Other News about gaming on Linux

I know I am not stupid but attempting to mod Skyrim on Linux makes me question that.

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 2:40pm

Does anyone have a guide to installing mods on a skyrim install on steam? I have never been able to get Wine to work, I tried the Heroic Games Launcher method this morning but couldn't get Vortex to see my Steam Skyrim install. I really don't want to run back to windows for this but I am close.

I used to be able to mod it just fine with the Nexus Mod Manager back in the day. Now Vortex exists and same with the supposedly linux supported App but the app is worse than useless. Vortex is windows only though I had it working via Heroic Games Launcher but there is no way to point it towards my steam install because it's in its emulated windows file structure thing.

I'd kill or die for a simple guide on how to do this. Would I be better off buying skyrim on GOG so I could avoid steam and proton altogether? I wish I knew what the optimal path was as it would make it easier for me to push through to the end. I fear the heroic games launcher path is a dead end with a steam install.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

submitted by /u/PlumpCat19
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Games that I have run on Linux with ratings (long)

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 2:32pm

For those asking what kind of games run on Linux here is a list of installed and played on Linux games with my ratings for each. This isn't comprehensive and I haven't populated all the tinker steps or Proton versions but those are easily found on ProtonDB.

Most of the recent games I have tried have run out of the box.

Of all those only Once Human is really bad. The other issues tend to be around sound and this mostly happens during loading screens and not in the game itself.

This does not include any games I run through Lutris from Epic and others.

Also don't judge, at least one of those games I was coerced into playing by my daughter.

Edit: This is my experience and some of these games may have been run on older hardware with a different Linux OS. This post is intended to be an indication of the types of games that run OK on Linux, in my experience.

My current set up.

OS: Nobara Linux 43 (KDE Plasma Desktop Edition) x86_64 Host: MS-7977 (1.0) Kernel: Linux 6.18.3-201.nobara.fc43.x86_64 Uptime: 2 hours, 8 mins Packages: 3658 (rpm), 27 (flatpak-system), 30 (flatpak-user), 10 (snap) Shell: bash 5.3.0 Display (HP E273q): 2560x1440 in 27", 60 Hz [External] * Display (HP E24i G4): 1200x1920 in 24", 60 Hz [External] DE: KDE Plasma 6.5.4 WM: KWin (Wayland) WM Theme: Breeze Theme: Breeze (NordicDarker) [Qt], Breeze [GTK3/4] Icons: Papirus-Dark [Qt], Papirus-Dark [GTK3/4] Font: Source Code Pro (10pt) [Qt], Source Code Pro (10pt) [GTK3/4] Cursor: Nordic (24px) Terminal: konsole 25.12.0 CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700K (8) @ 4.60 GHz GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT [Discrete] Memory: 6.25 GiB / 15.57 GiB (40%) Swap: 0 B / 25.12 GiB (0%) Disk (/): 209.45 GiB / 912.80 GiB (23%) - btrfs Disk (/home/booga/Storage): 602.66 GiB / 1.82 TiB (32%) - fuseblk Disk (/run/media/booga/744b41bc-6bf7-4822-83bc-fbb7bb803aaa): 1.04 TiB / 1.8s Disk (/run/media/booga/cbe9358a-16b5-400a-9ded-f2356b435880): 1.70 TiB / 3.64

https://preview.redd.it/6ea9g9al1qcg1.png?width=862&format=png&auto=webp&s=46ce7a60f6a34bfa0e0f24ef902ac4f903958977

submitted by /u/Bad-Booga
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[SOLVED] Elder Scrolls Online - Lost All Interaction Prompts on Linux (PTS Bug)

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 2:19pm

I wanted to share a solution to a frustrating issue I ran into with ESO on Linux, in case anyone else encounters this.

The Problem

I suddenly lost the ability to interact with anything in Elder Scrolls Online. The 'E' prompt wouldn't appear when approaching objects, NPCs, or doors, making the game completely unplayable. This was particularly confusing because everything had been working perfectly just a few days earlier.

My Setup

I'm running CachyOS (Arch-based) with non-flatpak Steam and GE-Proton 10-25. The game had been running flawlessly for months before this issue appeared.

Troubleshooting Journey

When this first happened, I went through the usual suspects. I tested multiple Proton versions including GE-Proton 10-26, the CachyOS native Proton builds, and even Proton Experimental. I disabled all my addons thinking one might have corrupted. I verified the game files through Steam. Nothing worked.

My next thought was that a recent system update had broken something, so I dug through my pacman logs looking for problematic updates around the time the issue started. I found Mesa updates from early January and even attempted downgrading those, thinking perhaps a graphics driver regression was preventing the game from rendering UI elements properly. Still nothing.

I also tried downgrading lib32-libdrm since ESO is a 32-bit game and that library is critical for graphics interaction, but that turned out to be a red herring as well.

The Actual Culprit

The breakthrough came when I remembered something important: I had recently downloaded and activated the Public Test Server. This turned out to be the root cause.

The PTS and Live servers share configuration files within the same Proton prefix. When PTS updated or modified these shared files, it corrupted the settings that the Live server depends on, specifically the UserSettings.txt file and SavedVariables directory.

The Solution

The fix was straightforward once I'd identified the real problem. I navigated to the ESO Live configuration directory and removed the corrupted settings files, allowing the game to regenerate them from scratch:

cd ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder\ Scrolls\ Online/live/ mv UserSettings.txt UserSettings.txt.backup mv SavedVariables SavedVariables.backup rm -rf ShaderCache.cooked

After launching ESO Live again, the game created fresh configuration files and everything worked perfectly. The interaction prompts returned immediately.

Key Takeaway for PTS Users

If you regularly test on PTS, be aware that it can interfere with your Live installation when they share the same Proton prefix. Before running PTS, consider backing up your UserSettings.txt file. Even better, you might want to keep PTS uninstalled when you're not actively testing, or set up separate Proton prefixes for each version.

Additional Resources

I've created a detailed troubleshooting guide with all the steps I tried and additional nuclear options if the simple fix doesn't work for you. The guide includes instructions for clearing shader caches, rebuilding Proton prefixes, and checking for various system-level conflicts. I'm happy to share it if anyone needs more comprehensive troubleshooting steps.

Hopefully this saves someone else the hours of troubleshooting I went through. The lesson here is that sometimes the most recent change you made isn't a system update, it's something you did within the application itself.

TL;DR: ESO interaction prompts disappeared after installing PTS. PTS corrupted shared config files in the Proton prefix. Fixed by deleting UserSettings.txt and SavedVariables in the live/ directory and letting ESO regenerate them.

Elder Scrolls Online - Lost Interaction Bug Fix - STEP by STEP Problem
  • Lost ability to interact with objects in ESO (no 'E' prompt appearing)
  • Issue occurred after downloading/activating PTS (Public Test Server)
Root Cause

PTS and Live servers share configuration files in the same Proton prefix. PTS updates can corrupt or override UserSettings.txt and SavedVariables that affect both installations.

Solution That Worked # Navigate to ESO Live config directory cd ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder\ Scrolls\ Online/live/ # Back up and remove corrupted settings mv UserSettings.txt UserSettings.txt.backup mv SavedVariables SavedVariables.backup # Remove shader cache (optional but recommended) rm -rf ShaderCache.cooked

Launch ESO Live and let it regenerate fresh settings.

Additional Troubleshooting Steps Attempted Check Recent System Updates # View updates from specific date range grep "upgraded\|installed" /var/log/pacman.log | grep -E "2026-01-(08|09|10)" Mesa/Vulkan Driver Issues # Check Mesa version history grep -E "mesa|vulkan-radeon" /var/log/pacman.log | tail -20 # Downgrade Mesa if needed sudo downgrade mesa vulkan-radeon lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan-radeon Graphics Library Issues # Downgrade lib32-libdrm (for 32-bit games) sudo downgrade lib32-libdrm Steam Input Conflicts
  • Right-click ESO in Steam → Properties → Controller
  • Set "Steam Input Per-Game Setting" to "Forced Off"
Nuclear Options (Last Resort)

Rebuild Proton Prefix:

killall steam mv ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130 ~/eso_prefix_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d) # Launch ESO - Steam will rebuild prefix

Clear Shader Caches:

rm -rf ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/shadercache/306130/ rm -rf ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/shadercache/ rm -rf ~/.cache/dxvk-cache/ Prevention

If using PTS regularly:

  • Consider separate Proton prefixes for Live and PTS
  • Always back up UserSettings.txt before running PTS
  • Uninstall PTS when not actively testing: Steam → ESO Properties → DLC → Uncheck "Public Test Server"
Notes
  • ESO App ID: 306130
  • Config location: compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/
  • Issue date: January 2026
  • Setup: CachyOS, Non-flatpak Steam, GE-Proton 10-25
DISCLAIMER

Please read this entire disclaimer before attempting any fixes described in this guide.

Use at Your Own Risk

This troubleshooting guide is provided AS-IS with no warranties or guarantees of any kind. The information contained here worked for my specific system configuration but may not work for yours, and could potentially cause issues if applied incorrectly.

Important Warnings
  • ALWAYS back up your data before making any system changes or deleting configuration files
  • These commands modify system files and game configurations - understand what each command does before running it
  • Incorrect use of sudo or rm commands can damage your system or cause data loss
  • This guide is intended for experienced Linux users who understand command-line operations
No Liability

By following this guide, you acknowledge that:

  • You are solely responsible for any consequences resulting from these actions
  • I am not liable for any damage, data loss, broken installations, or other issues that may occur
  • You should verify all commands and file paths match your system before executing them
  • If uncertain about any step, seek additional help or skip it
System Specificity

This solution worked on:

  • CachyOS (Arch-based distribution)
  • Non-flatpak Steam
  • GE-Proton 10-25
  • AMD GPU

Your mileage may vary on different distributions, Steam installations (Flatpak/Snap), Proton versions, or GPU manufacturers.

Community Contribution

This is a community-contributed troubleshooting guide shared in the spirit of helping fellow Linux ESO players. It is not endorsed by ZeniMax Online Studios, Bethesda, or any official entity. For official support, please contact ZeniMax support.

Backup Recommendations

Before attempting ANY fixes, back up:

# Back up entire ESO config directory cp -r ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder\ Scrolls\ Online/ ~/ESO_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d) # Back up SavedVariables (contains all addon settings) cp -r ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder\ Scrolls\ Online/live/SavedVariables ~/ESO_SavedVariables_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d) Final Note

If you're uncomfortable with Linux command-line operations, terminal commands, or don't fully understand what these commands do, please do not attempt these fixes. Consider seeking help from someone with Linux experience or contacting official support channels instead.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

submitted by /u/DutyProfessional67
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Is Minecraft cheaper on Liniux

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 1:10pm

Okay so I just got a refurbished laptop ​and now it's running with Linux.

I know Minecraft is 29.99 on PC, but is it cheaper on Linux since you're only downloading java edition?

submitted by /u/Dizzy-from-life
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Mint or Pop!_OS?

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 12:52pm

So building a new PC and taking my Windows 10 license over to it for dual boot system with Bazzite or CachyOS, but I want to keep the old one functional for my mom who plays World of Warcraft.

I am wondering what distro I am better off going with for this old system which has an i7 6700k and gtx 1080.

I was looking at Mint since it would probably be easier for her to use but I've read Pop!_OS is better for nvidia drivers.

I just want whatever one that will give me the least amount of issues to setup for her while not losing any performance. She would only be playing WoW and browsing the web.

Should I stick with Mint or would Pop!_OS be better?

submitted by /u/boonanaswananas
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Steam won't open games installed on ssd

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 12:41pm

Hello, so I have 3 ssd's in my machine, one with Windows 11, one with Kubuntu and one with my steam games installed on. The games were installed using my Windows 11 install. I want to be able to share the game install between the two partitions. The drive is formatted as exfat too for best compat with Windows and Kubuntu.

I have edited fstab to include the following:
UUID=863A-B2A5 /InternalSSD/ exfat uid=1000,gid=1000,rw,user,exec,umask=000 0 0

However, whenever I try and run a game, I get a disk write error with Proton, and a disk write error with some libraries by the looks of it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

submitted by /u/high_lord_supreme
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Can somebody fork LMM?

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 11:50am

LMM, aka Lobotomy Mod Manager is a mod manager made for the game Lobotomy Corporation. It's basicaly an SCP monster management game where you gotta work with em to get energy called Enkephelin. I wish to mod it yet i am unable to since no native Linux versiom of it exists.

Heres the Github page link https://github.com/LobotomyBaseMod/LMM

I merely wish for a fork that is a Linux native one, i am sorry if i sound like im demanding one (i am not) and if i could do it myself i would fork it but i do not know how to code.

submitted by /u/LordOfHongyuan
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PC/GPU crashing when gaming?

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 11:07am

randomly when I'm playing a game this starts to happen, at first I thought it was because I was playing modded cyberpunk (second picture) but then it happened in repo as well (first picture) which isn't demanding at all. Was wondering if anyone knew what was going on lol

submitted by /u/uh2156
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Issues with Discord/Vencord/Equibop screenshare and videos not playing

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 9:48am

OS: Arch Linux x86_64

Host: B450 AORUS M

Kernel: Linux 6.18.3-2-cachyos

DE: KDE Plasma 6.5.4

WM: KWin (Wayland)

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (12) @ 4.21 GHz

GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT [Discrete]

On discord I have no issues with screenshare but some videos posted do not actually play the video (only audio). I have tried every launch arguments to no avail, for example:

discord --ignore-gpu-blocklist --disable-features=UseOzonePlatform --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop --enable-gpu-rasterization --enable-zero-copy

This can be fixed by using Vencord/Equibop and enabling Video Hardware Acceleration on the settings but now when I stop my screen share the whole app freezes. Disabling video hardware acceleration setting fixes it but the issue where some videos only play audio is present again.

Is there any way I can apply the video hardware acceleration setting on discord or stop the screen share problems I have with equibop/vencord?

Video Hardware Acceleration disabled chrome://gpu

https://pastebin.com/MmHpGF8y

Video Hardware Acceleration enabled chrome://gpu

https://pastebin.com/0PRRH37n

submitted by /u/lasaqna
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Psychonauts GOG Controller support

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 9:07am

I have a GOG offline installer for Psychonauts (windows), and a DS4 controller. In windows I use DS4Windows and the game picks it up as an Xbox controller and aside from having yo remember X=A, etc, it's all good.

I can get the installer to run (though it weirdly makes one broken and one functional desktop shortcut) but nothing I do lets me use a controller like in Windows. Not steam, not x360ce, SDL2 mapping. Hell, can I run DS4Windows inside a Wine prefix? Or is there something I'm missing?

submitted by /u/Business-Elephant283
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I can’t run SHIT

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 8:43am

Linux has so much underground hype but so far is absolute DOGSHIT for gaming I can’t run a SINGLE GAME I INSTALLED PROTON WINE BOTTLES all the bullshit apps and can 1 barely understand and 2 not one has led to me successfully playing ANYTHING please send help

submitted by /u/Lower-Marionberry-96
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HDR - Bright colors sometimes get completely distorted or "rainbowed"

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 8:42am

Some games with HDR such as Stalker 2 and MGS delta have their bright colors get crunchy/cooked/distorted/"rainbowified" (I don't know what else to call it) and I'm at my wits end on how to solve this.

This issue does not occur on windows with the same hardware and game.

Below are some screenshots from stalker 2 where you can see how bright lights (looking at the sky from within a cave and looking at fire) get distorted. It's rough to see in a screenshot but I can assure you they look significantly worse on my monitor.

You can see the sky looks a little red/purple here. On my end it is much worse.

The white spots within the fire will be purple/green on my end. They actually look a little green here too unless im crazy.

This issue happens in both KDE and hyprland.
KDE settings

max brightness 400

paper white 200

tonemapping disabled (happens enabled too)

https://preview.redd.it/7uiwiz4pbocg1.png?width=527&format=png&auto=webp&s=29c0c53ca1374ce2e5c35bb18c2910fe7e5cfc30

hyprland hdr enabled with this command:
hyprctl keyword "monitor" DP-1,2560x1440@240.00,0x0,1, bitdepth, 10, cm, hdr, sdrbrightness, 1.2, sdrsaturation,1.2

Game is launched with

PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 PROTON_ENABLE_HDR=1

Or using gamescope with hdr-enabled

packages:

mesa 25.3

linux 6.17.9.arch1-1

plasma 6.5

hyprland 0.53

gamescope-git 3.16.19.r4

No matter what settings I change - same thing happens: bright colors get completely cooked. Would appreciate ANY advice here. Thank you. I'll update here if anything changes.

submitted by /u/dingo-liberty
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My Linux Gaming Journey as a Beginner

Reddit Linux_Gaming - 11 Jan 2026 - 7:40am

I want to recount my experience with Linux as someone who had only ever heard of Linux but never used it before.

We start on October 1st. I was aware of W10 reaching EOL in the coming days, and with my PC not being compatible with W11 and seeing from the outside how messy of an OS it was becoming, I knew that Linux would be my best option. I watched videos from a range of content creators, mainly SomeOrdinaryGamers, on what Linux was and how I could get started. With that knowledge, I installed Mint onto a 2TB SATA I recently acquired. I went into this mainly wanting to test how it would feel and with the goal of dual-booting with W10.

The onboarding experience was smooth. I got the OS up and running in no time. I installed Steam, and alongside creating a ProtonDB account, I installed the first few games I thought would work best for a test.

LSS with Steam games, most of the games that I tried out work well out of the box. At one point, they all stopped working IIRC due to some permissions clashing, but the timeshift feature worked wonders there. Modding games has been a mixed bag. While most games worked just fine with mods, a couple either wouldn't register in-game or would break the game altogether. The exact reasons why vary by game.

The next thing I wanted to try was emulation. As of now, I have RetroArch, Dolphin, PCSX2, shadps4, and Eden installed separately while Lutris handles RPCS3 and Cemu. I transferred my ROMs from my W10 drive, and as of now have experienced an improvement in compatibility and performance despite running on a slower drive. RPCS3 and shadPS4 have been much smoother on Mint than W10 for me, while the other emulators have been similarly smooth. Only issue as of now is having to point my game directories every other time; still not sure why that's the case.

Overall, it's been more fun than I anticipated. Still some headaches to go through, but nearly as hard as I feared. I attribute a lot of that to this community as well. Thank you all for being so welcoming and helpful! To 2026 being the year of Linux!

https://preview.redd.it/g1ztw1191ocg1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d445d6b6c4eafdea040a1024238804973a92d79c

submitted by /u/micerhead
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