this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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Linux Gaming

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Is Linux support still needed nowadays, or is Steam OS good enough? (imgur.com)
submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hey there!

I'm a solo dev working on a sci-fi grand strategy game (I didn't manage to find if self-promo is allowed so I'll keep the name for myself).

I was updating my planning and started to think: since my game will be published on Steam, it will be playable on Linux using Compatibility Mode even if I don't specifically target Linux itself. I myself play on an Ubuntu and this allows me to play almost every Windows game (old ones are more capricious, but recent ones are ok).

So I'm wondering, is there really an advantage to have native Linux support nowadays? As a solo dev, the thing I lack the most is time. The days/weeks/months it would take me to add it and fix all the probable bugs it entails could be used to improve the game itself or add features instead for example.

On a more general note, what do you other Linux players expect from a Linux game?

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[–] [email protected] 82 points 2 months ago (9 children)

Steam Deck and Linux desktop user here.

I wouldn't prioritize a native Linux binary if I were you. For some of my games that have a native Linux version, I still run the Proton compatibility version instead because it runs better. Proton is insanely well-optimized and adapted to Linux desktops, your own code will have a hard time competing with that.

Just make sure to pick an engine / tech stack that works well with Proton and find one or more testers who run SteamOS or another Linux distribution.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 2 months ago (3 children)

As a personal anecdote, recently I installed a co-op videogame on my Linux Steam machine and I couldn't get past the main menu, I wasted quite a bit of my own and my friend's time before realizing it was a bug in the Linux build. After reinstalling the Windows version through Proton everything worked flawlessly.

Please don't publish a Linux build unless you plan to test and maintain it.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Yes I had a similar experience with Paradox Games, where the native build delivers very poor performance over the Proton-run version. It seems to be the consensus. If I don't receive other real counterpoints I'll follow your advice.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

I see this with things on Itch.io a lot. I think there's some engine that has an option to export a Linux distribution of the game, so they ship that without testing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Yup. Usually not as well optimized either, if you do get it to work.

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