Experience: I have a bit of experience with Linux. I started around 2008, distro-hopped weekly, decided on Debian until around 2011, when I switched to Windows as I started getting interested in gaming. Tried switching back around 2015, this time using Arch Linux for about a month, but had some bad experiences with gaming and switched back to Windows. I have had a Debian and Arch VM in Virtual Box since then for testing different applications and a more coherent environment to work with servers.
Understanding: Which brings me to now, I am really interested in using Linux for gaming, I know there is Proton from Valve and that they have been really pushing Linux gaming forward with it.
Thoughts: I have been contemplating dual booting by installing Debian to an SSD and simply using the UEFI boot menu to choose instead of having to install to the EFI of Windows.
I guess, I should just do it, as it won’t affect my Windows installation, and I could test different games and if all works well, move over. This would also allow me to try different distributions, though my heart is for Debian, I even like Debian Unstable.
Note: I am sorry for the wall of text, I am just kind of anxious I guess.
There’s never a bad time to switch to Linux! The best time may have already passed, but the second best time is now!
I believe your last Linux experience in 2015 predates DXVK which has been transformative for Linux gaming. Wine used to have to implement its own DirectX replacement which necessarily lagged behind Microsoft’s implementation, and IIUC didn’t get the same level of hardware acceleration due to missing out on DirectX acceleration built into graphics cards.
Now DXVK acts as a compatibility bridge between DirectX and Vulkan. Vulkan is cross-platform, does generally the same stuff that DirectX does, and graphics cards have hardware acceleration for Vulkan calls the same way they do for DirectX calls. So game performance on Linux typically meets or exceeds performance on Windows, and you can play games using the latest DirectX version without waiting for some poor dev to reimplement it.
If you are using Steam with Proton, Lutris, or really any Wine gaming these days you are using DXVK. It’s easy to take for granted. But I remember the night-and-day difference it made.
Once you get it set up, all the anxiety goes away.
Back your shit up, and do it. Games that can’t be played on Linux at all are decreasing. A dual boot setup solves that problem entirely.
Yeah, proton can take a bit to get set up and running, but there’s plenty of help for it out there with a search. And, again, you’ll still have the dual boot option. Linux really does cut down on the bullshit.
Since that’s going to depend a lot on your own personal Steam library, you can check what works well on Proton with this site. https://www.protondb.com/
You can even enter your Steam Profile link in there and it will show you the ratings of the games you own. Of the 155 I own, 86% had a gold, platinum or native rating.
Basically anything that isn’t Siege, Valorant…anything without an abusive anti-cheat
@mouse @Zaphodquixote I dual boot with Windows 11 and very rarely find myself not using Linux… It plays every game I’ve thrown at it in the last 6 months. The only time I end up using Windows is because I want to use a specific peripheral, like my steering wheel for racing games, rather than because Linux won’t run the game! Lutris is great for non-steam games. Runs Overwatch 2, Diablo IV, Guildwars 2, and League of Legends perfectly for me. GloriousEggroll is worth looking at too 🙂
If you can handle there being a few games that you just can’t play, the time to switch to Linux began a couple of years ago.
I switched last year and kind of was in a similar spot to you - I had tried to switch in the past but something didn’t work so I went back to windows. But that last attempt has stuck. So I’d just do it. Proton is in an amazing state, old games and even most new singleplayer games will work - some modern multiplayer games with anticheat even work. I’d just check your library on protondb (you can sign in to see your library), see what doesn’t work, if you care about it, or if there are workarounds.
What I also did is make a list of stuff that doesn’t work and then find alternatives or workarounds. If some games don’t work, you can hold off on switching, check protondb occasionally and see if something changes. But if it’s all good, I’d just make the jump.
Anti-Cheat was one of the major things that pushed me back to Windows for gaming. They often aren’t compatible, invalidating the newly proton-compatible game
Yeah that’s big area that’s shaky with proton. Fortunately a few games have been adding support (halo MCC recently did). And for me, I typically only play singleplayer games - the most modern multiplayer game I play is titanfall 2 which works great on Linux.
But for someone who does play those games, I can see how the lack of them can be a huge obstacle.
I like your idea of making a list. If all goes well I might just move over, and keep Windows on a small disk for any outliers.
