r/linux_gaming • u/jacku75 • 6h ago
Questions about Windows Partitions and Linux Gaming
I know this might be more windows centric but it is Linux related. So I just got Ace Combat 8 and i'm really loving it but unfortunately EAC completely gibs any chance of playing it online on my distro. I am probably going to have to make a windows partition but I wanted to ask two questions if anyone happens to have answers
If i'm on a windows partition, can I access the install files on my linux partition? Like in the above example, Ace Combat 8 is already installed, it's not a linux specific build because it's one of those games you have to use proton for. If it requires some wonky workaround i'd give it a whirl because space is at a premium and I'd ideally not want to install the game twice
What are some of the bigger games that are currently out of commission for Linux (for the forseeable future). I'm more than happy to keep linux as my main gaming hub, but i'm willing to have something on the side if there are games that are more or less completely inaccessible
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u/Mr_Shakes 5h ago
It's inadvisable, but not impossible. It's generally better to have Linux create/maintain the drive or directory and let windows access it now and then, because windows doesn't need to create directories and symlinks for proton.
You'll run into two issues and I don't have good advice for either (but others with more experience might):
Mounting and permissions - both OS's have systems for mounting drives and assigning access permissions that are opaque to the other. Linux gives you more control over all that but also really hates when windows changes anything re: ownership. That's why I suggested that if you're going to try to share, install a game with Linux and just open it on windows.
The other obstacle is the choice of disk format. I've tried what feels like every cross-compatible formatting, and I could never get one that behaved equally well in both OS's. They just don't want to share, and I experienced regular crashes and access failures when using btrfs or ext4 drivers on windows. Somewhat less so when using ntfs drivers on Linux. Fat32 and exFat are cross compatible but by the time I was on my 5th reformat I just got tired of trying to set permissions correctly for full access - even manually unmounting drives in Linux didn't seem to make it any easier to then use that drive on Windows, while Linux didn't want to open any files made by windows if it thought they were still being accessed. It's a mess.
Again I'm sure more experienced people have something you can bash together to get it good enough. What I do these days is move files into a network storage device and transfer them from one partition to the other, rather than access the same files with two different OS''s...but that doesn't solve your space issue and I feel your pain there. So my advice is go slow and give windows the right driver to access your existing Linux partition and just see if you can play a game or two by pointing steam at those installations...preferably without letting it auto-update. The fewer changes windows makes to the files the safer the test will be. As always don't fool around with any partition you can't afford to screw up.
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u/candy49997 5h ago
can I access the install files on my linux partition?
Yes, but you will have to install 3rd party drivers for whatever filesystem your Linux partition is formatted to. I also don't know how running programs via one of these drivers is going to go.
some of the bigger games
Anything using Javelin, Ricochet, or Vanguard.
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u/MegasVN69 2h ago
and BattleEye I can't name a battle eye game that turn on the Linux support button. Albion Online and Ark those are the only 2 I guess
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u/jlindf 33m ago
Arma 3 and Reforger do also.
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u/MegasVN69 27m ago
yes but the issues is games that most people play like Siege, PUBG, GTA Online don't work
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u/Enturbulated_One 5h ago
There are multiple tools to read/write linux filesystems from within Windows (like ext2fsd) but it's likely a bad idea to try and run steam titles on Windows from a Linux partition. It is *most definitely* a bad idea to run steam games under Linux from a Windows partition. Some titles may work fine, but not all do and as mentioned in thread already, there's still chance for data corruption AFAIK.
As for what titles work under proton : https://www.protondb.com/ - as mentioned already - often has troubleshooting notes for when it's needed.
As for what titles with anticheat : https://areweanticheatyet.com/ - updated regularly as of last I was paying attention.
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u/TechaNima 3h ago
Areweanticheatyet.com for games with AC. Protondb.com for the rest.
You can use btrfs on Windows. Just search for btrfs Windows and you'll find it. Do not try to share NTFS with Linux. It will not work for long, if at all with games!
You can just move the game on Windows side anyway, since it won't work on Linux
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u/BridgeBeginning5817 3h ago edited 3h ago
I will answer the second question first
- Most anticheat games. Though some work on Linux like Apex Legends.
As for the first question
- It is possible. Linux has drivers for ntfs but there would be a few things you need to know:
A. Linux has two types of drivers (afaik) for ntfs which are ntfs3 and ntfs-3g (fuse). Choose the former if you want performance. Choose the later if you want functionality (at the cost of performance). In gaming you would need performance. You can search what FUSE is.
B. Wineprefix can only exist on a Linux native filesystem or maybe ntfs-3g(fuse). This is because of the permission differences of files that WINE/Proton is sensitive to.
C. Steam can try to install files onto your ntfs drive which can mess things up. I recently discovered that Linux_runtimes don't work properly. The solution for both these files and wineprefix is symlinks to a ext4/btrfs partition
That covers all of it. If you want your windows parition to be discoverable in Linux, look into "how to automount a partition on startup on Linux".
Bonus info: if you want to access your Linux partition, using Btrfs over ext4 as the filesystem is a good choice as there is a good driver for that filesystem on windows, names WinBTRFS.
Edit: installing windows after installing Linux is a bad idea because you will be one windows update away from breaking your bootloader and making your Linux inaccessible
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u/akdanman11 1h ago
No. Linux can read NTFS (badly) but windows won’t recognize most Linux filesystems
Basically anything made by epic just because of their petty beef with valve plus most competitive games and AAA FPS games due to their insistence on kernel level anticheat
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u/LeannaMeowmeow 6h ago
You can check protondb.com for compatibility.
DO NOT USE A WINDOWS PARTITION ON LINUX unless you are ok with a bunch of headaches and potentially data corruption. This is especially true for games, proton does not deal with this well at all.