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Linux-based operating systems can be used for playing video games. Because many games are not natively supported for the Linux kernel, various software has been made to run Windows games, such as Wine, Cedega, DXVK, and Proton, and managers such as Lutris and PlayOnLinux. The Linux gaming community has a presence on the internet with users who attempt to run games that are not officially supported on Linux.
History
Linux gaming started largely as an extension of the already present Unix gaming scene,[1] which dates back to that system's conception in 1969 with the game Space Travel[2][3][self-published source?] and the first edition in 1971,[4] with both systems sharing many similar titles.[5][self-published source?] These games were mostly either arcade and parlour type games or text adventures using libraries like curses.[6][7] A notable example of this are the "BSD Games", a collection of interactive fiction and other text-mode amusements.[8][9] The free software philosophy and open source methodology which drove the development of the operating system in general also spawned the creation of various early free games.[10][11]
Popular early titles included Netrek and the various XAsteroids, XBattle, XBill, XBoing, X-Bomber, XConq, XDigger, XEmeraldia, XEvil, XGalaga, XGammon, XLander, XLife, XMahjong, XMine, XSoldier, XPilot, XRobots, XRubiks, XShogi, XScavenger, XTris, XTron, XTic and XTux games using the X Window System.[12][13] Other games targeted or also supported the SVGAlib library allowing them to run without a windowing system,[14] such as LinCity, Maelstrom, Sasteroids,[15] and SABRE.[16] The General Graphics Interface was also utilized[17] for games like U.R.B.A.N The Cyborg Project[18] and Dave Gnukem[19] ported from MS-DOS. As the operating system itself grew and expanded, the amount of free and open-source games also increased in scale and complexity, with both clones of historically popular releases beginning with BZFlag, LinCity, and FreeCiv,[20] as well as original creations such as Rocks'n'Diamonds, Cube, The Battle for Wesnoth, and Tux Racer.[21]
1994–1997
The beginning of Linux as a gaming platform for commercial video games is widely credited to have begun in 1994 when Dave D. Taylor ported the game Doom to Linux, as well as many other systems, during his spare time.[22][23] Shareware copies of the game were included on various Linux discs,[24] including those packed in with reference books.[25][26][27] From there Taylor would also help found the development studio Crack dot Com, which released the video game Abuse,[28] with the game's Linux port even being distributed by Linux vendors Red Hat[29] and Caldera.[30] The studio's never finished Golgotha was also slated to be released by Red Hat in box.[31] Ancient Domains of Mystery was also released for Linux in 1994 by Thomas Biskup, building on the roguelike legacy of games such as Moria and its descendent Angband, but more specifically Hack and NetHack.
id Software, the original developers of Doom, also continued to release their products for Linux. Their game Quake was ported to Linux via X11 in 1996, once again by Dave D. Taylor working in his free time.[32][33] An SVGALib version was also later produced by Greg Alexander in 1997 using recently leaked source code, but was later mainlined by id.[34] Later id products continued to be ported by Zoid Kirsch[35] and Timothee Besset,[36] a practice that continued until the studio's acquisition by ZeniMax Media in 2009.[37] The ports of Quake and Quake II were released physically by Macmillan Computer Publishing USA,[38] while Quake III was released for Linux by Loki Software.[39] Red Hat had previously passed on publishing Quake for Linux, since it was not open-source at the time.[40]
In 1991 DUX Software contracted Don Hopkins to port SimCity to Unix,[41] which he later ported to Linux and eventually released as open source for the OLPC XO Laptop.[42] Other early commercial Linux games included Hopkins FBI, an adventure game released in 1998 by MP Entertainment,[43] and Inner Worlds in 1996, which was released for and developed on Linux.[44] In 1998, two programmers from Origin ported Ultima Online to Linux.[45] The UNIX Book of Games, a 1996 publication by Janice Winsor, described various games with an accompanying CD-ROM containing executables and source code for Linux and SCO Unix.[46]
A website called The Linux Game Tome, also known as HappyPenguin after its URL, was begun by Tessa Lau in 1995 to catalogue games created for or ported to Linux from the SunSITE game directories as well as other classic X11 games for a collection of just over 100 titles.[47] It was taken over by Bob Zimbinski in 1998 eventually growing to over 2000 entries, sponsored by retailer Penguin Computing and later LGP until it went down in 2013, although mirrors still exist.[48][49]
1998–2002
The site LinuxGames covered news and commentary from November 1998 until its host Atomicgamer went down in 2015.[50][51] It was established by Marvin Malkowski, head of the Telefragged gaming network, alongside Al Koskelin and Dustin Reyes;[52] Reyes passed away August 8, 2023.[53]
On November 9, 1998, a new software firm called Loki Software was founded by Scott Draeker, a former lawyer who became interested in porting games to Linux after being introduced to the system through his work as a software licensing attorney.[54] Loki, although a commercial failure, is credited with the birth of the modern Linux game industry.[55] Loki developed several free software tools, such as the Loki installer (also known as Loki Setup),[56] and supported the development of the Simple DirectMedia Layer,[57] as well as starting the OpenAL audio library project.[58][59] These are still often credited as being the cornerstones of Linux game development.[60] They were also responsible for bringing nineteen high-profile games to the platform before its closure in 2002.
Loki's initial success also attracted other firms to invest in the Linux gaming market, such as Tribsoft, Hyperion Entertainment, Macmillan Digital Publishing USA, Titan Computer, Xatrix Entertainment, Philos Laboratories, and Vicarious Visions.[61] During this time Michael Simms founded Tux Games, one of the first online Linux game retailers,[62] later followed by Fun 4 Tux,[63] Wupra,[64] ixsoft, and LinuxPusher.[65] The Indrema Entertainment System (also known as the L600) was also in development since 1999 as a Linux based game console and digital media player,[66][67][68] but production halted in 2001 due to a lack of investment,[69][70] although the TuxBox project attempted a continuation.[71]
The period also saw a number of commercial compilations released,[72] such as 100 Great Linux Games by Global Star Software,[73] Linux Games by Walnut Creek CDROM,[74][75] Linux Games++ by Pacific Hitech,[76][77] Linux Cubed Series 8 LINUX Games by Omeron Systems,[78] Best Linux Games by SOT Finnish Software Engineering,[79][80][81] LinuxCenter Games Collection,[82] Linux Games & Entertainment for X Windows by Hemming,[83][84] Linux Spiele & Games by more software,[85] Linux Spiele by Franzis Verlag,[86] and play it! Linux: Die Spielesammlung by S.A.D. Software.[87] Numerous Linux distributions and collections packed in Loki games and demos,[88] including Red Hat Linux,[89] Corel Linux and WordPerfect Office,[90][91] and the complete Eric's Ultimate Solitaire bundled with PowerPlant by TheKompany.[92]
The release of ScummVM in 2001,[93] Dosbox in 2002,[94] as well as video game console emulators like MAME from 1997 and released as open source in 2016, helped make Linux a viable platform for retro gaming (facilitated by the RetroArch frontend since 2010).[95][96] This is especially the case for the GP2X series of handheld game consoles by GamePark Holdings in addition to the community driven Pandora and DragonBox Pyra. Dedicated emulation setups are also built on single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi released in 2012, which are most often Linux based including with Raspberry Pi OS.[97] Wine is also useful for running older Windows games,[98] including 16-bit and even some 32-bit applications that no longer work on modern 64-bit Windows.[99] The Sharp Zaurus personal data assistants adopted a Linux derived system called OpenZaurus, which attracted its own gaming scene.[100][101] This was also the case with the Agenda VR3, advertised as the first "pure Linux PDA".[102][103]
2003–2007
After Loki's closure, the Linux game market experienced some changes.[104] Although some new firms, such as Linux Game Publishing and RuneSoft, would largely continue the role of a standard porting house,[105] the focus began to change with Linux game proponents encouraging game developers to port their game products themselves or through individual contractors.[106] Influential to this was Ryan C. Gordon, a former Loki employee who would over the next decade port several game titles to multiple platforms, including Linux.[107]
Around this time many companies, starting with id Software, also began to release legacy source code leading to a proliferation of source ports of older games to Linux and other systems.[108] This also helped expand the already existing free and open-source gaming scene, especially with regards to the creation of free first person shooters.[109] In addition, numerous game engine recreations have been produced to varying levels of accuracy using reverse engineering or underlying engine code supporting the original game files including on Linux and other niche systems.[110][111]
The company TransGaming marketed as a monthly subscription its own proprietary fork of Wine called WineX in October 2001, later renamed Cedega in 2004 and discontinued in 2011, which aimed for greater compatibility with Microsoft Windows games. CodeWeavers also offered an enhanced version of Wine called CrossOver Games.[112][113] The reliance on such compatibility layers remains controversial with concerns that it hinders growth in native development,[114][115] although this approach was defended based on Loki's demise.[116][117] PlayOnLinux, established in 2007, provides a community alternative,[118] with various guides being written on how to get games to run through Wine.[119] A special Gaming Edition of Mandrake Linux 8.1 was released that featured WineX packed in with The Sims.[120] The fact that the fork of Wine did not release source back to the main project was also a point of contention, despite promises to release code after achieving a set number of subscribers.[121][122]
2008–2011
Number of sales of the first Humble Indie Bundle across systems[123]
The Linux gaming market also started to experience some growth towards the end of the decade with the rise of independent video game development,[124] with many "indie" developers favouring support for multiple platforms.[125] The Humble Indie Bundle initiatives inaugurated in 2010 helped to formally demonstrate this trend,[126] with Linux users representing a sizable population of their purchase base, as well as consistently being the most financially generous in terms of actual money spent.[127][128] The Humble Indie Bundle V in 2012 faced controversy for featuring a Wine-based release of Limbo prepared by CodeWeavers,[129] while a native version was later released in 2014.[130] Humble eventually began offering Windows-only games in their bundles and on their store.[131][132]
In 2009, the small indie game company Entourev LLC published Voltley to Linux which is the first commercial exclusive game for this operating system.[133][134] In the same year, LGP released Shadowgrounds which was the first commercial game for Linux using the Nvidia PhysX middleware.[135] The GamingOnLinux website was launched on July 4, 2009, and eventually succeeded LinuxGames as the main source of news and commentary.[136]
The release of a Linux version of Desura in 2011, a digital distribution platform with a primary focus on small independent developers, was heralded by several commentators as an important step to greater acknowledgement of Linux as a gaming platform.[124][137][138] Shortly before this, Canonical launched the Ubuntu Software Center which also sold digital games.[139] The digital store Gameolith also launched in 2011 focused principally on Linux before expanding in 2012 and closing in 2014.[140][141]
2012–2016
In July 2012, game developer and content distributor Valve announced a port of their Source engine for Linux as well as stating their intention to release their Steam digital distribution service for Linux.[142][143][144] The potential availability of a Linux Steam client had already attracted other developers to consider porting their titles to Linux,[138][145][146][147] including previously Mac OS only porting houses such as Aspyr Media and Feral Interactive.[148]
In November 2012, Unity Technologies ported their Unity engine and game creation system to Linux starting with version 4. All of the games created with the Unity engine can now be ported to Linux easily.[149]
In September 2013 Valve announced that they were releasing a gaming oriented Linux based operating system called SteamOS with Valve saying they had "come to the conclusion that the environment best suited to delivering value to customers is an operating system built around Steam itself."[138][150] This was used for their Steam Machine platform released on November 10, 2015, and discontinued in 2018.[151]
In March 2014 GOG.com announced they would begin to support Linux titles on their DRM free store starting the same year, after previously stating they would not be able due to too many distributions.[152] GOG.com began their initial roll out on July 24, 2014, by offering 50 Linux supporting titles, including several new to the platform.[153]
Despite previous statements, GOG have confirmed they have no plans to port their Galaxy client to Linux.[154] The free software Lutris started in 2010,[155] GameHub from 2019,[156] MiniGalaxy from 2020,[157] and the Heroic Games Launcher from 2021,[158] offer support for GOG as well as the Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect and Origin.
In March and April 2014 two major developers Epic Games and Crytek announced Linux support for their next generation engines Unreal Engine 4 and CryEngine respectively.[159][160]
Towards the end of 2014 the game host itch.io announced that Linux would be supported with their developing open source game client.[161] This was fully launched simultaneously on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on December 15, 2015.[162] The service had supported Linux since it was first unveiled on March 3, 2013, with creator Leaf Corcoran personally a Linux user.[163] The similar Game Jolt service also supports Linux and has an open source client released on January 13, 2016.[164][165] GamersGate also sells games for Linux.[166][167]
2017-present
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On August 22, 2018, Valve released their fork of Wine called Proton, aimed at gaming.[168] It features some improvements over the vanilla Wine such as Vulkan-based DirectX 11 implementation, Steam integration, better full screen and game controller support and improved performance for multi-threaded games.[169] It has since grown to include support for DirectX 9[170] and DirectX 12[171] over Vulkan. The itch.io app added its own Wine integration in June 2020,[172] while Lutris and PlayOnLinux are long-standing independent solutions for compatibility wrappers.[173][174]
As with Wine and Cedega in the past, concerns have been raised over whether Proton hinders native development more than it encourages use of the platform.[175][176] Prodeus dropped native support in favour of Proton shortly before final release[177] and Arcen Games cancelled planned native support for Heart of the Machine.[178] Valve has expressed no preference over Proton or native ports among developers.[179]
On February 25, 2022, Valve released Steam Deck, a handheld game console running SteamOS 3.0.[180][181] The deployment of Proton and other design decisions were based on the limited response to their previous Steam Machines.[182] Linux was also used as a base for several nostalgia consoles, including the Neo Geo X,[183] NES Classic Edition,[184] Super NES Classic Edition,[185] Sega Genesis Mini,[186] Intellivision Amico,[187] Lichee Pocket 4A,[188] and the Atari VCS.[189] It also powers the more general Polymega,[190] Anbernic RG351 and 5G552, as well as the Game Gadget,[191] Evercade, VS, EXP and Super Pocket retrogaming consoles by Blaze Entertainment.[192][193]
As of early 2023, the retro game store Zoom Platform was enhancing Linux support on their available titles.[194]
The Steam Hardware Survey reports that as of January 2024, 2% of users are using some form of Linux as their platform's primary operating system.[195] The Unity game engine used to[196] make their statistics available and in March 2016 reported that Linux users accounted for 0.4% of players.[197] In 2010, in the first Humble Bundle sales, Linux accounted for 18% of purchases.[198]
Supported hardware
Linux as a gaming platform can also refer to operating systems based on the Linux kernel and specifically designed for the sole purpose of gaming. Examples are SteamOS, which is an operating system for Steam Machines, Steam Deck and general computers, video game consoles built from components found in the classical home computer, (embedded) operating systems like Tizen and Pandora, and handheld game consoles like GP2X, and Neo Geo X. The Nvidia Shield runs Android as an operating system, which is based on a modified Linux kernel.[citation needed]
The open source design of the Linux software platform allows the operating system to be compatible with various computer instruction sets and many peripherals, such as game controllers and head-mounted displays. As an example, HTC Vive, which is a virtual reality head-mounted display, supports the Linux gaming platform.[citation needed]
Performance
In 2013, tests by Phoronix showed real-world performance of games on Linux with proprietary Nvidia and AMD drivers were mostly comparable to results on Windows 8.1.[199] Phoronix found similar results in 2015,[200] though Ars Technica described a 20% performance drop with Linux drivers.[201]
Software architecture
An operating system based on the Linux kernel and customized specifically for gaming, could adopt the vanilla Linux kernel with only little changes, or—like the Android operating system—be based on a relative extensively modified Linux kernel. It could adopt GNU C Library or Bionic or something like it. The entire middleware or parts of it, could very well be closed-source and proprietary software; the same is true for the video games. There are free and open-source video games available for the Linux operating system, as well as proprietary ones.[citation needed]
Linux kernel
The subsystems already mainlined and available in the Linux kernel are most probably performant enough so to not impede the gaming experience in any way,[citation needed] however additional software is available, such as e.g. the Brain Fuck Scheduler (a process scheduler) or the Budget Fair Queueing (BFQ) scheduler (an I/O scheduler).[202]
Similar to the way the Linux kernel can be, for example, adapted to run better on supercomputers, there are adaptations targeted at improving the performance of games. A project concerning itself with this issue is called Liquorix.[203][204]
Available software for video game designers
Game creation systems
Several game creation systems can be run on Linux, such as Game Editor, GDevelop, Construct and Stencyl, as well as beta versions of GameMaker.[205] A Linux version of Clickteam Fusion 3 was mentioned, but has yet to be released.[206] The Godot, Defold, and Solar2D game engines also supports creating games on Linux,[207] as do the commercial UnrealEd[208] and Unity Editor,[209][210] The visual programming environments Snap!, Scratch and Tynker are Linux compatible. Enterbrain's RPG Maker MV was released for Linux.[211] In addition, open-source, cross-platform clones of the RPG Maker series exist such as Open RPG Maker, MKXP and EasyRPG,[212] as well as the similar OHRRPGCE and Solarus.[213] The Adventure Game Studio editor is not yet ported to Linux, although games made in it are compatible, and the Wintermute and SLUDGE[214] adventure game engines are available. ZGameEditor,[215] Novashell,[216] GB Studio,[217] and the ZZT inspired MegaZeux[218] are also options. Versions of Mugen were made available for Linux,[219] and open-source re-implementations such as IKEMEN Go are compatible.[220] The JavaScript based Ct.js[221] Pixelbox.js,[222] and Superpowers[223] are also options.
Level editors
Various level editors exists for Linux, such as wxqoole, Gtkradiant, TrenchBroom[224][225] and J.A.C.K.[226] for the id Tech engines and related, Eureka,[227] SLADE[228] and ReDoomEd[229] for the Doom engine, and the general purpose tile map editors LLDtk,[230] Ogmo,[231] and Tiled.[232]
Debuggers
Several game development tools have been available for Linux, including GNU Debugger, LLDB, Valgrind, glslang and others. VOGL, a debugger for OpenGL was released on 12 March 2014.
Available interfaces and SDKs
There are multiple interfaces and Software Development Kits available for Linux, and almost all of them are cross-platform. Most are free and open-source software subject to the terms of the zlib License, making it possible to static link against them from fully closed-source proprietary software. One difficulty due to this abundance of interfaces, is the difficulty for programmers to choose the best suitable audio API for their purpose. The main developer of the PulseAudio project, Lennart Poettering, commented on this issue.[233] Physics engines, audio libraries, that are available as modules for game engines, have been available for Linux for a long time.[time needed][citation needed]
The book Programming Linux Games covers a couple of the available APIs suited for video game development for Linux, while The Linux Programming Interface covers the Linux kernel interfaces in much greater detail.