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Nearly 90% of Windows Games now run on GNU/Linux
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Nearly 90% of Windows Games now run on Linux, latest data shows — as Windows 10 dies, gaming on Linux is more viable than ever
The viability of Linux as a gaming platform has come on leaps and bounds in recent years due to the sterling work of WINE and Proton developers, among others, and interest in hardware like the Steam Deck. However, the most recent stats from ProtonDB (via Boiling Steam) highlight that we are edging towards a magnificent milestone. The latest distilled data shows that almost 90% of Windows games now run on Linux.
Having nine in ten Windows games accessible in a new Linux install is quite an achievement. The milestone comes as we see computer users flocking to other platforms during the transition from the Windows 10 to 11 eras. Of course, the underlying data isn’t quite so simple as the headline stat. There are different degrees of compatibility gamers must consider when checking if their favorite Windows games work on Linux distros like Mint, Zorin, Bazzite, or even SteamOS.
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Almost 90% of Windows Games Run on Linux, Notes Report
Linux gaming has quietly reached a new inflection point. A recent Boiling Steam summary of crowd-sourced ProtonDB compatibility reports shows that about 89.7% of Windows titles now at least launch on Linux systems. The numbers are spread into a few categories. Games rated "Platinum," meaning they install, run, and save on Linux without requiring user intervention, made up 42% of new releases tracked in October, up from 29% the previous year. At the same time the share of titles that refuse to launch, the so-called "Borked" cohort, has fallen to roughly 3.8%, a group that still includes deliberate blocks such as March of Giants, which explicitly detects Wine and Proton and exits to the desktop.
The most persistent obstacles are not obscure indies but anti-cheat middleware and contractual choices. Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, and similar systems remain the primary gatekeepers for online multiplayer, and enabling them on Linux is often more a negotiation than a mere technical flip of a switch. When a studio approves Steam Deck support, desktop Linux compatibility frequently follows within a single build cycle, suggesting the code paths are already unified and only sign-off is pending.
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TechSpot ☛ Nine out of ten Windows games can now run on Linux, data shows
Compatibility between gaming applications and Linux operating systems keeps improving. According to recent statistics, most players can now expect to run the majority of their gaming sessions on an open source operating system. Only a few stubborn exceptions are still resisting this new reality.
Aggregated data from the Linux community highlights the significant progress made in gaming on Linux. Compatibility between titles originally designed for Windows and the wider free and open source ecosystem (FOSS) built on the Linux kernel is now at an all time high, although the pace of improvement has slowed.
Update
One more:
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9 in 10 Windows games are running on Linux
New data shows that the number of Windows games that either run perfectly or work with minimal tweaks on Linux is rising. The number of games that do not launch at all is at an all-time low.
Gaming on Linux has been a challenge for many reasons over the years, with one of the biggest challenges being that most commercial computer games are developed for Windows. That means a whole umbrella of discomforts, such as a lack of graphics driver support on Linux or Windows-specific APIs that Linux does not have. At least not by default.
However, now the situation is getting better.
Late addition:
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90% of Windows games now run on Linux, just in time for SteamOS to go mainstream
Linux gaming has advanced significantly due to Valve's SteamOS and Proton compatibility, enabling nearly 90% of Windows games to run on Linux. The Steam Deck has driven this growth, with SteamOS offering faster performance and a streamlined interface compared to Windows gaming. However, anti-cheat limitations and Windows' dominant market share remain challenges.
As a pure PC gaming platform, Linux has come a long way, thanks in part to Valve and its efforts with SteamOS and its Proton compatibility layer for running the latest DirectX graphics API. And with the popularity of its Steam Deck gaming handheld and third-party Linux builds focused on gaming like Bazzite, more and more gamers are looking for a Windows-free PC gaming experience, since games often run faster on Linux than on Windows.
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New data shows most Windows games now work on Linux – and I hope the same will soon apply to anti-cheat titles
Gaming on Linux has come a long way since Valve launched its Steam Deck, with SteamOS leading the way for a handheld-friendly gaming experience. Linux is also getting stronger on desktop PCs and laptops, too, and a fresh revelation shows just how many Windows games are now compatible with the alternative platform - even if one major flaw remains.
As highlighted by Boiling Steam, almost 90% of Windows games now 'manage to launch' on Linux, according to data drawn from ProtonDB. In short, it's now the case that when gaming on Linux - specifically on an operating system like SteamOS - people will find only a few games are completely incompatible (meaning they won't run at all).
It's also worth noting that some of the games listed as 'unsupported' titles on Steam Deck Verified are perfectly playable on Valve's handheld, or other portables running SteamOS like the Lenovo Legion Go S (or even a custom gaming PC). An example of this is Silent Hill 2, which Valve still lists as unsupported.
About a day later:
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The Linux gaming boom is real: 90% of Windows games now run on the platform
Gaming on Linux has long been something of a project, a geeks paradise. At least that's how the saying goes. And even though it has improved a lot in recent years, the platform still carries an undeserved reputation for being fiddly and inconvenient when it comes to actually playing games.
But the truth is, things haven't just improved; the entire landscape has transformed. Much of that, of course, is thanks to Proton and WINE, but not least, the Steam Deck.
In fact, according to some fresh stats, almost 90% of all Windows games now run on Linux, which of course is awesome considering the fact that Windows 10 is a ticking timebomb in regards to security, and that many users either won't or can't upgrade to Windows 11.
Linux Magazine:
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Linux Now Runs Most backdoored Windows Games
The latest data shows that nearly 90 percent of backdoored Windows games can be played on Linux.