Linux gaming refers to playing
video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
on a
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
.
History
Linux gaming started largely as an extension of the already present
Unix
Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...
gaming scene, with both systems sharing many similar titles. These games were either mostly original or clones of arcade games and text adventures. A notable example of this are the "
BSD
The Berkeley Software Distribution or Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) is a discontinued operating system based on Research Unix, developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Berk ...
Games", a collection of
interactive fiction
''
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the ...
and other text-mode titles. The
free software
Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, no ...
and
open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
methodologies which spawned the development of the operating system in general also spawned the creation of various early free games. Popular early titles included ''
NetHack
''NetHack'' is an open source single-player roguelike video game, first released in 1987 and maintained by the NetHack DevTeam. The game is a fork of the 1982 game ''Hack'', itself inspired by the 1980 game '' Rogue''. The player takes the role a ...
,
Netrek
''Netrek'' is an Internet game for up to 16 players, written almost entirely in cross-platform open-source software. It combines features of multi-directional shooters and team-based real-time strategy games. Players attempt to disable or destroy ...
,
XBill
''XBill'' is an arcade style game for the X Window System. The game features a bespectacled character known as "Bill" (a spoof of Bill Gates). The goal is to prevent Bill's legions of clones from installing "Wingdows", a virus "cleverly designed ...
, XEvil, xbattle,
Xconq
''Xconq'' is an open-source software, open-source computer strategy game. This multiplayer video game was first posted to comp.sources.games on 9 July 1987.
''Xconq'' is released as free and open-source software under the terms of the GNU General ...
'' and ''
XPilot
''XPilot'' is a multiplayer video game. It is open source and runs on many platforms. Although its 2D graphics have improved over time, they still resemble the style of '' Thrust''. Gameplay includes Capture the Flag, base defense, racing and ...
''. As the operating system itself grew and expanded, the amount of free and open-source games also increased in scale and complexity.
1990–1998
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
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* ...
'' to Linux, as well as many other systems, during his spare time. From there he would also help found the development studio ''
Crack dot Com
Crack dot Com was a computer game development company co-founded by ex-id Software programmer Dave Taylor, and Jonathan Clark.
History
Crack dot com started from home with a staff of just four people. Their first completed game, which had In ...
'', which released the video game''
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...
'', with the game's Linux port even being published by Linux vendor
Red Hat
Red Hat, Inc. is an American software company that provides open source software products to enterprises. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, with other offices worldwide.
Red Hat has become ass ...
.
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and ar ...
, the original developers of ''Doom'', also continued to release their products for Linux. Their game ''
Quake'' was ported to Linux in 1996, once again by Dave D. Taylor working in his free time. Later id products continued to be ported by
David Kirsch
David Guy Kirsch is an American oncologist currently the Barbara Levine University Professor at Duke University and an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Education
He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. at Johns Hop ...
and
Timothee Besset
Timothée Besset is a French software programmer, (also known as TTimo), best known for supporting Linux, as well as some Macintosh, ports of id Software's products. He has been involved with the game ports of various id properties over the past ...
, a practice that continued until the studio's acquisition by
ZeniMax Media
ZeniMax Media Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Rockville, Maryland, and founded in 1999.
The company owns publisher Bethesda Softworks with its development unit Bethesda Game Studios (developer of ''The Elder Scrolls,'' ...
in 2009. In 1991 DUX Software contracted Don Hopkins to port ''
SimCity
''SimCity'' is an open-ended city-building video game series originally designed by Will Wright. The first game in the series, ''SimCity'', was published by Maxis in 1989 and were followed by several sequels and many other spin-off "''Sim' ...
'' to Unix, which he later ported to Linux and eventually released as open source for the
OLPC XO Laptop. Other early commercial Linux games included ''
Hopkins FBI
''Hopkins FBI'' is a 1998 point-and-click adventure game from MP Entertainment, most famous for very large (at the time) amounts of gore. A sequel titled ''Hopkins FBI 2: Don't Cry, Baby'', involving Hopkins having to rescue the President's daughte ...
'', an adventure game released in 1998 by MP Entertainment, and ''
Inner Worlds
''Inner Worlds'' is an album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was the group's sixth album release, as well as their last for nearly ten years.
In 1975, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and keyboardist Gayle Moran left the band. Stu Goldberg was brought ...
'' in 1996, which was released for and developed on Linux. In 1998, two programmers from
Origin
Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Comics and manga
* Origin (comics), ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002
* The Origin (Buffy comic), ''The Origin'' (Bu ...
ported ''
Ultima Online
''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems.
Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat system. ...
'' to Linux. A website called The Linux Game Tome began to catalog games created for or ported to Linux in 1995.
1998–2002
On November 9, 1998, a new software firm called
Loki Software
Loki Software, Inc. (Loki Entertainment) was an American video game developer based in Tustin, California, that ported several video games from Microsoft Windows to Linux. It took its name from the Norse deity Loki. Although successful in its ...
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. Loki, although a commercial failure, is credited with the birth of the modern Linux game industry. Loki developed several free software tools, such as the Loki installer (also known as Loki Setup), and supported the development of the
Simple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) is a cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in sever ...
, as well as starting the
OpenAL
OpenAL (Open Audio Library) is a cross-platform audio application programming interface (API). It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three-dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble those ...
audio library project. These are still often credited as being the cornerstones of Linux game development. 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
Tribsoft was a Canadian software company that specialized in porting computer games to the Linux platform.
It was responsible for porting Jagged Alliance 2, as well as gaining the porting rights to ''Europa Universalis'', '' Majesty: The Fantasy ...
,
Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment CVBA (formerly Hyperion Entertainment VOF) is a Belgian software company which in its early years focused in porting Windows games to Amiga OS, Linux, and Mac OS. In 2001, they accepted a contract by Amiga Incorporated t ...
,
Macmillan Digital Publishing USA, Titan Computer,
Xatrix Entertainment
Gray Matter Interactive Studios, Inc. (Gray Matter Studios; formerly Xatrix Entertainment, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Los Angeles.
History
Drew Markham and his business partner Barry Dempsey founded Xatrix Entertai ...
,
Philos Laboratories
Philos Laboratories (also known as Philos Laboratories Software Developer Ltd. or Philos Labs and later Philos Entertainment, Inc) was a Hungarian computer software development company known for working with producer Ubisoft and CDV Software Ente ...
, and
Vicarious Visions
Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game developer based in Albany, New York. The studio was acquired by Activision in January 2005. After releasing its last game as part of that company, ''Tony Hawk's Pro Ska ...
. During this time Michael Simms founded Tux Games, one of the first online Linux game retailers.
2002–2010
After Loki's closure, the Linux game market experienced some changes. Although some new firms, such as
Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing (sometimes also referred to as LGP) was a software company based in Nottingham in England. It ported, published and sold video games running on Linux operating systems. As well as porting games, LGP also sponsored the deve ...
and
RuneSoft
Runesoft GmbH, stylised as RuneSoft (founded as e.p.i.c. interactive entertainment gmbh), is a German publisher founded in 2000 that ports games to alternative platforms such as Linux, Mac OS X, AmigaOS, MorphOS, and magnussoft ZETA. Alongside t ...
, would largely continue the role of a standard porting house, the focus began to change with Linux game proponents encouraging game developers to port their game products themselves or through individual contractors. 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. Around this time many companies, starting with id Software, also began to release legacy
source code
In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...
leading to a proliferation of
source port
A source port is a software project based on the source code of a game engine that allows the game to be played on operating systems or computing platforms with which the game was not originally compatible.
Description
Source ports are often cr ...
s of older games to Linux and other systems. This also helped expand the already existing free and open-source gaming scene, especially with regards to the creation of free
first person shooters
First-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eye ...
.
The Linux gaming market also started to experience some growth towards the end of the decade with the rise of
independent video game development
An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...
, with many "indie" developers favouring support for multiple platforms.
The
Humble Indie Bundle
Humble Bundle, Inc. is a digital storefront for video games, which grew out of its original offering of Humble Bundles, collections of games sold at a price determined by the purchaser and with a portion of the price going towards charity and t ...
initiatives helped to formally demonstrate this trend, 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.
The release of a Linux version of
Desura
Desura was a digital distribution platform for the Microsoft Windows, Linux and OS X platforms. The service distributed games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent game developers rather than larger companies. Desur ...
, a
digital distribution
Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content (media), content such as Sound recording and reproductio ...
platform with a primary focus on small
independent developers
An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...
, was also heralded by several commentators as an important step to greater acknowledgement of Linux as a gaming platform.
In 2009, the small indie game company Entourev LLC published Voltley to Linux which is the first commercial exclusive game for this operating system. In the same year, LGP released Shadowgrounds which was the first commercial game for Linux using the Nvidia PhysX middleware.
2010–present
![Steam_Deck_(front)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Steam_Deck_%28front%29.png)
In July 2012, game developer and content distributor
Valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...
announced a port of their
Source engine
Source is a 3D game engine developed by Valve. It debuted as the successor to GoldSrc in 2004 with the release of '' Counter-Strike: Source'' and '' Half-Life 2''. Updates to Source were released in incremental versions, with the engine being su ...
for Linux as well as stating their intention to release their
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
digital distribution service for Linux. The potential availability of a Linux Steam client has already attracted other developers to consider porting their titles to Linux,
including previously
Mac OS
Two major famlies of Mac operating systems were developed by Apple Inc.
In 1984, Apple debuted the operating system that is now known as the "Classic" Mac OS with its release of the original Macintosh System Software. The system, rebranded "M ...
only porting houses such as
Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media, Inc. (pronounced " aspire") is an American video game developer and publisher founded by Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch in Austin, Texas. Originally founded to bring top gaming titles to macOS, the company, since 2005, has become a ...
and
Feral Interactive
Feral Interactive is a British video games developer and publisher for macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows platforms. It was founded in 1996 to bring games to Mac and specialises in porting games to different ...
.
In November 2012,
Unity Technologies
Unity Software Inc. (doing business as Unity Technologies) is a video game software development company based in San Francisco. It was founded in Denmark in 2004 as Over the Edge Entertainment (OTEE) and changed its name in 2007. Unity Technolo ...
ported their
Unity engine
Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a Mac OS X game engine. The engine has since been gradually extended to support a varie ...
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.
In September 2013 Valve announced that they were releasing a gaming oriented Linux based operating system called
SteamOS
SteamOS is a Linux distribution developed by Valve. It is open source with some closed source components and is the primary operating system for Steam Machines and the Steam Deck.
The initial versions of SteamOS, versions 1.0 and 2.0, were ba ...
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."
In March 2014
GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through it ...
announced they would begin to support Linux titles on their
DRM
DRM may refer to:
Government, military and politics
* Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd
* Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar
* Direction du renseignement milita ...
free store starting the same year, after previously stating they would not be able due to too many distributions.
GOG.com began their initial roll out on July 24, 2014, by offering 50 Linux supporting titles, including several new to the platform.
In March and April 2014 two major developers
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
and
Crytek
Crytek GmbH is a German video game developer and software developer based in Frankfurt. Founded by the Yerli brothers in Coburg in 1999 and moved to Frankfurt in 2006, Crytek also operates further studios in Kyiv, Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey. ...
announced Linux support for their next generation engines
Unreal Engine 4
Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genre ...
and
CryEngine
CryEngine (stylized as CRYENGINE) is a game engine designed by the German game developer Crytek. It has been used in all of their titles with the initial version being used in ''Far Cry'', and continues to be updated to support new consoles and ...
respectively.
On August 22, 2018, Valve released their fork of
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
called
Proton
A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...
, aimed at gaming. 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. It has since grown to include support for DirectX 9 and DirectX 12 over Vulkan.
On February 25, 2022, Valve released
Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve Corporation. Released on February 25, 2022, the Steam Deck can be played as a handheld or connected to a monitor in the same manner as the Nintendo Switch. It is an x86-64-v3 de ...
, a
handheld game console
A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the cons ...
running SteamOS 3.0.
Market share
The
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
Hardware Survey reports that as of July 2021, 1% of users are using some form of Linux as their platform's primary operating system. The
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...
game engine
A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
used to make their statistics available and in March 2016 reported that Linux users accounted for 0.4% of players. In 2010, in the first
Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle, Inc. is a digital storefront for video games, which grew out of its original offering of Humble Bundles, collections of games sold at a price determined by the purchaser and with a portion of the price going towards charity and t ...
sales, Linux accounted for 18% of purchases.
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
SteamOS is a Linux distribution developed by Valve. It is open source with some closed source components and is the primary operating system for Steam Machines and the Steam Deck.
The initial versions of SteamOS, versions 1.0 and 2.0, were ba ...
, which is an operating system for
Steam Machines,
Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve Corporation. Released on February 25, 2022, the Steam Deck can be played as a handheld or connected to a monitor in the same manner as the Nintendo Switch. It is an x86-64-v3 de ...
and general computers,
video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...
s built from components found in the classical home computer, (embedded) operating systems like
Tizen
Tizen () is a Linux-based mobile operating system backed by the Linux Foundation, mainly developed and used primarily by Samsung Electronics.
The project was originally conceived as an HTML5-based platform for mobile devices to succeed MeeGo. Sa ...
and
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...
, and
handheld game console
A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the cons ...
s like
GP2X
The GP2X is a Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only.
The GP2X is designed for homebrew developers as wel ...
, and
Neo Geo X
The Neo Geo X (NGX) is a video game console manufactured by Tommo, licensed by SNK Playmore. Information about the Neo Geo X was first reported in January 2012 and later confirmed in March. It is the first Neo Geo system to be released since the ...
. The
Nvidia Shield
Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...
runs Android as an operating system, which is based on a modified Linux kernel.
The
open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
design of the Linux software platform allows the operating system to be compatible with various computer
instruction set
In computer science, an instruction set architecture (ISA), also called computer architecture, is an abstract model of a computer. A device that executes instructions described by that ISA, such as a central processing unit (CPU), is called an ' ...
s and many
peripherals
A peripheral or peripheral device is an auxiliary device used to put information into and get information out of a computer. The term ''peripheral device'' refers to all hardware components that are attached to a computer and are controlled by the ...
, such as
game controller
A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game, typically to control an object or character in the game. Before the seventh generation ...
s and
head-mounted display
A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet (see Helmet-mounted display for aviation applications), that has a small display optic in front of one (monocular HMD) or each eye ( binocular HMD). An H ...
s. As an example,
HTC Vive
VIVE, sometimes referred to as HTC Vive, is a virtual reality brand of HTC Corporation. It consists of hardware like its titular virtual reality headsets and accessories, virtual reality software and services, and initiatives that promote appl ...
, which is a
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
head-mounted display,
supports the Linux gaming platform.
Performance
In 2013, tests by
Phoronix
Phoronix Test Suite (PTS) is a free and open-source benchmark software for Linux and other operating systems which is developed by Michael Larabel and Matthew Tippett.
The Phoronix Test Suite has been endorsed by sites such as Linux.com, LinuxP ...
showed real-world performance of games on Linux with proprietary Nvidia and AMD drivers were mostly comparable to results on Windows 8.1.
Phoronix
Phoronix Test Suite (PTS) is a free and open-source benchmark software for Linux and other operating systems which is developed by Michael Larabel and Matthew Tippett.
The Phoronix Test Suite has been endorsed by sites such as Linux.com, LinuxP ...
found similar results in 2015, though
Ars Technica
''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
described a 20% performance drop with Linux drivers.
Software architecture
An operating system based on the Linux kernel and customized specifically for gaming, could adopt the
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
Pollination is required to make the p ...
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
The GNU C Library, commonly known as glibc, is the GNU Project's implementation of the C standard library. Despite its name, it now also directly supports C++ (and, indirectly, other programming languages). It was started in the 1980s by ...
or
Bionic
Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.
The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...
or something like it. The entire
middleware
Middleware is a type of computer software that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue".
Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement co ...
or parts of it, could very well be closed-source and
proprietary software
Proprietary software is software that is deemed within the free and open-source software to be non-free because its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner exercises a legal monopoly afforded by modern copyright and int ...
; 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.
Linux kernel
The subsystems already mainlined and available in the
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally authored in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU ope ...
are most probably performant enough so to not impede the gaming experience in any way, however additional software is available, such as e.g. the
Brain Fuck Scheduler
The Brain Fuck Scheduler (BFS) is a process scheduler designed for the Linux kernel in August 2009 as an alternative to the Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS) and the O(1) scheduler. BFS was created by an experienced kernel programmer Con Koliv ...
(a process scheduler) or the Budget Fair Queueing (BFQ) scheduler (an I/O scheduler).
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.
Available software for video game designers
Debuggers
Several game development tools have been available for Linux, including
GNU Debugger
The GNU Debugger (GDB) is a portable debugger that runs on many Unix-like systems and works for many programming languages, including Ada, C, C++, Objective-C, Free Pascal, Fortran, Go, and partially others.
History
GDB was first written by ...
,
LLDB,
Valgrind
Valgrind () is a programming tool for memory debugging, memory leak detection, and profiling.
Valgrind was originally designed to be a free memory debugging tool for Linux on x86, but has since evolved to become a generic framework for creati ...
, glslang and others.
VOGL
VOGL is a debugger for the OpenGL rendering API intended to be used in the development of video games. VOGL was originally written at RAD Game Tools and Valve. VOGL is free and open-source software subject to the terms of the MIT License.
De ...
, a
debugger
A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program used to software testing, test and debugging, debug other programs (the "target" program). The main use of a debugger is to run the target program under controlled conditions that permit the pr ...
for
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardwa ...
was released on 12 March 2014. An open-source, cross-platform clone of
Enterbrain
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...
's
RPG Maker
RPG Maker, known in Japan as , is a series of programs for the development of role-playing video games (RPGs) with story-driven elements, created by the Japanese group ASCII, succeeded by Enterbrain. The Japanese name, ''Tsukūru'', is a pun mi ...
(2000, 2003, XP, VX), called OpenRPG Maker, is currently in development.
Available interfaces and SDKs
There are multiple
interfaces
Interface or interfacing may refer to:
Academic journals
* Interface (journal), ''Interface'' (journal), by the Electrochemical Society
* ''Interface, Journal of Applied Linguistics'', now merged with ''ITL International Journal of Applied Lin ...
and
Software Development Kit
A software development kit (SDK) is a collection of software development tools in one installable package. They facilitate the creation of applications by having a compiler, debugger and sometimes a software framework. They are normally specific to ...
s available for Linux, and almost all of them are
cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software r ...
. Most are
free and open-source software
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is a term used to refer to groups of software consisting of both free software and open-source software where anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source ...
subject to the terms of the
zlib License
The zlib license is a permissive free software license which defines the terms under which the zlib software library can be distributed. It is also used by many other free software packages. The libpng library uses a similar license sometimes r ...
, 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
PulseAudio is a network-capable sound server program distributed via the freedesktop.org project. It runs mainly on Linux, various BSD distributions such as FreeBSD and OpenBSD, macOS, as well as Illumos distributions and the Solaris operating ...
project,
Lennart Poettering
Lennart Poettering (born 15 October 1980) is a German software engineer working for Microsoft and the original author of PulseAudio, Avahi and systemd.
Life and career
Poettering was born in Guatemala City but grew up in Rio de Janeiro, B ...
, commented on this issue.
Physics engines, audio libraries, that are available as modules for game engines, have been available for Linux for a long time.
The book ''
Programming Linux Games
Loki Software, Inc. (Loki Entertainment) was an American video game developer based in Tustin, California, that ported several video games from Microsoft Windows to Linux. It took its name from the Norse deity Loki. Although successful in its ...
'' covers a couple of the available APIs suited for video game development for Linux, while ''
The Linux Programming Interface
''The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook'' is a book written by Michael Kerrisk, which documents the APIs of the Linux kernel and of the GNU C Library (glibc).
Book
It covers a wide array of topics deali ...
'' covers the
Linux kernel interfaces
The Linux kernel provides several interfaces to user-space applications that are used for different purposes and that have different properties by design. There are two types of application programming interface (API) in the Linux kernel tha ...
in much greater detail.
Available middleware
Beside majority of the software which acts as an interface to various subsystems of the operating system, there is also software which can be simply described as middleware. A multitude of companies exist worldwide, whose main or only product is software that is meant to be licensed and integrated into a game engine. Their primary target is the
video game industry
The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide.
The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...
, but the film industry also utilizes such software for special effects. Some very few well known examples are
* classical physics:
Havok,
Newton Game Dynamics
Newton Game Dynamics is an open-source physics engine for realistically simulating rigid bodies in games and other real-time applications. Its solver is deterministic and not based on traditional LCP or iterative methods.
Newton Game Dynamic ...
and PhysX
* audio:
Audiokinetic Wwise,
FMOD
* other:
SpeedTree
SpeedTree is a group of vegetation programming and modeling software products developed and sold by Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV) that generates virtual foliage for animations, architecture and in real time for video games and dema ...
A significant share of the available middleware already runs natively on Linux, only a very few run exclusively on Linux.
Available IDEs and source code editors
Numerous
source code editor
A source-code editor is a text editor program designed specifically for editing source code of computer programs. It may be a standalone application or it may be built into an integrated development environment (IDE) or web browser. Source-code ed ...
s and
IDEs are available for Linux, among which are
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code, also commonly referred to as VS Code, is a source-code editor made by Microsoft with the Electron Framework, for Windows, Linux and macOS. Features include support for debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code complet ...
,
Sublime Text,
Code::Blocks,
Qt Creator
Qt Creator is a cross-platform C++, JavaScript and QML integrated development environment (IDE) which simplifies GUI application development. It is part of the SDK for the Qt GUI application development framework and uses the Qt API, which e ...
,
Emacs
Emacs , originally named EMACS (an acronym for "Editor MACroS"), is a family of text editors that are characterized by their extensibility. The manual for the most widely used variant, GNU Emacs, describes it as "the extensible, customizable, s ...
, or
Vim.
Multi-monitor
A
multi-monitor
Multi-monitor, also called multi-display and multi-head, is the use of multiple physical display devices, such as monitors, televisions, and projectors, in order to increase the area available for computer programs running on a single computer sy ...
setup is supported on Linux at least by
AMD Eyefinity
AMD Eyefinity is a brand name for AMD video card products that support multi-monitor setups by integrating multiple (up to six) display controllers on one GPU. AMD Eyefinity was introduced with the Radeon HD 5000 Series "Evergreen" in September 2 ...
&
AMD Catalyst
AMD Radeon Software is a device driver and utility software package for AMD's graphics cards and APUs. Its graphical user interface is built with Electron and is compatible with 64-bit Windows and Linux distributions.
Software bundle
Func ...
,
Xinerama
Xinerama is an extension to the X Window System that enables X applications and window managers to use two or more physical displays as one large virtual display.
Developed under the name ''PanoramiX'' by Madeline T. Asmus of the Digital Equipme ...
and
RandR
X.Org Server is the free and open-source implementation of the X Window System display server stewarded by the X.Org Foundation.
Implementations of the client-side X Window System protocol exist in the form of ''X11 libraries'', which serve ...
on both X11 and Wayland. ''
Serious Sam 3: BFE'' is one example of a game that runs natively on Linux and supports very high resolutions and is validated by AMD to support their Eyefinity.
''
Civilization V
''Sid Meier's Civilization V'' is a 4X video game in the ''Civilization'' series developed by Firaxis Games. The game was released on Microsoft Windows on September 21, 2010, on OS X on November 23, 2010, and on Linux on June 10, 2014.
In ''C ...
'' is another example, it even runs on a
"Kaveri" desktop APU in 3x1 portrait mode.
Voice over IP
The specifications of the
Mumble protocol are freely available and there are BSD-licensed implementations for both servers and clients. The positional audio API of Mumble is supported by e.g. ''
Cube 2: Sauerbraten''.
Wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
is a
compatibility layer
In software engineering, a compatibility layer is an interface that allows binaries for a legacy or foreign system to run on a host system. This translates system calls for the foreign system into native system calls for the host system. With so ...
that provides binary compatibility and makes it possible to run software, that was written and compiled for Microsoft Windows, on Linux. The Wine project hosts a user-submitted application database (known as Wine AppDB) that lists programs and games along with ratings and reviews which detail how well they run with Wine. Wine AppDB also has a commenting system, which often includes instructions on how to modify a system to run a certain game which cannot run on a normal or default configuration. Many games are rated as running flawlessly, and there are also many other games that can be run with varying degrees of success. The use of Wine for gaming has proved controversial in the Linux community as some feel it is preventing, or at least hindering, the further growth of native gaming on the platform.
Emulators
There are numerous
emulator
In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run so ...
s for Linux. There are also APIs, virtual machines, and machine emulators that provide binary compatibility:
*
Anbox
Anbox is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow mobile applications and mobile games developed for Android to run on Linux distributions. Canonical introduced Anbox Cloud, for running Android applications in a cloud enviro ...
and Waydroid for the
Android operating system;
*
Basilisk II
Basilisk II is an emulator which emulates Apple Macintosh computers based on the Motorola 68000 series. The software is cross-platform and can be used on a variety of operating systems.
Christian Bauer (developer of a Mac 68k emulator ShapeShif ...
for the
68040
The Motorola 68040 ("''sixty-eight-oh-forty''") is a 32-bit microprocessor in the Motorola 68000 series, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060, skipping the 68050. In keeping with general Motorola nami ...
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
;
*
DOSBox
DOSBox is a free and open-source emulator which runs software for MS-DOS compatible disk operating systems—primarily video games. It was first released in 2002, when DOS technology was becoming obsolete. Its adoption for running DOS games i ...
and
DOSEMU for MS-DOS/PC DOS and compatibles;
* DeSmuME and melonDS for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
;
*
Dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
for the
Nintendo GameCube
The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
,
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
, and the
Triforce
The is a fictional artifact and icon of Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' series of video games. It first appeared in the original 1986 action-adventure game ''The Legend of Zelda'' and is a focus of subsequent games in the series, including ...
;
*
FCEUX,
Nestopia
Nestopia UE - and its predecessor Nestopia - are an open-source NES/Famicom emulator designed to emulate the NES hardware as accurately as possible.
Features
The requirements for the original Nestopia were considered higher than some of its c ...
and TuxNES for the
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
;
*
Frotz for Z-Machine text adventures;
*
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum;
*
Hatari for the
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...
,
STe,
TT and
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
;
* gnuboy for the Nintendo
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
and Game Boy Color;
*
MAME
MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...
for arcade games (and previously
MESS
The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...
for multiple hardware platforms);
*
Mednafen
Mednafen (My Emulator Doesn't Need A Frickin' Excellent Name), formerly known as Nintencer, is an OpenGL and SDL multi-system free software wrapper that bundles various original and third-party emulation cores into a single package, and is driv ...
and Xe emulating multiple hardware platforms including some of the above;
*
Mupen64Plus and the no longer actively developed original
Mupen64 for the Nintendo 64;
*
PCSX-Reloaded, pSX and the Linux port of
ePSXe
ePSXe (''enhanced PSX emulator'') is a PlayStation video game console emulator for x86-based PC hardware with Microsoft Windows and Linux, as well as devices running Android. It was written by three authors, using the aliases ''calb'', ''_Demo ...
for the PlayStation;
* Neko Project for the
NEC PC-9801
The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2000. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more th ...
;
*
PCSX2
PCSX2 is a free and open-source PlayStation 2 emulator for Windows, Linux, and macOS that supports a wide range of PlayStation 2 video games with a high level of compatibility and functionality. Although PCSX2 can closely mirror the original gam ...
for the PlayStation 2;
*
PPSSPP
PPSSPP (an acronym for "PlayStation Portable Simulator Suitable for Playing Portably") is a free and open-source PlayStation Portable, PSP video game console emulator, emulator for Microsoft Windows, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android (operati ...
for the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
;
*
ScummVM
Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtual Machine (ScummVM) is a set of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system, it also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies ...
for LucasArts and various other adventure games;
*
SheepShaver
SheepShaver is an open-source PowerPC Apple Macintosh emulator originally designed for BeOS and Linux. The name is a play on ShapeShifter, a Macintosh II emulator for AmigaOS (made obsolete by Basilisk II). The ShapeShifter and SheepShaver project ...
for the
PowerPC
PowerPC (with the backronym Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC – Performance Computing, sometimes abbreviated as PPC) is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture (ISA) created by the 1991 Apple Inc., App ...
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
;
*
Snes9x,
higan
is a Buddhist holiday exclusively celebrated by Japanese sects for seven days; three days before and after both the Spring equinox (shunbun) and Autumnal equinox (shūbun). It is observed by nearly every Buddhist school in Japan. The tradi ...
and
ZSNES
ZSNES is a free software Super Nintendo Entertainment System emulator written mostly in x86 assembly with official ports for Linux, DOS, Windows, and unofficial ports for Xbox and macOS.
Background
Development of ZSNES began on 3 July 1997 an ...
for the Super NES;
*
Stella for the
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocessor- ...
;
*
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
for the Amiga;
*
VICE
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
for the Commodore 64, 128, VIC-20, Plus/4 and PET;
*
VisualBoyAdvance
VisualBoyAdvance (commonly abbreviated as VBA) is a free emulator of the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance handheld game consoles as well as of Super Game Boy and Super Game Boy 2.
Besides the DirectX version for the Windows pl ...
, mGBA and Boycott Advance for the Game Boy Advance;
*
Mini vMac and the no longer actively developed original
vMac
VMAC is a block cipher-based message authentication code (MAC) algorithm using a universal hash proposed by Ted Krovetz and Wei Dai
Wei Dai ( zh, c=戴伟) is a computer engineer known for contributions to cryptography and cryptocurrencies. ...
for the 680x0
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
;
Linux homebrew on consoles
Linux has been ported to several game consoles, including the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
,
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
,
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
GameCube
The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
, and
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
which allows game developers without an expensive
game development kit
Game development kits (GDK) are specialized computer hardware, hardware and software used to create commercial video games for game consoles. They may be partnered with game development tools, special game engine licenses, and other middleware to a ...
to access console hardware. Several gaming peripherals also work with Linux.
Linux adoption
Adoption by game engines
![Linux kernel and OpenGL video games](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Linux_kernel_and_OpenGL_video_games.svg)
The game engine is the software solely responsible for the ''game mechanics'', or rules defining game play. There are different game engines for
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
s,
strategy video game
Strategy is a major video game genre that emphasizes thinking and planning over direct instant action in order to achieve victory. Although many types of video games can contain strategic elements, as a genre, strategy games are most commonly defi ...
s, etc. Besides the game mechanics, software is also needed to handle graphics, audio, physics, input handling, and networking.
Game engines that are used by many video games and run on top of Linux include:
*
C4 Engine
The C4 Engine is a proprietary computer game engine developed by Terathon Software that is used to create 3D games and other types of interactive virtual simulations for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Windows ( XP and later), Mac OS ...
(Terathon Software)
*
CryEngine
CryEngine (stylized as CRYENGINE) is a game engine designed by the German game developer Crytek. It has been used in all of their titles with the initial version being used in ''Far Cry'', and continues to be updated to support new consoles and ...
(
Crytek
Crytek GmbH is a German video game developer and software developer based in Frankfurt. Founded by the Yerli brothers in Coburg in 1999 and moved to Frankfurt in 2006, Crytek also operates further studios in Kyiv, Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey. ...
)
*
Diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
2.0 (
Grin)
*
HPL Engine
Frictional Games AB is a Swedish independent video game developer based in Malmö, founded in January 2007 by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson. The company specialises in the development of survival horror games with very little or no combat gamepl ...
1–3 (
Frictional Games
Frictional Games AB is a Swedish independent video game developer based in Malmö, founded in January 2007 by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson. The company specialises in the development of survival horror games with very little or no combat gamepl ...
)
*
id Tech
id Tech is a series of separate game engines designed and developed by id Software. Prior to the presentation of the id Tech 5-based game '' Rage'' in 2011, the engines lacked official designation and as such were simply referred to as the ''D ...
(
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and ar ...
)
*
Serious Engine (
Croteam
Croteam is a Croatian video game developer based in Zagreb. The company was established by Davor Hunski, Damir Perović, Roman Ribarić and Dean Sekulić, four former classmates, in late August 1992. Croteam is best known for ''Serious Sam'', a ...
)
*
Source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
(
Valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...
)
*
Unigine
UNIGINE is a proprietary cross-platform game engine developed by UNIGINE Company used in simulators, virtual reality systems, serious games and visualization. It supports OpenGL 4, Vulkan and DirectX 12.
UNIGINE Engine is a core technology f ...
(
Unigine Corp)
*
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...
5 (
Unity Technologies
Unity Software Inc. (doing business as Unity Technologies) is a video game software development company based in San Francisco. It was founded in Denmark in 2004 as Over the Edge Entertainment (OTEE) and changed its name in 2007. Unity Technolo ...
)
*
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genres ...
1-4 (
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
)
*
Godot engine
Adoption by video games
There are many free and open-source video games as well as commercially distributed proprietary video games that run natively on Linux. Some independent companies have also begun
porting
In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
prominent video games from Microsoft Windows to Linux.
Free and open-source games
= Original games
=
![Frozen Bubble 2 - Single player](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Frozen_Bubble_2_-_Single_player.png)
A few original
open source video game
An open-source video game, or simply an open-source game, is a video game whose source code is open-source. They are often freely distributable and sometimes cross-platform compatible.
Definition and differentiation
Not all open-source games ...
s have attained notability:
* ''
0 A.D.'' is a real-time strategy game of ancient warfare, similar to
Age of Empires.
* ''
AssaultCube'' is a first-person shooter.
* ''
AstroMenace'' is a 3D scroll-shooter.
* ''
BZFlag
''BZFlag'' (an abbreviation for Battle Zone capture the Flag) is a free and open-source, multiplayer online, tank game.
Development
Inspired by Battlezone, ''BZFlag'' was first written in C by Chris Schoeneman in 1992, as a part of his stud ...
'' is a 3D First person tank shooter (With jumping).
* ''
Battle for Wesnoth
''The Battle for Wesnoth'' is a free and open-source turn-based strategy video game with a high fantasy setting, designed by Australian-American developer David White and first released in June 2003. In ''Wesnoth'', the player attempts to build ...
'' is a turn-based strategy game.
* ''Blob Wars: Metal Blob Solid'' is a 2D platform game.
* ''
Chromium B.S.U.'' is a fast-paced, arcade-style, top-scrolling space shooter.
* ''
CodeRED: Alien Arena'' is a sci-fi first-person shooter derived from the ''
Quake II
''Quake II'' is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is the second installment of the Quake (series), ''Quake'' series, but not a direct sequel to ''Quake (video game), Quake''. The game ...
'' engine.
* ''
Crimson Fields'' is a turn-based tactical wargame.
* ''
Cube 2: Sauerbraten'' is a 3D first-person shooter with an integrated map editing mode.
* ''
Danger from the Deep
''Danger from the Deep'', often abbreviated as DftD, is an open-source World War II German U-boat simulation for PC, striving for technical and historical accuracy.
Development
The project was registered in 2003 on sourceforge.net and is sin ...
'' is a
submarine simulator
A submarine simulator is usually a computer game in which the player commands a submarine. The usual form of the game is to go on a series of missions, each of which features a number of encounters where the goal is to sink surface ships and to ...
set in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
* ''
Glest
''Glest'' is a free and open-source real-time strategy computer game from 2004. ''Glest'' is set in a medieval fantasy world with two factions, and was compared with Warcraft III and the Empire Earth series. The game received positive to mixed ...
'' is a real-time strategy game, with optional multiplayer.
* ''
NetHack
''NetHack'' is an open source single-player roguelike video game, first released in 1987 and maintained by the NetHack DevTeam. The game is a fork of the 1982 game ''Hack'', itself inspired by the 1980 game '' Rogue''. The player takes the role a ...
'' and ''
Angband'' are text-based computer role-playing games.
* ''
Netrek
''Netrek'' is an Internet game for up to 16 players, written almost entirely in cross-platform open-source software. It combines features of multi-directional shooters and team-based real-time strategy games. Players attempt to disable or destroy ...
'' is a ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' themed multiplayer 2D space battle game.
* ''
Nexuiz
''Nexuiz'' is a free first-person shooter video game developed and published by Alientrap. The game was released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and uses the DarkPlaces engine, a modified ''Quake'' engine. A remake, also called ''N ...
'' is a first-person shooter. Although, this has been replaced by ''
Xonotic
''Xonotic'' () is a free and open-source first-person shooter video game. It was developed as a fork of'' Nexuiz'', following controversy surrounding the game's development. The game runs on a heavily modified version of the Quake engine known a ...
''.
* ''
Project: Starfighter'' a multi-directional, objective based shoot-em-up.
* ''
TORCS'' (The Open Racing Car Simulator) – considered one of the best open-source racing simulators, with realistic graphics and vehicle handling.
* ''
Tremulous
''Tremulous'' is a free and open source asymmetric team-based first-person shooter with real-time strategy elements. Being a cross-platform development project the game is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
The game features two opposi ...
'' is a 3D first-person shooter/real-time strategy game.
* ''
Tux Racer
''Tux Racer'' is a 2000 open-source winter sports racing video game starring the Linux mascot, Tux the penguin. It was originally developed by Jasmin Patry as a computer graphics project at the University of Waterloo. Later on, Patry and the n ...
'' is a 3D racing game featuring
Tux
Black tie is a semi-formal wear, semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for clothing, attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically ...
.
* ''
Urban Terror
''Urban Terror'' is a freeware multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by FrozenSand. Originally a total conversion of id Software's ''Quake III Arena'', FrozenSand released ''Urban Terror'' as a free standalone game in 2007 utiliz ...
'' is a standalone ''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'' first-person shooter. (Proprietary mod).
* ''
Vega Strike
''Vega Strike'' is a first person (video games), first-person space trading and combat simulator, developed for Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and OS X systems. Many of the core game mechanics of ''Vega Strike'' are indirectly inspired by '' ...
'' is a space flight simulation.
* ''
Warsow'' is a ''
Quake''-like, fast-paced first-person shooter.
= Clones and remakes
=
There are a larger number of open source
clones
Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to:
Places
* Clones, County Fermanagh
* Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland
Biology
* Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...
and remakes of classic games:
* ''
FreeCiv
''Freeciv'' is a single- and multiplayer turn-based strategy game for workstations and personal computers inspired by the proprietary ''Sid Meier's Civilization'' series. It is available for most desktop computer operating systems and available ...
'' is a clone of ''
Civilization II''.
* ''
FreeOrion'' is inspired by
Master of Orion
''Master of Orion'' (abbreviated as MoO) is a turn-based, 4X science fiction strategy game in which the player leads one of ten races to dominate the galaxy through a combination of diplomacy and conquest while developing technology, exploring a ...
.
* ''
Frets on Fire
''Frets on Fire'' (''FoF'') is a free, open-source music video game created by Finnish independent video game developer Unreal Voodoo. Players use the keyboard to play along with markers which appear on screen, with the aim to score points, a ...
'' is a clone of ''
Guitar Hero
''Guitar Hero'' is a series of music rhythm game video games first released in November 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Player ...
''.
* ''
Frozen Bubble
''Frozen Bubble'' is a free software clone of ''Puzzle Bobble'' for a variety of home and mobile systems.
Gameplay
''Frozen Bubble's'' protagonist is a penguin a la Tux, the mascot of Linux and popular feature in many free software/ open-sour ...
'' is a clone of ''
Puzzle Bobble
internationally known as ''Bust-a-Move'', is a 1994 tile-matching puzzle arcade game developed and published by Taito. It is based on the 1986 arcade game ''Bubble Bobble'', featuring characters and themes from that game. Its characteristically ...
''.
* ''
Grid Wars
Gridwars (aka GRID WARS) was a programming contest announced in November 2002 by Engineered Intelligence (EI). The competition was devised to promote EI's product called CxC (a parallel programming language) introduced the same day. Gridwars was ...
'' is a clone of ''
Geometry Wars
''Geometry Wars'' is a series of top-down multi-directional shooter video games developed by Bizarre Creations, and, later, Lucid Games. Originally published by Microsoft Games Studios, the first title was included as a minigame in '' Project Got ...
''.
* ''
Head Over Heels'', a ZX-Spectrum action platformer, was remade for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and BeOS.
* ''
Oolite
Oolite or oölite (''egg stone'') is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg (ᾠόν). Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 ...
'' is a free and open-source remake of ''
Elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...
''.
* ''
OpenClonk'' is a free and open-source remake of ''
Clonk''.
* ''
OpenTTD'' is a remake of ''
Transport Tycoon Deluxe
''Transport Tycoon'' is a video game designed and programmed by Chris Sawyer, and published by MicroProse on 15 November 1994 for DOS. It is a business simulation game, presented in an isometric projection, isometric view in 2D with graphics by ...
''.
* ''
OpenMW
OpenMW is a free and open-source game engine recreation that reimplements the one powering Bethesda Softworks' 2002 open-world role-playing game '' The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind''.
Overview
The project aims to address issues with the ori ...
'' game engine reimplementation of ''
Morrowind
''The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'' is an open world, open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the third installment in the ''The Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls'' ser ...
''.
* ''
Performous
''UltraStar'' is a clone of '' SingStar'', a music video game by Polish developer Patryk "Covus5" Cebula. ''UltraStar'' lets one or several players score points by singing along to a song or music video and match the pitch of the original son ...
'' is a remix of the ideas behind ''
Guitar Hero
''Guitar Hero'' is a series of music rhythm game video games first released in November 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Player ...
'', ''
SingStar'' and ''
Dance Dance Revolution
(''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance V ...
''.
* ''
Pingus
''Pingus'' is an open-source video game programmed by German developer Ingo Ruhnke. It is a clone of ''Lemmings'' with penguins instead of lemmings.
Gameplay
Pingus has 55 levels, grouped into 5 level sets, as well as 21 winter-themed tuto ...
'' is a clone of ''
Lemmings
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also include ...
''.
* ''
Scorched 3D
''Scorched 3D'' is a free and open source artillery game modeled after the MS-DOS game ''Scorched Earth (video game), Scorched Earth''. ''Scorched 3D'' is licensed under the GNU General Public License, GNU GPL-2.0-or-later, and supports numerous p ...
'' is a 3D adaptation of ''
Scorched Earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted, which usually includes obvious weapons, transport vehicles, communi ...
''.
* ''
Spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
'' originally is a clone of ''
Total Annihilation
''Total Annihilation'' is a real-time strategy video game created by Cavedog Entertainment, a sub-division of Humongous Entertainment, and was released on September 26, 1997 by GT Interactive for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. Two expansion packs ...
'', but actually is a platform for real time strategy games.
* ''
StepMania'' is a clone of ''
Dance Dance Revolution
(''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance V ...
''
* ''
SuperTuxKart
''SuperTuxKart'' (''STK'') is a free and open-source kart racing game, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 3. It features mascots of various open-source projects. ''SuperTuxKart'' is cross-platform, runn ...
'' and ''
TuxKart
''SuperTuxKart'' (''STK'') is a free and open-source kart racing game, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 3. It features mascots of various open-source projects. ''SuperTuxKart'' is cross-platform, runn ...
'' are clones of ''
Mario Kart
is a series of racing games developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses from the ''Mario'' series as well as other gaming franchises such as ''T ...
''.
* ''
SuperTux
''SuperTux'' is a free and open-source two-dimensional platform video game published under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The game was inspired by Nintendo's '' Super Mario Bros.'' series; instead of Mario, the hero in the game is Tux, ...
'' and ''
Secret Maryo Chronicles
''Secret Maryo Chronicles'' is a free and open-source two-dimensional platform computer game that began in 2003. The game has been described by the German ''PCtipp'' as a ''Super Mario Bros.'' clone.
History
''Secret Maryo Chronicles'' bega ...
'' are both clones of ''
Super Mario Bros.
is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for ...
''
* ''
The Dark Mod
''The Dark Mod'' is a free and open-source software first-person stealth game, stealth video game, inspired by the Thief (series), ''Thief'' series by Looking Glass Studios. The game provides the basic framework and tools (engine, assets, models ...
'' is a stealth game inspired by the ''
Thief (series)
''Thief'' is a series of stealth video games in which the player takes the role of Garrett, a master thief in a fantasy steampunk world resembling a cross between the Late Middle Ages and the Victorian era, with more advanced technologies in ...
'' games (particularly 1 and 2) from
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios, Inc. (formerly Blue Sky Productions and LookingGlass Technologies, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company was founded by Paul Neurath with Ned Lerner as Blue Sky Product ...
* ''
The Zod Engine'' is an actively developed open source remake of the game ''
Z''.
* ''
UFO: Alien Invasion'' is heavily influenced by the
X-COM series, mostly by ''
UFO: Enemy Unknown''.
* ''
UltraStar'' is an open source clone of ''
SingStar''
* ''
Ur-Quan Masters'' is based on the original source code for ''
Star Control II
''Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters'' is a 1992 video game, the sequel to '' Star Control''. It was developed by Toys for Bob ( Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III) and originally published by Accolade in 1992 for MS-DOS. This game features exoplan ...
''
* ''
Warzone 2100
''Warzone 2100'' is an Open-source video game, open-source real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid PC game, computer game, originally developed by Pumpkin Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1999 fo ...
'' is a real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid computer game. Originally published by
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
and later released as open source.
* ''
Widelands
''Widelands'' is a free and open-source, slow-paced real-time strategy video game under the GNU General Public License. ''Widelands'' takes many ideas from and is quite similar to ''The Settlers'' and '' The Settlers II''. It remains a work- ...
'' is a clone of ''
The Settlers II
''The Settlers II'' (german: Die Siedler II), originally released as ''The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici'', is a city-building game with real-time strategy elements, developed and published by Blue Byte, Blue Byte Software. Released in Germany ...
''.
*
Bill Kendrick
''Tux Paint'' is a Free and open-source software, free and open source raster graphics editor (a program for creating and processing raster graphics) geared towards young children. The project was started in 2002 by Bill Kendrick who continues t ...
has developed many free software games, most inspired by games for the
Atari 8-bit
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...
and other classic systems.
Proprietary games
= Available on Steam
=
Valve officially released Steam for Linux on February 14, 2013. the number of Linux-compatible games on Steam exceeds 6,500.
With the launch of
SteamOS
SteamOS is a Linux distribution developed by Valve. It is open source with some closed source components and is the primary operating system for Steam Machines and the Steam Deck.
The initial versions of SteamOS, versions 1.0 and 2.0, were ba ...
, a distribution of Linux made by Valve intended to be used for HTPC gaming, that number is quickly growing. Listed below are some notable games available on Steam for Linux:
* ''
Age of Wonders III
''Age of Wonders III'' is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Netherlands, Dutch developer Triumph Studios. It is the fourth game in the ''Age of Wonders'' series, following ''Age of Wonders'', ''Age of Wonders II: The ...
''
* ''
Alien: Isolation''
* ''
American Truck Simulator
''American Truck Simulator'' is a Vehicle simulation game#Trucking simulator, truck simulator game developed and published by SCS Software. It was announced as being in development in September 2013 and unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Exp ...
''
* ''
And Yet It Moves
''And Yet It Moves'' is a puzzle-platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on April 2, 2009, and for Wii as a WiiWare title in August 2010. ''And Yet It Mov ...
''
* ''
Another World''
* ''
Aquaria''
* ''
Bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
''
* ''
The Binding of Isaac''
* ''
BioShock Infinite
''BioShock Infinite'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games. The third installment in the ''BioShock'' series, ''Infinite'' was released worldwide for the Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, ...
''
* ''
Borderlands 2
''Borderlands 2'' is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. Taking place five years following the events of ''Borderlands'' (2009), the game is again set on the planet of Pandora. T ...
''
* ''
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!''
* ''
Braid
A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair.
The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...
''
* ''
Brütal Legend
''Brütal Legend'' is an action-adventure video game with real-time strategy game elements created by Double Fine and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America, ...
''
* ''
Cave Story+
''Cave Story'', originally released as is a 2004 Metroidvania platform-adventure game for Microsoft Windows. It was developed over five years by Japanese independent developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in his free time. ''Cave Story'' features 2D ...
''
* ''
Civilization V
''Sid Meier's Civilization V'' is a 4X video game in the ''Civilization'' series developed by Firaxis Games. The game was released on Microsoft Windows on September 21, 2010, on OS X on November 23, 2010, and on Linux on June 10, 2014.
In ''C ...
''
* ''
Civilization VI
''Sid Meier's Civilization VI'' is a turn-based strategy 4X video game developed by Firaxis Games, published by 2K Games, and distributed by Take-Two Interactive. The mobile port was published by Aspyr Media. The latest entry into the ''Civiliz ...
''
* ''
Civilization: Beyond Earth''
* ''
Counter-Strike
''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games in which teams of terrorists battle to perpetrate an act of terror (bombing, hostage-taking, assassination) while counter-terrorists try to preven ...
''
* ''
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive''
* ''
Counter-Strike: Source''
* ''
Day of the Tentacle Remastered
''Day of the Tentacle'', also known as ''Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle'', is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game ''Maniac Mansion''. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli a ...
''
* ''
Dead Island
''Dead Island'' is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver. Released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game is centered on the challenge of surviving a zombie-infeste ...
''
* ''
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided''
* ''
Dirt Rally
''Dirt Rally'' (stylised as ''DiRT Rally'') is a racing simulation video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows. A Steam Early Access version of the game was released on 27 April 2015, and the full version was released ...
''
* ''
Don't Starve
''Don't Starve'' is a survival video game developed by the Canadian indie video game developer Klei Entertainment. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on April 23, 2013. A PlayStation 4 port, renamed ''Do ...
''
* ''
Dota 2
''Dota 2'' is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game by Valve. The game is a sequel to ''Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment's '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.'' ''Dota 2' ...
''
* ''
Empire: Total War''
* ''
Fez
Fez most often refers to:
* Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire
* Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco
Fez or FEZ may also refer to:
Media
* ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
''
* ''
Freedom Planet
''Freedom Planet'' is a 2D platform video game developed and published by American video game designer Sabrina DiDuro, for her studio GalaxyTrail. The player controls one of three anthropomorphic animal protagonists: the dragon girl Lilac, the ...
''
* ''
GRID Autosport
''Grid Autosport'' is a racing video game developed by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Linux, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Android. It is the third game in the ''Grid'' series. It aims to move the series back ...
''
* ''
Grim Fandango Remastered
''Grim Fandango'' is a 1998 adventure game directed by Tim Schafer and developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use 3D computer graphics overlaid on pre-rendered static backgrou ...
''
* ''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
''
* ''
Half-Life 2
''Half-Life 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Valve. It was published by Valve through its distribution service Steam. Like the original ''Half-Life'' (1998), ''Half-Life 2'' combines shooting, puzzles, and storytelling, and ...
''
* ''
Hitman
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
''
* ''
Hitman Go''
* ''
Kerbal Space Program
''Kerbal Space Program'' (''KSP'') is a space flight simulation video game developed by Mexican developer Squad for Microsoft Windows, macOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system de ...
''
* ''
Lara Croft Go
''Lara Croft Go'' is a turn-based puzzle video game in the ''Tomb Raider'' series. The player moves Lara Croft as a puzzle piece through a board game while avoiding obstacles and manipulating the environment. The developers distilled major seri ...
''
* ''
Left 4 Dead 2
''Left 4 Dead 2'' is a 2009 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve. The sequel to Turtle Rock Studios's ''Left 4 Dead'' (2008) and the second game in the ''Left 4 Dead'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox ...
''
* ''
Life Is Strange
''Life Is Strange'' (abbreviated ''LIS'') is a series of primarily episodic graphic adventure games published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, ...
''
* ''
Life Is Strange 2
''Life Is Strange 2'' is an episodic graphic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. It’s five episodes were released between September 2018 and December 2019 for PlayStation ...
''
* ''
Limbo
In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
''
* ''
Mad Max
''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...
''
* ''Madout Big City Online''
* ''
Metro 2033 Metro 2033 may refer to:
* ''Metro 2033'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky
* ''Metro 2033'' (video game), a 2010 first-person shooter video game based on the novel
See also
* ''Metro'' (franchise), originating from t ...
''
* ''
Metro: Last Light''
* ''
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor''
* ''
Mini Metro''
* ''
Pillars of Eternity''
* ''
Portal
Portal often refers to:
* Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel
Portal may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...
''
* ''
Portal 2
''Portal 2'' is a 2011 puzzle-platform video game developed by Valve Corporation, Valve for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The digital PC version is distributed online by Valve's Steam (service), Steam service, while al ...
''
* ''
Rocket League
''Rocket League'' is a vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix. The game was first released for Windows and PlayStation 4 in July 2015, with ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch being released later on. In June 2016, ...
''
* ''
Saints Row 2''
* ''
Saints Row IV
''Saints Row IV'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to 2011's '' Saints Row: The Third'', the fourth installment of the ''Saints Row'' series, and the final main installment i ...
''
* ''
Saints Row: The Third''
* ''
Shovel Knight
''Shovel Knight'' is a platform game, platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in Se ...
''
* ''
Skullgirls
''Skullgirls'' is a 2D fighting game developed by Reverge Labs and published by Autumn Games. In ''Skullgirls'', players fight each other with teams of one, two, or three characters, attempting to knock out their opponents or have the most cumul ...
''
* ''
Spec Ops: The Line''
* ''
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords''
* ''
Super Meat Boy''
* ''
System Shock 2
''System Shock 2'' is a 1999 action role-playing survival horror video game designed by Ken Levine and co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios. Originally intended to be a standalone title, its story was changed during product ...
''
* ''
The Talos Principle
''The Talos Principle'' is a 2014 puzzle video game developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital. It was simultaneously released on Linux, OS X and Windows in December 2014. It was released for Android in May 2015, for PlayStation 4 ...
''
* ''
Tank Force
is a 1991 multi-directional shooter arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. It was designed by Yutaka Kounoe, whose works include ''Dig Dug'', '' Lucky & Wild'', and ''Point Blank''. The game is the third installment in Namco's ' ...
''
* ''
Team Fortress 2
''Team Fortress 2'' is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' Mod (video gaming), mod for ''Quake (video game), Quake'' and ...
''
* ''
Tomb Raider
''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
''
* ''
Total War: Warhammer''
* ''
TowerFall Ascension''
* ''
Undertale
''Undertale'' is a 2015 2D role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical ...
''
* ''
VVVVVV
''VVVVVV'' is a 2010 puzzle-platform game created by Terry Cavanagh. In the game, the player controls Captain Viridian, who must rescue their spacecrew after a teleporter malfunction caused them to be separated in Dimension VVVVVV. The game ...
''
* ''
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings''
* ''
XCOM: Enemy Unknown''
* ''
XCOM 2
''XCOM 2'' is a 2016 turn-based tactics video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games. It is the sequel to 2012's reboot of the series, '' XCOM: Enemy Unknown''; it takes place 20 years after the events of ''Enemy Unknown''. ...
''
Independent game developers
![VVVVVV - The Tomb of Mad Carew](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/VVVVVV_-_The_Tomb_of_Mad_Carew.png)
Independent developer
2D Boy
''World of Goo'' is a puzzle video game developed and published by independent video game development, independent game developer 2D Boy. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and Wii platforms on October 13, 2008, with releases on Nintendo ...
released ''
World of Goo
''World of Goo'' is a puzzle video game developed and published by independent game developer 2D Boy. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and Wii platforms on October 13, 2008, with releases on Nintendo Switch, Mac OS X, Linux, and var ...
'' for Linux.
Role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
titles like ''
Eschalon: Book I'', ''
Eschalon: Book II'' and ''
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness'' were developed cross-platform from the start of development, including a Linux version. ''Sillysoft'' released Linux versions of their game ''
Lux'' and its various versions.
''Hemisphere Games'' has released a Linux version of ''
Osmos
''Osmos'' is a 2009 puzzle video game developed by Canadian developer Hemisphere Games for various systems such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, OnLive, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android.
Gameplay
The aim of the game is to propel o ...
''. ''Koonsolo'' has released a Linux version of ''Mystic Mine''. ''
Amanita Design
Amanita Design is a Czech independent video game developing company founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský and headquartered in Brno, Czech Republic. The company has created award-winning games including ''Machinarium'', the ''Samorost'' series and ...
'' has released Linux versions of ''
Machinarium
''Machinarium'' is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on 16 October 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, on 8 September 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store, on 21 November 2011 for BlackBerr ...
'' and ''
Samorost 2
''Samorost 2'' is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. Released for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux on 8 December 2005, the game is the second video game title in the ''Samorost'' series and the sequel to ''Sa ...
''. Irrgheist released a Linux version of their futuristic racing game ''
H-Craft Championship''. ''
Gamerizon
Gamerizon is a video game developer and publisher headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Gamerizon develops games for iPhone and iPad. The company's most profitable products on the Apple's App Store and include "Chop Chop Ninja", "Chop Chop ...
'' has released a Linux version of ''
QuantZ
Johann Joachim Quantz (; 30 January 1697 – 12 July 1773) was a German composer, flutist and flute maker of the late Baroque period. Much of his professional career was spent in the court of Frederick the Great. Quantz composed hundreds of flute ...
''. ''InterAction Studios'' has several titles mostly in the ''
Chicken Invaders'' series.
''Kristanix Games'' has released Linux versions of ''Crossword Twist'', ''Fantastic Farm'', ''Guess The Phrase!'', ''Jewel Twist'', ''Kakuro Epic'', ''Mahjong Epic'', ''Maxi Dice'', ''Solitaire Epic'', ''Sudoku Epic'', ''
Theseus and the Minotaur
Theseus and the Minotaur is a type of logic maze designed by Robert Abbott. In this maze, the player acts as Theseus, the king of Athens who is attempting to escape the Labyrinth. The main difference between this and the standard type of labyrin ...
''. ''Anawiki Games'' has released a Linux versions of ''Path of Magic'', ''Runes of Avalon'', ''Runes of Avalon 2'', ''Soccer Cup Solitaire'', ''The Perfect Tree'' and ''Dress-Up Pups''.
Gaslamp Games
Gaslamp Games, Inc. was an independent game developer based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada which designed video games for the Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. Their first game, '' Dungeons of Dredmor'', was release ...
released a Linux version of ''
Dungeons of Dredmor
''Dungeons of Dredmor'' is a roguelike indie video game released on July 13, 2011, by Gaslamp Games. A downloadable content (DLC) pack, "Realm of the Diggle Gods", was released later that year. A second DLC, "You Have To Name The Expansion Pack", ...
''.
Broken Rules
Broken Rules Interactive Media GmbH is an Austrian independent video game developer, publisher, and creative collective based in Vienna. It was founded in 2009 by Peter Vorlaufer, Jan Hackl, and Felix Bohatsch, and is known for critically acclaim ...
has released a Linux version of ''
And Yet It Moves
''And Yet It Moves'' is a puzzle-platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on April 2, 2009, and for Wii as a WiiWare title in August 2010. ''And Yet It Mov ...
''.
Frictional Games
Frictional Games AB is a Swedish independent video game developer based in Malmö, founded in January 2007 by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson. The company specialises in the development of survival horror games with very little or no combat gamepl ...
released Linux versions of both ''
Penumbra: Black Plague'' and ''
Penumbra: Overture'', as well as the expansion pack ''
Penumbra: Requiem''. They also released ''
Amnesia: The Dark Descent'' for Linux simultaneously with the Windows and
Mac OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...
versions.
S2 Games
S2 Games was a video game developer, video game development company which was founded by Marc "Maliken" DeForest, Jesse Hayes, and Sam McGrath, based in Rohnert Park, California. They also had a development location in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Hi ...
released Linux clients for their titles ''
Savage: The Battle for Newerth'', ''
Savage 2: A Tortured Soul'' and ''
Heroes of Newerth
''Heroes of Newerth'' (''HoN'') was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' custom ma ...
''.
Wolfire Games
Wolfire Games is an American independent video game development company founded by David Rosen. Wolfire Games develops video games for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
History
David Rosen founded Wolfire Games in 2003 to organize his open source ...
released a Linux version of their game ''
Lugaru'' and they will release its sequel ''
Overgrowth'' for Linux. David Rosen's ''
Black Shades
''Black Shades'' is a Free software, free and Open-source video game, open-source video game developed by Wolfire Games. Originally released for Mac OS 9 it was Porting, ported to other platforms due to the source code availability. The player cont ...
'' was also ported to Linux. ''Arctic Paint'' has released a Linux version of ''Number Drill''. ''Charlie's Games'' has released a Linux version of ''Bullet Candy Perfect'', ''Irukandji'', ''Space Phallus'' and ''Scoregasm''.
Illwinter Game Design
Illwinter Game Design is the name of a small software company in Sweden composed of Johan Karlsson and Kristoffer Osterman. The company was started in the 1990s under the name ''Bogus Game Design'', but later changed its name. Registered officiall ...
released ''
Conquest of Elysium II'', ''
Dominions: Priests, Prophets and Pretenders'', ''
Dominions II: The Ascension Wars'', and ''
Dominions 3: The Awakening'' for Linux.
Introversion Software
Introversion Software Limited is a British video game developer based in Walton-on-Thames, England.
History
The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay, Mark Morris, and Thomas Arundel, who met as undergraduates at Imperial ...
released ''
Darwinia'', ''
Uplink
In a telecommunications network, a link is a communication channel that connects two or more devices for the purpose of data transmission. The link may be a dedicated physical link or a virtual circuit that uses one or more physical links or shar ...
'', and ''
DEFCON
The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. (DEFCON is not mentioned in the 2010 and newer document)
The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and spe ...
''. Cartesian Theatre is a
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Canada, based software house specializing in free, commercial, games for Linux. They have one title currently under active development, Avaneya.
Kot-in-Action Creative Artel
Kot-in-Action Creative Artel is an Independent video game development, independent video game company headquartered in Del Rio, Texas and founded in 2008 by Alexander Zubov. Consisting of a core team of three people, they developed the ''Steel St ...
released their ''
Steel Storm'' games for Linux. Hazardous Software have released their game ''
Achron
''Achron'' is a real-time strategy computer game. It is considered to be the first "meta-time strategy game" (Real-time strategy with time travel), notable for being the first game with free-form multiplayer time travel and its themes of concept ...
'' for Linux.
Unigine Corp developed ''
Oil Rush
''Oil Rush'' is a tower defense real-time strategy game developed by UNIGINE Holding S.à r.l. using their Unigine engine technology. Set in a flooded, post-apocalyptic world, the game consists of players fighting over control of the world's las ...
'' using its Unigine engine technology that works on Linux. Unigine Corp was also developing a "shooter-type game" that would have been released for Linux, currently the development on this game is frozen until ''OilRush'' is released. The MMORPG game ''Syndicates of Arkon'' is also supposed to be coming to Linux. The game ''Dilogus: The Winds of War'' is also being developed with Unigine and is planned to have a Linux client.
A number of
visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
developers support Linux.
Winter Wolves
Celso Riva (born c. 1974) is an Italian independent video game designer of several critically acclaimed games, including ''The Goalkeeper'', ''Universal Boxing Manager'', ''Magic Stones'', the '' Heileen'' and '' Vera Blanc'' series, ''Bionic Hear ...
has released titles such as ''Spirited Heart'', ''
Heileen'', ''
The Flower Shop
''The Flower Shop'' is a visual novel series by Winter Wolves. The first game ''The Flower Shop - Summer In Fairbrook'' was released on February 1, 2010, while the sequel ''The Flower Shop - Winter in Fairbrook'' was released on December 8, 2011. ...
'', ''
Bionic Heart
Celso Riva (born c. 1974) is an Italian independent video game designer of several critically acclaimed games, including ''The Goalkeeper'', ''Universal Boxing Manager'', '' Magic Stones'', the '' Heileen'' and '' Vera Blanc'' series, '' Bionic He ...
'', ''Card Sweethearts'', ''
Vera Blanc'', ''
Planet Stronghold'', and ''
Loren The Amazon Princess'' for Linux.
Hanako Games
Hanako Games is an independent video game development company founded by Georgina Bensley that develops PC games mostly involving female protagonists centered on fantasy- and anime-inspired style. Games on the site include '' Fatal Hearts'', '' ...
has released ''Science Girls'', ''Summer Session'', ''Date Warp'', ''Cute Knight Kingdom'', and are considering porting ''Fatal Hearts'' to Linux. sakevisual has brought ''Jisei'', ''Kansei'', ''Yousei'', ''RE: Alistair'' and ''Ripples'' to Linux. Four Leaf Studios has also released ''Katawa Shoujo'' for Linux and Christine Love released ''Digital: A Love Story'', both of which, along with ''Summer Session'' mentioned previously, are powered by the free software ''Ren'Py'' tool.
The Java-based sandbox game Minecraft by Indie developer Mojang is available on Linux, as is any other video game compiled for the Java virtual machine.
Dwarf Fortress, a sandbox management simulator / roguelike, has been made available for Linux by Tarn Adams.
The voxel-based space sandbox game, ScrumbleShip by Indie developer Dirkson is currently under development for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.
The realistic replay baseball simulation Out of the Park Baseball by OOTP Developments is currently available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows, for single player and multiplayer online leagues.
Grappling Hook (video game), Grappling Hook, a first-shooter like puzzle game.
The German indie-studio Pixel Maniacs has released both of their games, ChromaGun and Can't Drive This for Linux.
In the Adventure game#Walking simulators, Walking Simulator space, Dan Ruscoe's Dark Hill Museum of Death is available for Linux.
Game porters
Independent companies have also taken on the task of porting prominent Windows games to Linux. Loki Software was the first such company, and between 1998 and 2002 ported ''Civilization: Call to Power'', ''Descent³'', ''Eric's Ultimate Solitaire'', ''Heavy Gear II'',
''Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.²'', ''Heretic II'', ''Heroes of Might and Magic III'', ''Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns'', ''Myth II: Soulblighter'', ''Postal (computer game), Postal'', ''Railroad Tycoon II'', ''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'', ''Rune (video game), Rune'', ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'', ''Sim City 3000'', ''Soldier of Fortune (video game), Soldier of Fortune'', ''Tribes 2'', and ''MindRover'' to Linux.
Tribsoft created a Linux version of ''Jagged Alliance 2'' by Sir-Tech Canada before shutting down in 2002. Linux Game Publishing was founded in 2001 in response to the impending demise of Loki, and has brought ''Creatures (artificial life program)#Creatures Internet Edition / Creatures Gold, Creatures: Internet Edition'', ''Candy Cruncher'', ''Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, Majesty: Gold Edition'', ''NingPo MahJong'', ''Hyperspace Delivery Boy!'', ''Software Tycoon'', ''Postal², Postal²: Share The Pain'', ''Soul Ride'', ''X2: The Threat'', ''Gorky 17'', ''Cold War (computer game), Cold War'', ''Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom'', ''Ballistics (computer game), Ballistics'', ''X3: Reunion'', ''Jets'n'Guns'', ''Sacred (video game), Sacred: Gold'', ''Shadowgrounds'', and ''Shadowgrounds Survivor'' to Linux. Some of these games were ported for them by Gordon.
LGP-associated but freelance consultant Frank C. Earl is porting the game ''Caster'' to Linux and has released the first episodic game, episode and also developed the Linux version of ''Cortex Command'' being included in the second Humble Indie Bundle. He is also working towards other porting projects such as the entire ''Myth (series), Myth'' series. He is largely taking recommendations and he comments as part of the ''
Phoronix
Phoronix Test Suite (PTS) is a free and open-source benchmark software for Linux and other operating systems which is developed by Michael Larabel and Matthew Tippett.
The Phoronix Test Suite has been endorsed by sites such as Linux.com, LinuxP ...
'' community. icculus.org has ported beta releases for ''Medal of Honor: Allied Assault'' and ''Devastation (video game), Devastation'', versions of ''America's Army'', and the titles ''Prey (2006 video game), Prey'', ''
Aquaria'', ''
Braid
A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair.
The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...
'', ''Hammerfight'' and ''Cogs (video game), Cogs''.
The Germany, German publisher RuneSoft was founded in 2000. They ported the games ''Northland'',
''Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood'', ''Airline Tycoon Deluxe'', ''Ankh (video game), Ankh'', ''Ankh: Heart of Osiris'', ''Barkanoid 2'', and ''Jack Keane (video game), Jack Keane'' to Linux, as well as porting ''Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom'' and ''Software Tycoon'', for Linux Game Publishing. Hyperion Entertainment ported games to several systems, they have ported ''Shogo: Mobile Armor Division'' and ''SiN'' to Linux, as well as porting ''Gorky 17'' for Linux Game Publishing. Wyrmkeep Entertainment has brought the games ''The Labyrinth of Time'' and ''Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb'' to Linux. Alternative Games brought ''Trine (video game), Trine'' and ''Shadowgrounds'', and ''Shadowgrounds Survivor'' for Linux Game Publishing.
Aspyr Media released their first Linux port in June 2014, they claim they are porting to Linux due to Valve bringing out SteamOS. Aspyr Media later ported Borderlands 2 to Linux in September 2014.
Having ported games to Mac OS X since 1996, video game publisher Feral Interactive released ''
XCOM: Enemy Unknown'', its first game for Linux, in June 2014. Feral Interactive stated they port games to Linux thanks to SteamOS.
Other developers
Some id Software employees ported the ''Doom (series), Doom'' series, the ''
Quake'' series, ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'','' Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory'' and ''Enemy Territory: Quake Wars''. Some games published by GarageGames which have Linux versions include ''Bridge Builder'', ''Marble Blast Gold'', ''Gish (video game), Gish'', ''Tribal Trouble'', and ''Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion''.
MP Entertainment released ''Hopkins FBI'' and ''Crack dot com'' released'' Abuse'' for Linux, becoming one of the first developers to release a native port. ''Inner Worlds'', another early commercial Linux title, was released for and developed on Linux. Philos Laboratories released a Linux version of ''Theocracy (computer game), Theocracy'' on the retail disk. Absolutist has supported Linux for a number of years. GLAMUS GmbH released a Linux version of their game ''Mobility (computer game), Mobility''. Vicarious Visions ported the space-flight game Terminus (2000 video game), Terminus to Linux.
Lava Lord Games released their game ''Astro Battle'' for Linux. Xatrix Entertainment released a Linux version of ''Kingpin: Life of Crime''. BioWare released ''Neverwinter Nights (2002 video game), Neverwinter Nights'' for Linux.
Croteam
Croteam is a Croatian video game developer based in Zagreb. The company was established by Davor Hunski, Damir Perović, Roman Ribarić and Dean Sekulić, four former classmates, in late August 1992. Croteam is best known for ''Serious Sam'', a ...
released the ''Serious Sam'' series, with the first game ported by Gordon and with the second self-ported. Gordon also ported Epic Games' shooter games ''Unreal Tournament 2003'' and ''Unreal Tournament 2004''.
Revolution System Games released their game Decadence: Home Sweet Home through Steam only for Linux for a period of time after Mac or windows release.
On 12 October 2013 Lars Gustavsson, creative director at EA Digital Illusions CE, DICE, said to polygon.com
Commercial games for non-x86 instruction sets
Some companies ported games to Linux running on instruction sets other than x86, such as DEC Alpha, Alpha,
PowerPC
PowerPC (with the backronym Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC – Performance Computing, sometimes abbreviated as PPC) is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture (ISA) created by the 1991 Apple Inc., App ...
, Sparc, MIPS or ARM. Loki Entertainment Software ported ''Civilization: Call to Power'', ''Eric's Ultimate Solitaire'', ''Heroes of Might and Magic III'', ''Myth II: Soulblighter'', ''Railroad Tycoon II Gold Edition'' and ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' with Alien Crossfire expansion pack to Linux PowerPC. They also ported ''Civilization: Call to Power'', ''Eric's Ultimate Solitaire'', ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' with Alien Crossfire expansion pack to Linux Alpha and ''Civilization: Call to Power,'' ''Eric's Ultimate Solitaire'' to Linux SPARC. Linux Game Publishing published ''Candy Cruncher'', ''Majesty Gold'', ''NingPo MahJong'' and ''Soul Ride'' to Linux PowerPC. They also ported ''Candy Cruncher'', ''Soul Ride'' to Linux SPARC and ''Soul Ride'' to Linux Alpha. Illwinter Game Design ported ''Dominions: Priests'', ''Prophets & Pretenders'', ''Dominions II: The Ascension Wars'' and ''Dominions 3'' to Linux PowerPC and ''Conquest of Elysium 3'', ''Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension'' to Raspberry Pi. Hyperion Entertainment ported Sin to Linux PowerPC published by Titan Computer and Gorky 17 to Linux PowerPC which later was published by LGP. Runesoft hired Gunnar von Boehn which ported ''Robin Hood – The Legend of Sherwood'' to Linux PowerPC. Later Runesoft ported ''Airline Tycoon Deluxe'' to Raspberry Pi was running Debian GNU/Linux.
Source ports
![SimCity-Indigo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/SimCity-Indigo.gif)
Several developers have released the source code to many of their legacy titles, allowing them to be run as native applications on many alternative platforms, including Linux. Examples of games which were ported to Linux this way include ''Duke Nukem 3D'', ''Shadow Warrior'', ''Rise of the Triad'', ''Ken's Labyrinth'', ''Seven Kingdoms (video game), Seven Kingdoms'', ''
Warzone 2100
''Warzone 2100'' is an Open-source video game, open-source real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid PC game, computer game, originally developed by Pumpkin Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1999 fo ...
'', ''Homeworld'', ''Call to Power II'', ''Wolfenstein 3D'', ''Heretic (video game), Heretic'', ''Hexen: Beyond Heretic, Hexen'', ''Hexen II'', ''Aliens versus Predator (video game), Aliens versus Predator'', ''Descent (video game), Descent'', ''Descent II'' and ''Freespace 2''. Several game titles that were previously released for Linux were also able to be expanded or updated because of the availability of game code, including ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* ...
'', ''Abuse'', ''Quake'', ''Quake II'', ''Quake III Arena'' and ''Jagged Alliance 2''. Some derivatives based on released source code have also been released for Linux, such as ''Aleph One'' and ''Micropolis'' for ''Marathon 2: Durandal'' and ''SimCity'' respectively.
Certain game titles were even able to be ported due to availability of shared engine code even though the game's code itself remains proprietary or otherwise unavailable, such as the video game ''Strife: Quest for the Sigil, Strife'' or the multiplayer component of ''Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force''. Some games have even been ported entirely or partially by reverse engineering and game engine recreation such as ''WarCraft II'' through ''Wargus'' or ''Commander Keen''. Another trick is to attempt hacking the game to work as a Mod (computer gaming), mod on another native title, such as with the original ''Unreal (1998 video game), Unreal''. Additionally, some games can be run through the use of Linux specific runtime environments, such as the case of certain games made with Adventure Game Studio such as the ''Chzo Mythos'' or certain titles made with the
RPG Maker
RPG Maker, known in Japan as , is a series of programs for the development of role-playing video games (RPGs) with story-driven elements, created by the Japanese group ASCII, succeeded by Enterbrain. The Japanese name, ''Tsukūru'', is a pun mi ...
tool. Games derived from released code, with both free and proprietary media, that are released for Linux include ''
Urban Terror
''Urban Terror'' is a freeware multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by FrozenSand. Originally a total conversion of id Software's ''Quake III Arena'', FrozenSand released ''Urban Terror'' as a free standalone game in 2007 utiliz ...
'', ''OpenArena'', ''FreeDoom'', ''World of Padman'', ''
Nexuiz
''Nexuiz'' is a free first-person shooter video game developed and published by Alientrap. The game was released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and uses the DarkPlaces engine, a modified ''Quake'' engine. A remake, also called ''N ...
/
Xonotic
''Xonotic'' () is a free and open-source first-person shooter video game. It was developed as a fork of'' Nexuiz'', following controversy surrounding the game's development. The game runs on a heavily modified version of the Quake engine known a ...
'', ''Warsow (video game), War§ow'' and ''Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge''.
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games
![Wf - Ember client - gobling attacking the castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Wf_-_Ember_client_-_gobling_attacking_the_castle.jpg)
This is a selected list of MMORPGs that are native on Linux:
* ''A Tale in the Desert, A Tale in the Desert III'' (2003, eGenesis) – A trading and crafting game, set in ancient Egypt, pay-to-play.
* ''Crossfire (computer game), Crossfire'' (1992) – A medieval fantasy 2D game.
* ''Dofus'' (2005, Ankama Games) – A 2D fantasy MMORPG.
* ''PlaneShift (video game), PlaneShift'' – A free 3D fantasy game.
* ''Regnum Online'' – A 3D fantasy game, free-to-play with premium content.
* ''RuneScape'' – Java virtual machine, Java fantasy 3rd person MMORPG.
* ''Salem (video game), Salem'' – An isometric, 3D fantasy game with a focus on crafting and Permanent death, permadeath.
* ''Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, Shroud of the Avatar'' – An isometric, 3D fantasy game and the spiritual successor to ''
Ultima Online
''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems.
Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat system. ...
''.
* ''Spiral Knights'' – Java virtual machine, Java fantasy 3rd person game.
* ''The Saga of Ryzom'' – has a Linux client and source code available.
* ''Tibia (computer game), Tibia'' – A 2D Medieval fantasy MMORPG game. Free-to-play with premium content. One of the oldest MMORPG, created January 1997. With Official Linux client.
* ''
Ultima Online
''Ultima Online'' (''UO'') is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released on September 24, 1997 by Origin Systems.
Set in the '' Ultima'' universe, it is known for its extensive player versus player combat system. ...
'' has an unofficial Linux client.
* ''Vendetta Online'' – A 3D spacecraft MMOFPS with growing RPG elements, pay to play. Maintains both Linux/32 and Linux/64 clients.
* ''WorldForge'' – A
game engine
A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
. There are Linux clients available.
* ''Wyvern (Online Game), Wyvern'' – A 2D fantasy MMORPG that runs on Java virtual machine, Java.
* ''Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates'' – A puzzle game which runs on Java virtual machine, Java.
* Many Virtual Worlds – (such as Second Life) also have Linux clients.
Types of Linux gaming
Libre gaming
Libre gaming is a form of Linux gaming that emphasizes Free software, libre software.
See also
* Directories and lists
** Free Software Directory
** List of emulators
** List of open source games
** List of video game console emulators
* Linux gaming software
** Direct3D#Alternative implementations, Direct3D (alternative implementation)
** Lutris
** Proton (software)
** Steam (service)
** Vulkan (API)
** Wine (software)
* Other articles
** Linux for PlayStation 2
** Sega Lindbergh
References
{{Linux
Gaming
Linux games,
Video game development software for Linux,
Video game platforms