When you think of Linux, you probably think of open source software and security, but not gaming. Most people think if you are into gaming, Windows is your only option. A few years ago this might have been the case but not anymore.
So, if you are a Linux power user, or just prefer Linux, here are a few of your options for playing games on your Linux box.
I was very surprised to see how many games there were for Linux. These are games that have a Linux version, no emulation or trickery involved. Of course there are the standard games provided by Gnome and KDE when you installed your distro. However, these are mostly just card, arcade, and board games. These are great but sometimes you want something new and exciting. Here are some native Linux games you should check out:
1) Neverball is a puzzle game where you use the mouse and/or keyboard to tilt the floor in order to move a ball around and collect coins. You have to collect a certain number of coins to move onto the next level. Since there are 75 levels, you won’t beat this game in one sitting. For more information on Neverball, click here.
2) Frets on Fire is a remake of Guitar Hero where you use your keyboard as a guitar. If you already have Rock Band or Guitar Hero for your game console, you can even use those guitars (USB versions) instead of the keyboard. One of the best features of this game is you can create your own songs to play or edit your current ones. So, if you find yourself saying, “Why isn’t that song on here?”, you can add it yourself or come up with your own tune. There’s also a huge song list you can download, and most (if not all) are free.
3) FlightGear is a flight simulator, similar to Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X, with 20,000 real world airports. FlightGear is known for its accurate runway locations and markings. The scenery in this game is so realistic, you feel as if you are looking out of the window of an actual cockpit. Being able to fly numerous aircrafts is one of the best features. For more information click here.
Of course these aren’t the only three games for Linux. In fact, there are SO MANY great games designed for Linux, we could not cover all of them. The above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the different types of games available. Here are a list of sites where you can find more games designed for Linux. If we left any out, please post them in the comments for others to enjoy!
linuX-gamers.net - click a download category to see the games available (Free&GPL Games is a great place to start)
The Linux Gamers’ Game List - a lot of these are free games but some are commercial.
Loads of Linux Links - another great list of top games with a brief description of each.
LiNUXLiNKS.com - 42 of the Best Free Linux Games, Part 1 and Part 2
Wikipedia - List of open source games
Rangit.com - Top 25 Linux Games
There are even Linux distributions that are specifically designed for gaming such as Fedora Games Spin and Ubuntu Ultimate Gamers Edition.
1) Wine (free) is a “compatibility layer for running Windows programs.” Wine is made up of a bunch of open source code that replaces the Windows API but does not require Windows at all. Basically, it [Wine] is used to fool an application or game into thinking that you are running Windows.
Wine is getting better and better with each new release. Some applications/games work so well you forget you are running Linux, while other applications/games will not work at all. For a list of compatible applications, check out Wine HQ. Here is a list of applications sorted by compatibility rating.
2) Cedega (pay per month) is a upgraded version of Wine (that’s why you pay for it) that has improved directX support. For those of you who do not know what directX is, it is a bunch of code Microsoft uses in their games. Therefore, improved directX support allows for Windows games to play better (in Linux).
If you miss playing your old Nintendo64 or Playstation games, you are in luck. There are all kinds of emulators available for these gaming consoles. Once you have the emulator installed you need to download the games (ROMS). There are many sites which allow you to download these ROMS. To find such sites, simply Google the name of the game and add ‘ROM’ at the end of it. You will be surprised how many games from the good old days are available for download. I still enjoy playing the N64 Mario Kart.
For the latest news in Linux gaming, check out LINUXGAMES.
How do you play games in Linux? What games do you play? Let us know in the comments!!!
(By) Michael & Eric are two college students who are spending their summer working, and relaxing. When they aren’t stumbling or tweaking their own computers, they enjoy relaxing and working on their blog WLM (Windows, Linux, Mac) Tips
Filed Under: Games ¦ Linux ¦ Lists of tools
Tags: games, Linux
Also add the list of commercial games at Linuxgamingworld.com
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And don’t forget: you can use an Xplorer 360 with Frets on Fire! I do.
Neverball and Frets on Fire have Windows versions available. FoF has an OSX version too. It’s Python, so there’s not much to do to port it
@ eagle
Thanks for the update! I was focused on the free games and forgot to mention the commercial games.
@ Mackenzie
The game console guitars make playing FoF even better! Still a pretty cool idea to use the keyboard though.
You are right about Neverball and FoF having Windows versions as well as Linux versions. FlightGear is the same way. It is a cross platform game.
No mention of Tremulous? Has windows and linux versions, and runs well on every machine I’ve used it on
http://tremulous.net/
I’m a Mint devotee now (on my laptop anyhow)…Tops on their software portal:
Open Arena: Excellent FPS
Warzone 2100: 3d RTS
Boson: another RTS
FreeCiv: Open Source Civ clone
Mint has a lot of one-click games available on their software site. Check ‘em out!
the keyword is _few_ and that’s the problem people who play games for real (Not just every now and then) have a bigger chance of buying games powerful enough to be able to play the latest games, and by using linux with wine it’s still a little bit limiting…
another thing is that linux is not optimized for gaming in some cases games can run faster but in others they can run much slower… it’s not a perfect platform for games yet.
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I mean I love Linux and use it exclusively (no M$ at all in my house, on principal) but I have yet to come across a really good native Linux game - most of them are about 10 years in the past. I mean, no one would even dream of blogging about Windows games that are on the level as the three games you mentioned here…
try urban terror - CS clone type 3d shooter, native on linux, free but not open source
http://www.urbanterror.net
[...] Introduction to Linux Gaming (makeuseof.com) If you are a Linux power user, or just prefer Linux, here are a few of your options for playing games on your Linux box. [...]
freeciv is quality
[...] are an important mention here because although the Linux games are catching up and going 3D and stuff, one would have to admit that there are a larger number of games for Windows [...]