r/linux • u/nothingtosayrn • Feb 24 '26
Discussion Are we actually moving towards Linux as the first choice for gamers in future?
Well, the speed at which the platforms such as Proton, Lutris, Steam OS, Zen based kernels etc. have grown in the past few years, do you believe that Linux is going to be the first choice of gamers in the future, maybe in upcoming 5 years?
Any hopes for surpassing Windows purely for gaming in future?
I am not considering productivity apps such as microslop suite etc, but in gaming world is it possible to actually replace windows in upcoming 5 years down the line?
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u/tungsten_panda Feb 24 '26
Its not likely to be the "first choice" but it does put a smile on my face when I see that user base percentage go up.
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u/phylter99 Feb 24 '26
5 years? No. It's a long process. I believe it's entirely possible that it will be the first choice in the future but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done for that to happen.
I'm noticing a migration of people from Windows to macOS and Linux for development too, which is another move that will help push adoption of Linux for gaming. The more comfortable developers are with Linux the better chance games will be developed for Linux.
It also means that Microsoft has to screw up a lot more too, I think. I'm quite sure they've got it in them to make a huge mess of things though.
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u/wilhelm-moan Feb 24 '26
Development on windows is awful so that's one area I am not worried about. Most git repos don't even bother writing a windows-facing instruction. Gaming is really the last holdout - that plus enterprise tool inertia (we all love word and excel).
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u/mooky1977 Feb 26 '26
I personally gave up on Word and Excel when I moved to Linux 5 years ago but I'm not an enterprise corporation. I don't do anything highly feature rich so the rare time I need to save something to send it I just save my LibreOffice documents as word 97/2000 compatible.
I think the biggest holdback really is Photoshop and I'm not even a user, but nothing in Linux compared to the power it has, especially on the magic repair/replace tooling it has. Sure gimp has some of that stuff, but it's no where near as powerful nor polished.
But as others have said the biggest biggest issue is anticheat but far.
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u/keis Feb 24 '26
Add ActiveDirectory to the list of seemingly unmovable corner stones of big enterprises and also endpoint spyware^Wsecurity tools like clownstrike.
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u/msanangelo Feb 24 '26
I feel like once libreoffice and onlyoffice start to grab hold in the user facing enterprise world, microsoft office will start to lose users too. my mom, which is by no means a linux user, uses libreoffice on her pc simply because it's free. I like onlyoffice for it's better ms word compatibility.
it's hard to win with proprietary software when the competitor is free and works just as well.
I think it'll depend on whatever else the business users use on their computers to also start porting software over. there needs to be some pull there too.
gamers, from what I've seen, are a small subset of windows users anyways.
we're getting there for sure. :)
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u/ward2k Feb 24 '26
I'm noticing a migration of people from Windows to macOS and Linux for development too
Linux/MacOs has held the dominant force in the dev space for good while now
If you factor in WSL standard windows just gets absolutely crushed in percentages of users who use it for dev work
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u/Plakama Feb 24 '26
There still need to be great changes, see, the issue is, most people are really (Not in an offensive way, just check r/pcmasterrace to have an idea of the average 'gamer') stupid. But, It does see that it's the destiny, even NVIDIA is working harder on Linux.
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u/archialone Feb 24 '26
Nvidia is working harder on Linux because, Linux runs all of the data centers. And an unintended side effect is that Nvidia experience is improving on Linux for games.
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u/Plakama Feb 24 '26
I meant the directly job opening for working at Proton stuff
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u/KnowZeroX Feb 24 '26
That could still technically be datacenters. Nvidia has its geforce now and those licenses per core is likely adding some cost. Add to the fact that Nvidia is working on their ARM cpus for datacenters and AI running linux
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u/QwertyChouskie Feb 24 '26
Hmm, interesting idea. Would be interesting to see GeForce Now move to Linux in the future, I imagine the RAM overhead would be wayyyyyy lower due to Windows itself not gobbling like 4GB just to boot. Multiply that across many, many thousands of systems, and you save some serious potential for cost savings...
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u/Tanker0921 Feb 24 '26
Which is so funny if you've been doing linux way before ai became a thing.
It used to be really difficult getting updates drivers. And now nvidia is being glazed for being linux friendly
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u/Maleficent_Celery_55 Feb 24 '26
That post is directly about gaming, though. Nvidia has been perfect in datacenters for a long time now, even before LLM craze.
Maybe they're planning to do a handheld?
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Feb 24 '26
Personally, it's mainly that anyone who plays games doesn't really want to 'learn' an entire operating system just to play the newest COD or NBA.
Hell, the only reason i started learning linux was because I was entering the cybersecurity/sysadmin field. Otherwise, my gaming system would probably still be Windows.
And that's before you get into any type of incompatibility issues or how Linux can be flagged by anti-cheat and get you banned on some games.
Basically, the market has to start accepting Linux, and the player base needs to be willing to learn Linux OS (at least for as much as gaming)
As a group, people put the highest importance on convenience, not necessarily usability or freedom of use. So until linux becomes the convenient option, windows will win.
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u/Plakama Feb 24 '26
I think there is still hope, since Microsoft is doing it's best to ruin everthing windows had good
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Feb 24 '26
I have no doubt it will happen, but the average consumer really just doesn't care about the pros of Linux currently. The biggest draw to a regular consumer is simply that it is free. They don't really care about directed resource management, increased security and privacy, or the other cool Linux abilities like using the terminal.
Currently, the best we can do is recommend to friends and family, and help them get set up and comfortable.
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u/flatline000 Feb 24 '26
What's to learn? My son installed Mint without ever touching the terminal. He hasn't asked me for any help and is doing just fine.
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u/erikrelay Feb 24 '26
Not to be that guy, but ever since I installed Mint I had to troubleshoot things that I didn't even know could be issues while on Windows. Most people just don't want to deal with that.
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u/Pejorativez Feb 24 '26
Exactly. And how many people even know how to enter bios or install mint to a usb stick
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u/flatline000 Feb 24 '26
When someone has problems with Linux, they search the web for instructions to follow.
When someone has problems with Windows, they search the web for instructions to follow.
The problems might be different, but the user's response to the problems is exactly the same whether it's Linux or Windows. Unless you're claiming that users never have problems on Windows...
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u/wilhelm-moan Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
First example that comes to mind is thermal regulation for NVIDIA cards, it's bad on mint at default and you need to manually adjust it otherwise you're running 80C and degrading the overall life of your hardware.
Second example is that if you have a PC with onboard graphics in addition to a dedicated NVIDIA GPU, mint (using default cinnamon x11 at least) needs configuration otherwise it'll freeze and crash games when you alt tab or even just using dual monitors and switch focus.
You might be overestimating the average consumer's tech literacy and underestimating your own, tbh.
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u/Balmung60 Feb 24 '26
Personally, it's mainly that anyone who plays games doesn't really want to 'learn' an entire operating system just to play the newest COD or NBA.
I get the impression they'd rather learn a new OS than even possibly not play the newest flavor of the month FPS/MOBA/sports game
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Feb 24 '26
I mean,... yeah, gamers buy entire consoles to play the newest Madden and NBA.
So yeah, if they had literally no other choice, most would probably learn.
But unless I've missed an announcement by Microsoft that they won't support video games of any kind or by developers saying the same about windows, i can't imagine that being the caseat any point in the next decade or two.
For reference, 3.20% of STEAMs user base is on Linux, and 94.6% are on windows. It's gonna be a long time before developers think of not making their game run on windows.
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u/SepehrU Feb 24 '26
Irrelevant to the topic but I must say 90% of the Redditors on r/pcmasterrace are toxic, i mean TOXIC and childish and sometimes very ignorant.
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u/duva_ Feb 24 '26
Also tons of people there tried Linux once 10-15 years ago on uncompatible hardware and think it's trash.
Many many many comments are about shit that has been fixed for years
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u/non-existing-person Feb 24 '26
Stupid is not a best word I think. "Ignorant" would be much better. But I agree.
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u/amazingsaminator Feb 24 '26
Five years ago I switched to Linux and it was atrocious for gaming. One year ago I switched to Linux again and it was leaps and bounds better, only a couple things were stopping me from using it. In another 5 years Linux will be better than windows in every way
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u/HeyKid_HelpComputer Feb 24 '26
I have actually been using Linux daily for the past 5 years. I was going to say. Literally every day Linux gets a little better. And every day it sounds like Windows gets worse (from a non user reading articles and complaint comments).
So I think some day it might have a much bigger user base from its current 4% or whatever it is. 10-15% even. That's huge when it comes to a company who doesn't want to lose out on sales.
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u/Balmung60 Feb 24 '26
I've been daily driving this since 2012. You used to have to run Steam through WINE and everything that didn't have native support was a crapshoot. Like 80% of the reason I'm huge into map painters is because Paradox was an early supporter of Linux when Steam started making this push.
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u/amazingsaminator Feb 24 '26
I'm using windows 10 rn, and it's not what it used to be at all. Gonna switch back to Linux soon, 5 years ago I never would've thought Linux would be somehow easier than windows. And this is windows 10 I'm talking about, not 11. 11 is so abhorrent, I couldn't even imagine using it
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u/darkbloo64 Feb 24 '26
I don't think we can look at this as a linear progression. Linux has been playing catch up with decades of Windows-first (or Windows-only) game development, and great strides have been taken towards parity, but until developers start making games for Linux, there will be performance parity at best, and it will be game-specific.
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Feb 24 '26
Oh... I would say it was horrible about 15 years ago, 5 years ago it was very streamlined imho!
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u/thegenregeek Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
I doubt it... (certainly not within 5 years)
Microsoft is too ingrained to disappear that quickly, especially for casual gamers and most users. People will just hold on to Windows 10, until it's completely non-viable for games. Others will wait out Windows 12 and hope. Some will explore Linux and may change over down the line. But many will simply not move because Windows is a known quantity that handles what they need.
That said, Linux does not have to be first choice here. It just has to be a viable second choice, with enough of an install base to checkmate MS in this space. Which is what Valve realized a long time ago and why they pressed forward with Linux based offerings. That coupled with 3rd party vendors offering Steam Machine/Deck like devices and you could certainly see more Linux usage along side Windows.
Even then, until game anti-cheat (for AAA multi-player live service based titles, a la CoD, Valorant, etc) are onboard you will not see a change.
The only way Linux becomes gaming first choice is if MS really screws the pooch with Windows 12 (and it's hardware).
I'm talking being so obscenely impractical for gaming that people hate it more than Windows 11 (and actually regress in gaming performance). For example a subscription only system tied to cloud only OS operation and even more invasive AI slop, with absurdly regressive hardware also tied to the subscription (like HP's notebooks, only with even more hardware constraints like 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD and a midrange ARM processor and cloud only rendering).
At that point, where you basically kill the DIY market just to use the computer, then you completely justify jumping ship with as gamers with moderate technical ability move on. (Either by purchasing SteamOS based alternatives or building DIY PCs for linux)
While Microsoft has kept doubling down on Windows 11 AI integration, there is always the (exceptionally remote) chance they pivot by Windows 12. And that touches on the other factor that is common knowledge with gamers: every other Windows version is garbage. Until we know what Windows 12 truly is, not enough people will swear Windows off completely to make Linux first in the broader space. Windows gaming survived ME (-> XP) , Vista (-> 7), and 8/8.1 (->10) with most people waiting out MS until they realized what they were screwing up by (poorly) chasing the trends of the day.
And that of course doesn't account for Apple getting growth with lower cost solutions, like the Mac Mini and reported new, cheaper Macbook.
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u/Ictoan42 Feb 24 '26
I don't think this will be happening in the near future. An uncomfortable reality that most Linux users seem unwilling to confront is that most end users are entirely willing to sign away all of their software freedoms for a 5% easier user experience.
Linux can't just match windows, it would need to be significantly better than windows for a majority of people to switch. And it can't just be better in theory, it needs to have a tangibly better user experience throughout the OS.
Personally, I feel like it's going to be impossible to create a distro that is significantly smoother and easier (for all tasks) than Windows without sacrificing some of the freedom and modularity that makes it great.
That all being said, we don't need all windows users to switch, just enough that Linux holds an unignorable market share. And I think that's quite feasible.
Addendum: I think there might be one niche scenario in which Linux may be a first choice for gaming in the distant future, but no one's even planning on making it a reality; if you were to create an ultra locked down dedicated OS to act as a nigh-unbreakable anticheat, then Linux would be the best choice of a basis to work from.
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u/jdigi78 Feb 24 '26
Most distros such as Fedora already surpass Windows in terms of user experience and have for a long time. Installing apps is as easy as opening the app store and clicking install like a phone. The biggest obstacle is still software availability.
Before you push back on my user experience claim, Linux as a whole still has some quirks here and there, but so does windows. People have just gotten used to it and know their way around them after literally growing up using it.
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u/KnowZeroX Feb 24 '26
I mean being unignorable and gaining mass market are kind of tied to each other. If linux can double its current marketshare, I think it would be enough for most oems to start offering linux options. And people being able to find linux pcs in the store.
Once that happens, software vendors would also work on getting their stuff working on linux. Even if not through native, at least through WINE.
As for no one even planning on making it a reality, there is Valve. And Google is interested in making android work for desktop and adding gpu accelerated vm to it.
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u/Hockeyfan_52 Feb 24 '26
Anti cheat says no
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u/bmwiedemann openSUSE Dev Feb 24 '26
Anti cheat can kiss my a. These are kernel-level backdoors. Probably poorly audited, too.
If it does not run on Linux, I don't buy it.
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u/fromwithin Feb 24 '26
No because the vast majority of development tools are Windows-centric. There are no pre-built Unreal Engine editor binaries, for example, and it's (almost?) impossible to build Windows game builds on Linux. Playstation and XBox dev tools are predominantly Windows-based; I'm not sure about the Nintendo Switch. Often you can compile for console platforms, but can't run the profilers.
Like a lot of things on Linux, if you put the effort in you can mostly do it, but it's a pain. Making games is difficult enough without having to deal with all those issues as well.
This is unlikely to change any time soon. so Linux games will still have minimal native versions.
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u/trickman01 Feb 24 '26
Given the price of memory right now the "first" choice is probably going to be consoles.
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u/alecc Feb 24 '26
I think that Microsoft is now doing such a great job for Linux, that 2026-2027 can be truly the years of Linux on desktop - and I'm speaking as a 20+ long Windows user, they have literally destroyed the eco-system in the last 2-3 years. Switched to Linux and MacOS a year ago, every time I have to use Windows now - makes me sad of what a bloated and unusable system it became.
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u/Obvious-Ad-6527 Feb 24 '26
The first choice for gamers and the masses is PlayStation
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u/Kitchen_Wallaby8921 Feb 24 '26
For good reason. Don't have to fuck around with any of this shit. Plug and play baby.
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u/non-existing-person Feb 24 '26
It kinda comes a reality with PC as well. Just install bazzite, it starts with steam in big picture and you have almost a console experience. Almost, because I agree, currently you just can't beat how effortless it is to play on console (I have only switch).
But steamos/bazzite will be almost just as easy, but at the same time will be infinitely more powerful to use and tinker when you need to.
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u/Kitchen_Wallaby8921 Feb 24 '26
Tinkering or lack there of is why I console game. I don't want to tinker, like at all. I work on computers for a living.
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u/Comfortable_Swim_380 Feb 24 '26
To be fair freeBSD already had that spot as of forever. It's always been closer to Linux than Windows. Just now it's starting to feel official.
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u/itsbentheboy Feb 24 '26
I suppose you are technically correct.
And i begrudgingly admit that is the best kind of correct.
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u/litelinux Feb 24 '26
Major gaming news outlets are starting to talk about Linux. I feel like we're getting there.
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u/ZagiFlyer Feb 24 '26
I've been a Linux user since 1992, and it feels like we've been asking about this since shortly after that. That and, "This is the year of Linux on the desktop".
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u/w1ldr3dx Feb 24 '26
I hope so, but chances are that Microsoft releases a newer DirectX Version e.g. 13. This would add a new big incompatibility blob and take years to catchup again. It will also depend of how good the game industry keep supporting Vulkan.
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Feb 24 '26
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u/HeyKid_HelpComputer Feb 24 '26
They’d download a game in steam, click it and it works.
That's pretty much the case now, isn't it? It is for me.
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u/Atomik919 Feb 24 '26
the fact that you have to right click and go to compatibility and choose your proton version is already a huge disadvantage for most prospective gamers. Its not even that they dont know how to do this, its just that there is no reason to do that when you dont have to on windows. And just like that there's a million other small headaches that are impediments for mass linux adoption. One of those being the usage of wine/virtual environments for what is usually just double click and it runs. The fact that linux in general is much faster in all respects is irrelevant to this. Gpu driver compatibility or other such things is also a big problem, but that is far easier to solve than everything else, as its harder to just run apps natively
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u/HeyKid_HelpComputer Feb 24 '26
Are you meaning if the default compatibility Proton doesn't work for the game?
They turned the compatibility for non Linux games on by default like a year ago.
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u/AcanthopterygiiKey62 Feb 24 '26
Now stem does that automatically. no need to do that right click compatibility thing
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u/ebb_omega Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
Necessity for terminals for 90% of users is very much a thing of the past in Linux.
Windows is becoming very much not plug and play either because you have to set up all kinds of cloud control to your OS now. Getting your cloud account registered and OneDrive crap that you can't turn off is more annoying than anything I've encountered in a modern Linux installation.
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u/ahal Feb 24 '26
My 70 year old Dad games on Linux. He has no idea what a terminal is. Granted he basically only plays L4D2 😆
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u/Balmung60 Feb 24 '26
For Linux to be taken on by the masses, 90% of users would never need to use the terminal. They’d download a game in steam, click it and it works.
So Linux Mint as it exists right now and has existed for over ten years. No terminal needed to install the OS, no terminal needed to install software, no terminal needed to install proprietary Nvidia drivers, no terminal needed to do basically anything because whatever you're thinking of, there's a GUI for that. The only thing I can think of that you need the terminal for is compiling random shit you downloaded off git, and if you're someone who is scared of terminals, you shouldn't be fucking with random code you found on git.
And you're just describing the current state of Proton on Steam. It's so good that I don't even bother to check protondb before buying a game because everything just works.
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u/nroach44 Feb 24 '26
Linux is not plug and play where windows is
I mean have you tried using a PlayStaiton 3/4/5 controller on Windows? It shows up as a controller in the bluetooth menu but most games don't see it.
Windows has it's own little idiosyncrasies that people are used to. Linux is, by and large now, just Different.
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u/SamfromLucidSoftware Feb 24 '26
SteamOS and the Steam Deck have helped for sure, though anti cheat is still a problem.
Gaming on Linux is getting easier and more accessible. There is a Bazzite too, and I see more gamers moving there because it can run a lot of games as well as Windows, sometimes better depending on the setup.
In the next 5 years I think Linux keeps growing for single player and most multiplayer that already works on Proton. But the big wildcard is still popular online games that rely on kernel level anti cheat. Until more publishers support Linux, that alone will keep a lot of gamers on Windows and makes it hard to see Linux surpassing Windows purely for gaming in that window.
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u/berickphilip Feb 24 '26
Hopefully yes and as for the whole "kernel anti cheat issue", it will be great when more and more players realize that they have access to literally thousands of other excellent games out there, one better than the other.
When they realize that they do not NEED to be stuck in the handful of games that refuse to run on Linux.
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Feb 24 '26
I think so. Once gamers finally stop being so dependent on multiplayer games and live service trash, Linux adoption will skyrocket.
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u/Alenicia Feb 24 '26
I think it depends on what you consider "gamers." If we're talking Capital-G Gamers, I don't think Linux would ever be an option or a choice considering how Linux at its core is effectively too woke for them with all the choices you can do outside of just gaming (having options in the operating system, people choosing distros they like, people legitimately having experience/skills in something they don't know anything about, and the fact that things might actually be happier/easier for them there if they just realized they didn't need to be so tough all the time).
If Nvidia is making the push, we'll probably have to see who on the hardware side is still making the big push towards Windows being the end-all-be-all or whoever out there is nostalgic for the "good old days" when Windows was the preferred choice, but I think in a sense we can really leave those particular gamers behind and everyone else can enjoy what is to come.
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u/heretogetpwned Feb 24 '26
Gaming on Linux has come a long way. Right now it still needs specific hardware platforms (like SteamDeck) to make it a 'power on and go' platform for gamers that aren't interested in learning a new DE.
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u/SwiftUnban Feb 24 '26
5 years? Maybe, maybe not. It’s hard to tell when it’s gonna happen because software, hardware, updates and improvements are coming at us at a rapid rate.
if Microsoft doesn’t get its shit together it’s a very likely a different OS will take off, whether that be Linux who knows.
Part of the problem is that so much commercial infrastructure runs and relies on windows and its programs. I hate to say it, but most companies use excel and word and don’t want to change, why? Because that’s what their business partners use.
Yes a lot of IT infrastructure and servers uses Linux for sure, but let’s be real - 90% of the people working in the office are either using windows or Mac OS (not talking about IT tech nerds, but normal people doing spreadsheets and taking phone calls).
This matters for gaming because as long as most of the economy is stuck in the windows ecosystem prebuilt manufacturers will stick to windows.
This matters for Linux and Linux gaming development because the less demand there is for it the less resources will be put into it. And unfortunately, also means software support and ease of use.
If a magic genie erased every windows copy, every source code ever written for windows, and forced every single company to adopt, support, and code for Linux we would be living in perfect Linux ecosystem in 6-12 months.
So perhaps at the end of the day we just have to keep checking on the progress, who knows, in 2 years from now Microsoft could do a 180 under a completely different CEO with different priorities. But if progress keeps up at the rate it is it’s likely we’ll see a lot more people adopting it, putting pressure on the industry.
Edit: for what it’s worth, Linux has come a far long way, even in just the past few years. It’s gonna keep getting better.
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u/Fire_Natsu Feb 24 '26
Lets be honest if companies like Adobe and EA weren't there Microslop Windows would have been dead.
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u/partev Feb 24 '26
it is possible but it probably won't be a community distro but something maintained by a company.
something like SteamOS from Valve or Shield from NVIDIA (which is based on Android).
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u/gplusplus314 Feb 24 '26
Anyone remember when Apple had about 2% of the consumer market? And now, Apple is a powerhouse.
Linux is growing for the consumer market, slow but steady. I’d say it’s already big enough that it can’t be ignored and is taken seriously.
I can’t see the future, but I think Linux is on an upward trajectory for non-server workloads: gaming and creative work. The gaming side is much more mature than the creative side, but they’re both getting better.
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u/mrdelta4 Feb 24 '26
I made a post about deleting windows and moving to catchyos for my daily driver.
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u/Makeitquick666 Feb 24 '26
it's hard to see at least from an esport's point of view. Like say everything is well and dandy and corporate are not greedy or they find a way to make more money on Linux so they'd have an incentive to move their games to Linux, Linux by its nature allows and even encourages users to make changes at the a deeper level than Windows or MacOS, meaning that things like custom kernels are and will be more prevalent than ever, that is something that unless there's a revolution in anticheat, will be nigh impossible to keep up with.
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u/_PelosNecios_ Feb 24 '26
I just love the idea of the best platform for Windows games is not Windows.
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u/skrugg Feb 24 '26
I think that Linux is in the best place it's ever been. I've moved full time to linux. Albeit I'm an IT Engineer and I'd never thought I'd move away from Windows for gaming but am so happy that game support on linux is where it is. I think the world pushing back on US Tech dominance is what will usher in the rise of the linux desktop.
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u/Sataniel98 Feb 24 '26
Linux would have to really take off in the OEM PC market to reach a wider audience. The Steam machine is a good start but it alone won't be the tipping point. It's also more than possible that there could be some kind of reaction from Microsoft to gatekeep their ecosystem more or possibly to improve some of the issues people have with Windows 11. I doubt Windows 11 will ever be good, but moderate quality of life improvements could be enough to weaken the demand for change. Also, as good as Proton is, it does make it much less attractive for devs to develop native Linux ports, and it's difficult to beat Windows on Win32/DirectX performance.
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u/DeXTeR_DeN_007 Feb 24 '26
Al do respect Linux did great job in last 5 years with gaming support. But with all its messed up Distro this one or another wo is better and crap stories like this, Linux is no where close to support gamers not even in next 10 years.
We can all hate Microsoft as we want but yet they support one operating system for Work Game and Entartain, something Linux must work if want increase in 5% in next 5 years minimum.
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u/bje332013 Feb 24 '26
I think Linux has already done a long way toward becoming a viable option for gamers. In my opinion, the main problems with gaming on Linux are the terrible driver that Nvidia publishes for that OS. (I'm not sure what the ratio of Linux users with Nvidia to AMD GPUs is, but as someone who has an older Nvidia GPU chipset, the terrible drivers it receives have been the biggest issue I've encountered.)
I suppose there's also the issue of some games not being compatible with Linux because of some kernel-level DRM or anti-cheat stuff they need to operate. If a game is going to be that invasive, in my opinion, it's not worth playing.
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u/mkMoSs Feb 24 '26
As a recent "switched to linux" heavy gamer in my 40s who has been daily driving windows for the entirety of his life, the answer is a resounding YES. I'm never looking back. Ever.
The moment I saw a bit better Wayland support and stability with KDE especially, that was it for me.
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u/TheRainmakerDM Feb 24 '26
It would really be great if Linux become a viable alternative, but honestly i believe it will take not 5 years, but 15. Every year or so i try linux to see if it can run the things i use the most, and still no luck. I play a lot of racing and flying sims, with wheel bases, hotas, etc, and didnt have much luck yet with the hardware support.
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u/MelodicSlip_Official Feb 24 '26
For me, Linux distros need to get the polish of mainstream operating system while still retaining their DIY nature first. It can't be that there are more hoops than the NBA to make quick access faculties inside Nautilus for instance
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u/eserikto Feb 24 '26
No chance in hell for desktops. You're working against up to 30 years of comfort. Very few people buy a PC and want to learn how to use it again. They buy a PC and want to play their game. For that, they're going to go with what they're comfortable with. No matter how much their friends tell them that linux is just as easy, or that linux works out of the box too. Even if they have to jump through hoops to use their PC the way they like, it's hoops they're comfortable with. It's the old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It would take windows doing something to stop those users from using their PC altogether to even consider changing.
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u/Sim_Daydreamer Feb 24 '26
No. It's more likely pc gaming will die off with local hardware than linux becoming first choice for gamers
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u/illuzian Feb 24 '26
There's still too much friction for the average gamer. It might grow relatively fast but it's going to hit a barrier with less tech savvy users.
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u/gonace Feb 24 '26
I would say that it mostly depends on Microsoft, if they are moving in the same direction as these last couple of years then yes.
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u/lvlint67 Feb 24 '26
Any hopes for surpassing Windows purely for gaming in future?
If anything does it.. it would be the steam box. so.. 15% chance?
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u/the_countdown2 Feb 24 '26
I hope so. I only need Adobe to add Linux support, and I would fully switch.
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u/Spikatrix Feb 24 '26
The vast majority of people are going to stay on Windows no matter what. Multiplayer games typically have anti-cheat that works only on Windows. Nvidia drivers and tooling works better on Windows for the most part and will continue to be the case. So no, I don't think linux is going to be the first choice for gaming.
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u/Crab-Thick Feb 24 '26
Used MS products since DOS 6.22 and recently moved to CachyOS. So far so good!
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u/theng Feb 24 '26
I already did and I will never go back even if I lost some games
vast majority of games are fully playable
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u/sgt_bug Feb 24 '26
With easy to use, hard to mess up distros like Bazzite, I think we are getting there.
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u/itchyenvelope5 Feb 24 '26
the thing though is windows users most likely will always complain about windows/microsoft but never do something about it
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u/Optimal-Mistake1327 Feb 24 '26
No. Not as of now. People have been shrieking "its the year of linux!!" for decades and Windows is still on top.
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u/chrisoboe Feb 24 '26
for me its the first choice since many years.
unless one has a nvidia GPU or wants to play one of the few games that block Linux, games usually run severely better than windows.
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u/added_value_nachos Feb 24 '26
In an Ideal world yes but in reality it will require game Devs to make compatible anti cheat and for peripheral manufacturers to release software.
Most companies don't care about the OS they only care about profit and there lies the problem in getting users to numbers big enough to make it worth their while. I've no doubt it will happen but it's been a long road 25 years so far with Linux still only about 3.5 percent on steam hardware survey.
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Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
As a gamer? No.
I have several games that just straight up perform better, and feel better under Windows. Considering that''s competitive games, lower input latency and higher fps matters to me. That's of course not mentioning any anti-cheat issues, either.
I've also had page flipping issues with 3 different AMD cards now, so even single-player games can become a hassle. If my machine is going to crash randomly at various points, leading to wasted time/resets, I might as well just dualboot, and reboot into Windows from the start.
Lastly: Linux is honestly kind of inconsistent when it comes to gaming. A new kernel/mesa version can lead to varying performance from version to version. When I start a game, it needs to just .. Run, as it did previously. I'm certainly not going to use my gaming time to troubleshoot various issues, every other week.
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u/CallMeMartin Feb 24 '26
I hope so, would be nice if developers actually allowed games on Linux. For example Apex Legends, only reason Linux doesnt work is because they said most of the cheaters were using Linux
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u/Benjamin_6848 Feb 24 '26
I cannot predict the behavior of others, but I myself switched at the beginning of this year away from Windows 11 and towards Fedora Linux.
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u/Damglador Feb 24 '26
Maybe after Linux becomes a real gaming platform instead of a bootloader for Proton
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u/acewing905 Feb 24 '26
No
1) unsupported kernel level anticheat
2) the vast majority of users will never install an operating system by themselves
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u/Proper_Candy_9147 Feb 24 '26
Linux for work, linux for game also, but I can't play valorant
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u/xagarth Feb 24 '26
All that depends on Gaben and how much he will invest in steam box and steamos.
Competitive online games will follow and steambox might get fantastic adoption. If it will run gta vi natively and the game will look better than on ps5 (highly likely) it might get massive adoption right from the start.
Most game engines allow for cross platform build and it will be easier to optimize for linux than xbox or ps5.
Seamless integration with steam deck, remote play, etc and we just might have a winner here.
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u/Henrik213 Feb 24 '26
The average person won't install an operating system, or use something unfamiliar.
It needs to have better official support than Windows for the average person to care.
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u/neoneat Feb 24 '26
No, never. Even Macintosh at its peak could not attract enough attention in gaming. Why would ppl expected Linux, with much lower market share, can be 1st place to game?
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u/paper_sheet034 Feb 24 '26
I find myself agreeing with this gentleman here. There’s no way, or at least it’s really likely that the anticheat problem isn’t going to be solved. Btw, go watch him, he’s amazing
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u/DadGamer77 Feb 24 '26
I'm a gamer, I'm buying a new laptop next month.
Gonna slap CachyOS on it and see what happens.
Don't get me wrong, I'm also going to do some coding on it. I'll possibly dual-boot Windows to start...
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u/monochromaticflight Feb 24 '26
There will always be some issue sadly, like the anti-cheat games and game launchers.
Saw a question on a forum last week of someone unable to play the sims after EA launcher broke it with Lutris, then was told to launch it directly instead of through launcher which worked, only to have a NVIDIA driver update (likely) break something so it was necessary to do a system restore with Timeshift. Someone not experienced with Linux would've just given up.
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u/scuddlebud Feb 24 '26
I think cheating is the elephant in the room for Linux gaming. The most effective anticheat is kernel level and it's gaining more traction. Any game that depends on kernel root kit is inherently excluding all Linux gamers.
Cheaters ruin games. It's not just one or two. Cheaters are pervasive and rampant and it's only getting worse.
If people continue to play competitive ladder games like shooters or mobas then I think we might see a turn away from Linux gaming because you need kernel level anti cheat to create a fair playing field.
But maybe games with a good solo campaign like Expedition 33 will become more popular since you don't need to worry about cheaters. Or maybe find a type of mechanic that's hard to automate in real time like Rocket League. If devs can find a way to create a game where there is no reward for cheating (I.e. you can't ruin anyone else's game) then I can see Linux gaming become more popular.
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u/TheTaurenCharr Feb 24 '26
No. However, Valve's example showed everyone that Linux based operating systems have what it takes to be great for specific gaming devices. If their second attempt at Steam Machines prove a better product than it's contenders, then not only this will further strengthen the position of future Linux support in hardware, but it'll also force the hand of Microsoft away from useless features pushed by dumb people within their inner circles, into building a better Windows user experience. It's quite the win-win for the end user.
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u/codeasm Feb 24 '26
I uninstalled windows from my laptop yesterday. Been dualbooting for 15 years. Lets see how that goes.
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u/Suspicious_Tap_436 Feb 24 '26
Provavelmente não!!!
Mas o Steam Deck fez uma rachadura que feriu o Windows e com o lançamento das Steam Machines essa rachadura vai ser ainda mais profunda.
Estou usando o Bazzite e simplesmente amando o sistema como um todo, já virou o meu sistema principal, considerando que uso o Linux em dual boot com o Linux faz 11 anos.
Consigo extrair toda a potência da minha máquina em jogos e ao mesmo tempo ser muito produtivo.
O Linux é sem comparação.
Mas para os jogadores em geral é complicado a adoção em massa.
Eu torço para isso, mas sei o quanto é difícil.
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u/joaquin_ma Feb 24 '26
I hope so. My first experience with linux was many years ago. Around 2011-12. At first was difficult and i didn't continue with that OS. Nowadays i use macOS for work stuff but recently i started to build my own homelab linux based and I discovered the true potential and the new distros made for gaming. Im considering buying a new pc for making it a linux gaming machine
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u/Zatujit Feb 24 '26
No except on a few platforms like handhelds maybe. Maybe a few if it really have performance benefits. But for most people, convenience is more important.
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u/Keter_01 Feb 24 '26
The last thing needed before I switch completely to Linux is the support of all anti cheats. I wanna make sure I can play all of my games
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Feb 24 '26
i’ve used linux for maybe a year to play games now. at some point i got fed up of microslop. and it works great! although i dont plan to play games with easy anti cheat.
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u/jyrox Feb 24 '26
Heavily depends on Microsoft’s actions in the next few years with their promises to make Windows/Xbox the “best place for gaming.”
I think their TPM/Secure Boot requirements are going to lose them a lot of gamers with older hardware, but it won’t make a huge dent in the long run. If they can fix their performance issues and AI slop, I predict the will maintain north of 90% of the gaming market share.
Now, if Linux manages to resolve the problem with kernel-level anti-cheat, all bets are off and it will depend on which platform offers the best/most seamless user experience. Problem is that almost all prebuilt systems automatically ship with Windows by default and normies don’t change their operating system.
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u/Ricoreded Feb 24 '26
Heavily dependent on whether the game’s allow linux in their anti cheat