the games you own. Of the 155 I own, 86% had a gold, platinum or native rating.
O, I expected more %, but that’s okay.
I had very few that actually failed to run, most of the rest is silver with a few bronze.
Native means the game was built to run on Linux without Proton.
Platinum works perfectly with no tweaks.
Gold works great, but may require some tweaks to work best.
Silver runs with minor issues but is playable.
Bronze runs but may crash or have issues preventing comfortable play.
Borked is unplayable.I drew the line between silver and gold. If I moved it down one spot to between bronze and silver, almost everything I own would run. I think this is fantastic. This is literally running games that weren’t designed to run on Linux at all, and almost all of them run perfectly.
But is it easier than before? A few years ago I had to set up every game in playonlinux first. Not that big of a deal, but I just want every game to work out of the box like Windows, not set up every game first.
Yeah. You just install them with Steam and play. The Steam client comes with Proton which runs Windows games on Linux.
For the games that require tweaks, someone on ProtonDB will have said what tweaks is needed to play it. It’s generally just adding one small command to the game properties in Steam.
Sounds fantastic to me! Thank you! I’ll try this out…
If the game is on steam it is pretty easy. I just install the newest custom proton from glorious eggroll. And before i start a game for the first time is select this instead of the default proton. Then it just works generally. I don't check protondb anymore, only in case of problems. I can't even recall a game that doesn't work currently. Granted, i don't play AAA, only indie games.
Got any recommendations?
List of the best:
- against the storm
- deep rock galctic
- astroneer
- dyson sphere program
- escape simulator
- factorio (native linux)
- hardspace shipbreaker
- outer wilds
- timberborn
- valheim (native linux)
- vampire surviors
- talos principle
- war for the overworld
Maybe:
- monster sanctuary
- grow home/up (ubisoft development but without the bullshit what you normally get)
- len's island
- superliminal
- wreckfest
- guild wars 2 (not indie and not non-AAA but still good; but you have to tweak a lot for performant gameplay)
Thats a quick list that i got at a glance from steam. It is a collection of a lot of very different genres, so there should be at least something in there for everyone.
Some of them I have not played in years and not sure about their current state but i am sure that they only became better.
Basically anything that isn’t Siege, Valorant…anything without an abusive anti-cheat
Ok nice! Thanks!
Thanks, this makes me feel much better about it.
@mouse @Zaphodquixote I dual boot with Windows 11 and very rarely find myself not using Linux... It plays every game I've thrown at it in the last 6 months. The only time I end up using Windows is because I want to use a specific peripheral, like my steering wheel for racing games, rather than because Linux won't run the game! Lutris is great for non-steam games. Runs Overwatch 2, Diablo IV, Guildwars 2, and League of Legends perfectly for me. GloriousEggroll is worth looking at too 🙂