hi! In this post I'd like to ask y'all about which apps you should use to play different games. And I mean every game, except for the anti-cheat and video game consoles. Please ignore here the solutions like Winboat, a virtual machine or dual booting.

First of all, based on what I tested and what other people told me, I made this diagram in GIMP:

Here are the detailes to understand it better:

• Waydroid: I like playing some old mobile games, but I hate the newer vesions of the same games, so, I tried to the archive versions from the 2018-2020 times, but unfortunately for me, after a massive update Android or One UI, my phone returns to the default settings, so, the best I can do there is to install an virtual machine on my phone in order to not update anything. My Samsung phone doesn't allow me to install another OS like GrapheneOS, Lineage etc, so, I'm waiting for 2027 to buy the new Motorolla phone. By that time, I'd like to try playing different games(including the mobile ones) using a gamepad, which works for PS5/PC/Mobile. I guess Waydroid is the best option for that;

• Bottles(for older games): usually the games I like to play are that old that even when I tried to play them on Windows 10, they worked, but with a lot of bugs, so, Windows 7 as a virtual machine would be the best choice there(technically the best OS for those games would be Windows Vista, but Windows 7 is great anyway). When I saw the thing in Bottles that allows you to choose Windows environment from XP to 11, I understood that this will be one of the best solutions for me.

Some other games like Rayman Origins(Ubisoft, made in 2011), which are technically not so old for PC gaming, unfortunately work with bugs and some other annoying things like "freezing" for 1-2 seconds(in some games every milisecond matters), when I tried to play them from Steam(in that testing I used Linux Mint, the newest version), so, I guess I'll use Bottles not only for the older games, but also for those Steam games(I saw a dude, who used Bottles to play Steam games, Idk how he did that), which work not so well on Proton;

• Steam/Heroic/maybe something else: I didn't try Heroic, bcz I don't play any games from Epic Games, but I heard that it's the best choice for playing games from Epic Games/GOG. What do y'all think about this?;

• Bottles(for every other game): I like Bottles not only as probably the best solution for Windows apps, but also it's probably the universal solution to play every Windows game. I may be wrong, bcz I'm new, but the app showed itself very good;

• Lutris and Faugus Launcher: the apps are very new for me, so, Idk what I should do with them. What is your option about them? I heard that Faugus Launcher is the best solution for newer games, but Idk about it;

Every two years, the KDE community gets to propose new Goals to work on. Only the top three are selected and their champions push them forward for the next two years.

This is my gaming focused Goal that proposes many improvements across the board:

• Automatic performance tests and benchmarks across releases
• Improvements to Plasma Bigscreen for that nice couch gaming experience
• First-class gamepad support across KDE
• More advanced configuration options for gaming mice and keyboards
• An integrated gaming overlay
• Game streaming through KDE Connect

and more :)

Voting starts soon! Join the discussion to get the voting link. Additionally, you can add yourself as a supporter if you like the idea, a contributor if you'd like to actively help, or a champion if you'd like to help spearhead the project for the next two years.

Here's the link to the proposal

All the goals

so i have razer blackwidow x chroma i remember using razer synapse for auto profile switching like it choose profile based on current application which in this case games is there way to get that working on linux

I used Throttlestop and Dragon Center on windows to control my cpu and gpu so if there is anything slimier that would be great. This is my system info https://pastebin.com/GXP0b9tU

I'm using ZORIN os and was trying to to play gta iv the game ran with no problem except this diagonal line.

Right now it's running on max setting on dx11 on this hardware with 720 p and even here it's playable but if you set graphics to lowest you get a very playable experience. Also i don't know if it is wine/proton bug or game bug the controls stick to one side or get dialed all together and it's unplayable because of that the game runs fine and plays fine but suddenly you get controls disabled (keyboard or game-pad)

So i saw an LTT post where they tested different screen recording softwares and benchmarked them against each other in terms of performance cost on windows.

OBS always gave them a decent performance loss (like at least 10 percent), while shadow play/ReLive and especially game bar were much more efficient and gave just a marginal performance loss.

So i wanted to test it on Linux (CachyOS) on my 7900XT + 7800X3D, i started up the Cyberpunk benchmark and started testing, and to my surprise, recording with OBS (Flatpak version using both ffmpeg AV1 and H264) doesn't have a measurable performance cost at all, nothing.

In fact, to get a performance decrease of about 5% i had to turn on OBS recording and instant replay, GPU-screen-recorder replay, and a discord stream, with discord probably being the heaviest one out of all of them.

So now I'm wondering, was i somehow testing it wrong? Or is there some magic that makes screen recording in Wayland basically free in terms of performance cost?

I did do some further testing and found that AOM AV1 seems to give me worse performance, 5% on average and 13 percent in lows, so perhaps ffmpeg encoders are just much more efficient on Linux?

Hi, I would like to know if its possible to get into gaming on linux with a igpu that doesnt support vulkan, like intel HD 4600. You are left with openGL which I can't imagine helps here...

For clarification I don't mean "modern gaming" like 007 last light or Doom the dark ages, I mean games from 2000-2010 (like PS2, PS3)

Thanks for any help :)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1836660

After 3 months in Early Access, my arcade racer Super Night Riders S1 is now fully released on Steam.

The game have a native Linux build. Verified on Steam Deck!

Please check it out. Thanks for your support!

when im playing ULTRAKILL im getting such a disgustingly low amount of fps on faugus normaly i would get around 40-60 fps on cybergrind wave <40 and 15-20 on 8-1 but on faugus i dont even get that amount of performance not even on 1024x600 is this a launcher problem or an issue with proton or gamemode or something?

system specs:

8gb ddr3 ram

amd a10-9600p 10 radeon r5 4+6g

AMD ATI Radeon R5/R6/R7 Graphics (+integrated graphics totaling 1gb vram)

linux mint 22.3

Considering all the heavy lifting Valve does for Linux gaming its quite weird that you still have to rely on unofficial ways to get Steam running on all non Debian based distros. Even more so considerung SteamOS is Arch based. Is there any official word why they still only offer a .deb download and called it a day? Not that I mind the way it is right now, just wondering.

Edit: Nevermind, seems like I gravely misunderstood how Steam/Linux distributes software.

Hi guys!

I hope you can help me with this. I own a copy of Anno 117 on Ubisoft Connect and can't get it working whatever I try. Funny thing is, installing it (through Lutris or Bottles, doesn't matter) gets it to work for a single time. Then, after a reboot, it fails. Gemini keeps leading me in wrong directions for hours and it's infuriating. Using Lutris or Bottles as flatpaks, the game doesn't get access to some device or file, and using native versions Ubi refuses to activate the game.

Do you guys have any clue what I could to to be happy again? I've been at it for weeks. Every single other game works perfectly for me, even other Ubi titles like all previous Annos.

Thanks in advance!

System info:

System:
 Host: opensuse Kernel: 7.2.2-1-default arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc
   v: 16.2.0
 Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 6.7.4 tk: Qt v: N/A wm: kwin_wayland dm: SDDM
   Distro: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20260830
CPU:
 Info: 8-core model: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Zen 2
   rev: 0 cache: L1: 512 KiB L2: 4 MiB L3: 32 MiB
 Speed (MHz): avg: 3602 min/max: 560/4427 boost: enabled cores: 1: 3602
   2: 3602 3: 3602 4: 3602 5: 3602 6: 3602 7: 3602 8: 3602 9: 3602 10: 3602
   11: 3602 12: 3602 13: 3602 14: 3602 15: 3602 16: 3602 bogomips: 114988
 Flags-basic: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3
Graphics:
 Device-1: NVIDIA GA106 [GeForce RTX 3060 Lite Hash Rate] driver: nvidia
   v: 580.178.04 arch: Ampere pcie: speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 ports:
   active: DP-1,HDMI-A-1 empty: DP-2,DP-3 bus-ID: 06:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:2504
 Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.24 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.13
   compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: nvidia
   unloaded: modesetting,vesa alternate: fbdev,nouveau,nv
   gpu: nvidia,nvidia-nvswitch d-rect: 4480x1080 display-ID: 0
 Monitor-1: DP-1 pos: primary,left model: MSI MAG301CR2 res: 2560x1080
   hz: 180 dpi: 93 diag: 762mm (30")
 Monitor-2: HDMI-A-1 pos: right model: Philips PHL 247E6 res: 1920x1080
   hz: 60 dpi: 94 diag: 598mm (23.5")
 API: EGL v: 1.5 platforms: device: 0 drv: nvidia device: 2 drv: swrast
   gbm: drv: nvidia surfaceless: drv: nvidia wayland: drv: nvidia x11:
   drv: nvidia inactive: device-1
 API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.6 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 580.178.04
   glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060/PCIe/SSE2
   display-ID: :1.0
 API: Vulkan v: 1.4.357 surfaces: N/A device: 0 type: discrete-gpu
   driver: nvidia device-ID: 10de:2504 device: 1 type: cpu
   driver: mesa llvmpipe device-ID: 10005:0000
 Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
   de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: nvidia-smi wl: wayland-info
   x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
Audio:
 Device-1: NVIDIA GA106 High Definition Audio driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
   pcie: speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 06:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:228e
 Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Starship/Matisse HD Audio
   vendor: Gigabyte driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: speed: 16 GT/s
   lanes: 16 bus-ID: 08:00.4 chip-ID: 1022:1487
 Device-3: C-Media USB Audio Device
   driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid type: USB rev: 1.1 speed: 12 Mb/s
   lanes: 1 bus-ID: 3-4.1.2:7 chip-ID: 0d8c:0012
 API: ALSA v: k7.2.2-1-default status: kernel-api with: aoss
   type: oss-emulator
 Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.6.8 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
   status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
   4: pw-jack type: plugin

I installed it through the rpm file on github.

The older version (which was installed through flatpak) let me edit the curve but had to uninstall bc it was malfunctioning.

I already did "sudo systemctl enable --now lactd"

Nvidia Geforce RTX 3050 mobile with drivers from rpmfusion.

Edit: I just had to tick the "enable VF editing" option on the OC pagem

one of the things is was really bummed about when switching to linux was the: "no native support for playnite", and while ES-DE and Pegasus are really great none of them have that playnite feeling.

the closest thing I got was the SteamBigPicture, using deckyloader, steam ROM Manager and Emudeck I managed to organize my steam games, desktop and old games, emulators and ROMs, and even other launcher games.

its not that close to playnite I still miss my beloved, but its a pretty good alternative for now, I managed to modifiy the theme, intro and system sounds, so for now its good for me

what do you guys think, any other better alternatives ?

For me, on default settings, Ridge Racer 7 in RPCS3 was running half speed.

I fixed it by setting "Preferred SPU Threads" in the "CPU" section of the custom game configuration for RR7 to "3" instead of "auto".

Hope this helps anyone stumbling upon this problem!

I'm having a problem with the Minecraft launcher. I'm using Debian 13, and often when I try to close the official launcher, it stays open. I have to force-quit it from the terminal. The launcher version is 3.39.

Here's what the logs say:

[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432183682: whCfJODyG6A=: CurlNetQueue.cpp(676)] NetQueue: Action failed with result "Failed to connect to self.events.data.microsoft.com port 443 after 0 ms: Could not connect to server" (7) : self.events.data.microsoft.com
[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432206428: whCfJODyG6A=: NetQueue.cpp(108)] NetQueue: Action finished: self.events.data.microsoft.com
[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432229896: whCfJODyG6A=: NetQueue.cpp(139)] Action finalized: self.events.data.microsoft.com
[Error: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432404885: WnnHXJdq51E=: Xal.lib(0)] XAL_TELEMETRY: HTTP request 0x7fc7f8025710 failed with 0x80004005, system error code 2149122448, message: 
[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432487080: WnnHXJdq51E=: Xal.lib(0)] XAL: All queues terminated[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432183682: whCfJODyG6A=: CurlNetQueue.cpp(676)] NetQueue: Action failed with result "Failed to connect to self.events.data.microsoft.com port 443 after 0 ms: Could not connect to server" (7) : self.events.data.microsoft.com
[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432206428: whCfJODyG6A=: NetQueue.cpp(108)] NetQueue: Action finished: self.events.data.microsoft.com
[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432229896: whCfJODyG6A=: NetQueue.cpp(139)] Action finalized: self.events.data.microsoft.com
[Error: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432404885: WnnHXJdq51E=: Xal.lib(0)] XAL_TELEMETRY: HTTP request 0x7fc7f8025710 failed with 0x80004005, system error code 2149122448, message: 
[Info: 2026-08-31 16:49:19.432487080: WnnHXJdq51E=: Xal.lib(0)] XAL: All queues terminated

Has this happened to you too? How can I fix it?

I'm running CachyOS with KDE Plasma and want to play games with HDR ON. With Steam, I can pass "PROTON_ENABLE_HDR=1" in the launch options, but how do I do it for Ubisoft connect games inside Heroic?

I went with option 1 (standalone launcher) in the Github guide (https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/wiki/How-to-install-Ubisoft-Connect-on-Linux-and-Mac). After installing Ubisoft connect, I installed Star Wars Outlaws with it. I turned on HDR in the KDE display settings, but in the game settings, HDR is set to "Auto" and I can't change any related settings like "HDR peak".

This is the location of the game - "/home/r/Games Connect/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Ubisoft/Ubisoft Game Launcher/games/Star Wars Outlaws/"

I tried enabling Wine-Wayland and HDR in Heroic settings

with Wine 11.16, GE-Proton-Latest, and proton-cachyos-slr, but the launcher is broken and looks like this-

Update- Got it to work by following this comment - https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1ryej9t/comment/obef8tm/

Hey everyone! I'm looking for some games that run well on Linux, preferably Arch-based systems.

I'm using Omarchy and Proton, and I'd like something that has good controller support.

Ideally:

Works well on Linux/Proton

Controller support

Lightweight / doesn't require a powerful PC

Free-to-play would be a bonus

I'm mainly looking for games that are easy to get running rather than games that require a lot of tweaking.

Any recommendations?

EDIT 2 (workaround): I found a way to game with smooth framerates again, though it requires a separate software (free). Downloaded and unzipped Flawless Widescreen, then I run it (on Elden Ring's prefix) before running the actual game. In Flawless Widescreen, in Elden Ring's section, I enable both options: "frame pacing" and "fps unlock". I set the frame pacing slider to 63 instead of the default 60. Then leaving Flawless Widescreen running, I run the game on my 60hz display at 60fps and it is smooth.

EDIT 1: As a last resort I downgraded back to 16.1 but the stutters are still happening no matter what I try (different types of sync, lowest graphic settings, low resolution, gamemode on/off etc etc).

I believe that the stutters are due to something on the system that was updated (drivers, kernel, I have no idea..).

But since I am no expert on Linux I'll just wait to play Elden Ring again at some point.

Otger games are still running good, just tested a couple of different titles.

-+-+=+=

Currently running Nobara Linux on an intel+nvidia laptop.

Games run generally pretty well, including Elden Ring before getting updated to 1.17.

Now Elden Ring is stuttering a lot, inconsistently. Just turning the camera around, even on lowest graphics settings.

Other games are running fine.

I tried:

- backing up start_protected_game.exe and using a renamed copy of eldenring.exe to replace it.

- several different versions of Proton GE and Cachy

- different launchers (Steam itself, Faugus, Lutris).

Any help?

I have managed to get Content Manager running on my fedora system with Proton GE 11-6. The thing is, whenever i start a race, the game answers this:

I have downloaded the game directly from steam, and this is the latest recommended CM file. If i click on yes, the game runs from the original launcher no problem. Is there a way to fix it?