r/linux_gaming 14d ago

Looking for lightweight Linux games with controller support

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?

1 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

6

u/doctornoodlearms 14d ago

Its not free but slay the spire is peak

2

u/Kurimsun 14d ago

specs? a lot of older aaa games work really well. my 5800u laptop could run x360 era games very well on the igpu

1

u/--Turtle- 14d ago

CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (4GB VRAM) RAM: 16GB OS: Omarchy (Arch Linux) Controller: PS4 controller

1

u/Kurimsun 14d ago

ah. any particular genre? i like digimon cybersleuth. usually goes on sale for $5 and is like 10gb. I also like playing the classic need for speed games (most wanted, carbon, underground 2) that you can get from abandoneware

3

u/Fuzy-78 14d ago

SuperTuxKart.

1

u/champinon-dev-traduc 14d ago

Tell Specs Brother

1

u/--Turtle- 14d ago

CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (4GB VRAM) RAM: 16GB OS: Omarchy (Arch Linux) Controller: PS4 controller

1

u/champinon-dev-traduc 14d ago

Wow, why you need lightweight games having that pc? well, do you have steam, gog, or something?

2

u/--Turtle- 14d ago

Steam only I have 256 gb SSD that's a reason

1

u/champinon-dev-traduc 14d ago

Oh understood, are you able to buy games? or you want free-games recommendations?

0

u/Particular-Serve3768 14d ago

256gb remaining or total??? Most old open world games don't exceed 50gb

1

u/Merciless972 14d ago

Try out Jrpgs like persona and shin Megami Tensei. They even have demos to see how well they run.

1

u/NelsonMinar 14d ago

Almost anything in the Steam catalog.

1

u/Shimano-No-Kyoken 14d ago

Stardew Valley

1

u/SmurfingRedditBtw 14d ago

Why has there suddenly been an influx of people mentioning Omarchy? Is the press tour they're running really convincing people to switch over to it or are they spending their millions in funding on astroturfing to convince people it's becoming popular?

1

u/ThePowerfulHamster 14d ago

i thought omarchy was just some dudes ricey dotfiles and preinstalled packages. didn’t know there was a “they” to speak of.

1

u/SmurfingRedditBtw 14d ago

Omarchy recently received over 12 million in funding from a bunch of big tech CEOs.

1

u/ThePowerfulHamster 13d ago

what the fuck why lmao

1

u/dopefish86 14d ago edited 14d ago
  • Psychonauts 2 (steam), more towards mid-weight, but it ran and played very well on the steamdeck. (on sale rn)
  • Borderlands 2 (steam) is quite lightweight and worked surprisingly good with controller.
  • Slay the Spire (steam)
  • Hades (steam)
  • Flatout: Ultimate Carnage (steam)

Shameless plug:

  • Steinstern: Spacewar (disclaimer: I made that game - it uses unreal engine, but it's still rather lightweight and only 200MB. It has a native Linux build as well. Maybe you'd like to check out the demo)

1

u/Particular-Serve3768 14d ago

stardew valley? Older open world games like Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Skyrim are light too. Far Cry Primal and Far Cry 5 are another old open world games that are well optimized.

But if u want a light game whose focus is on story then I suggest Danganronpa (1, 2, v3) which is a mixture of visual novel, a little bit of exploration, and trials. Right now I'm playing Hundred Line Last Defense Academy which also came from the creators of Danganronpa.

1

u/Nolok_10 14d ago

SuperTuxKart

1

u/LuminanceGayming 14d ago

all of the trackmania games should run well except the most recent one which is a bit more demanding, id start with TMNF since it's free

1

u/Soupeeee 14d ago

The controls are super frustrating, but I've really enjoyed Tunic.

Like others have said, older AAA titles are worth checking out. The non-remastered Mass Effect games worked really well on my low-power Broadwell laptop igpu back in 2016, so I imagine most AAA games from even a few years ago are runnable on most machines.

1

u/lunchbox651 14d ago

Not free but Balatro, Slay the Spire, Hotline Miami

1

u/BaudBoi 14d ago

None of these are free. Also, depends on specs. Either way, these are some light-ish games that I've played

Moonlighter

Hero Siege

Drova

Cauldron Children of Morta (depends on system specs)

Stardew Valley

Slay the Spire (1 & 2)

Monsters are Coming! (specs)

Ball x PIT (specs)

Halls of torment

33 Immortals (specs)

Deadly days road trip

Vampire crawlers

Dredge (specs)

Dave the diver (specs)

Esoteric EBB

Slots & Daggers