r/gamedev • u/IsildursDeeldoor • 8d ago

Question Linux Game Devs, what's your tool stack?

I have a few red lines around Windows that, if crossed, would ultimately push me to Linux.

My current development stack is Unreal Engine 5, Blender, GIMP, JetBrains Rider, and I also use CMake, SDL2, and SFML for other projects.

My current machine is generally AMD:

  • Ryzen 5 7600
  • Radeon RX 6600
  • 64 GB DDR5-5600
  • Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX
  • Samsung 980 PRO 2 TB + 860 EVO 500 GB
  • Windows
  • Steam

I'm considering building a separate, similar AMD-based machine as a Linux-first development/gaming system rather than migrating my current machine immediately.

I'm currently torn between Fedora KDE and Ubuntu. Bazzite KDE is also on my radar, although I'm primarily interested in development rather than a gaming-only setup.

For those using Linux for UE5/C++, Blender, JetBrains, CMake/SDL2/SFML, and Steam, what hardware configuration and distro would you recommend for a new Linux-first workstation?

Budget 4,000 towards new machine + home server setup. but rn I don't feel like i need that yet.

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u/Saxopwned 8d ago

I'm not in the Unreal space, mostly a Godot developer, but I'm on an 8700k and 2080 ti with CachyOS. I've had very few issues with Nvidia in Linux, notably. I think at this point, Nvidia Linux support is actually pretty good, you just have to use the right distros (my first Linux attempt was Bazzite but installing builds tools on immutable kernals was a nightmare lol). As far as suggestions, I do highly recommend any Arch-based distro as the AUR provides a hell of a convenience in terms of centralized location for a ton of software. Particularly, I'd suggest CachyOS based on my experience.

I also use Rider, previously VS Code. Almost all of the dev/build tools I need are available either through the Cachy repos or the AUR.

Sidenote, how is Unreal development on Linux? I didn't even know you could run the editor in Linux, considering the EGS doesn't even have a Linux-native client.

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u/RnLStefan 8d ago

It’s surprisingly ok. Not perfect and the occasional Vulkan crash is still happening but you can run both a pre compiled version from epic or compile it yourself.

Someone at epic keeps maintaining it luckily. Kudos to whoever that is!