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GNU/Linux gamers "cross over the 3% mark" and "Windows games on Linux just got better"
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Slashdot ☛ 2025-11-03 [Older] Linux Gamers on Steam Finally Cross Over the 3% Mark [Ed: Linux gamers on Steam finally cross over the 3% mark]
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HowTo Geek ☛ Windows games on Linux just got better, thanks to CrossOver
CrossOver, the Wine-based compatibility layer for running Windows software on Mac and Linux, just released its first 64-bit ARM version. It allows games like Cyberpunk 2077, Hades II, and Ghost of Tsushima to run on Linux ARM computers without installing additional emulators or translation layers.
CrossOver is based on the same open-source Wine foundation as Valve's Proton compatibility layer, and the two companies have made impressive strides in running Windows games on desktop Linux. However, that work is mostly limited to traditional x86 systems. ARM-based computers like Apple Silicon Mac desktops, Linux phones, the System76 Thelio Astra, or Raspberry Pi computers needed additional emulation layers and other tricks to run most Windows software.
That's finally changing, as CrossOver has revealed a preview release with Linux ARM64 support. Even though the underlying Wine project added 64-bit ARM support earlier this year, it still requires an additional component to translate 32-bit and 64-bit x86 bytecode to ARM instructions—otherwise, you're limited to ARM-native Windows software. CrossOver integrated the FEX emulator for that final part.