I just made a video diving into this, but I wanted to break it down here too because it's been bothering me.

Some game developers are removing Linux support to prevent cheating. Not because Linux is unsafe, but because it doesn’t allow the kind of deep system access that kernel-level anti-cheat software on Windows expects. Instead of adapting, they just block the platform.

Let’s look at the facts:

• Linux makes up under 5% of global desktop users (StatCounter).
• On Steam, Linux users are about 2.6% (Steam Hardware Survey).
• Still, Linux gaming is growing. The Steam Deck alone has sold 3.7 to 4 million units. With other handhelds like the Legion Go and AyaNeo devices, we’re talking over 6 million Linux-powered gaming devices out there (TechSpot, The Verge).

Banning Linux impacts a small group of players and does almost nothing to stop cheating overall.

Here’s the real issue: cheats are usually OS-agnostic. Things like memory editing, DLL injection, packet spoofing, and even hardware-based cheats like DMA devices or virtualization-based cheats can work on any operating system.

But Windows anti-cheat tools like Vanguard or BattleEye rely on kernel-level access. That doesn't fly on Linux. Linux prioritizes user control and transparency. Closed-source anti-cheat drivers running in the kernel are a hard no for many users, and for good reason.

Some of the most dangerous cheats, like those using stealth hypervisors (e.g., the VIC cheat published on arXiv in 2024), operate completely outside the game’s OS. Even kernel-level anti-cheat can't detect them.

So why ban Linux?

Not because it's more vulnerable. But because developers aren’t willing to rework their detection systems in a way that respects the platform's design and user freedom. That’s not security, it’s gatekeeping.

The real takeaway is this:
Cheaters don’t target the OS. They target the game.

Blocking Linux doesn't protect players. It just punishes those who value control, security, and freedom.

Curious what others think. Are these devs being pragmatic or just taking the lazy route?

submitted by /u/TheRedSpaceRobot
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On Windows, I used to run TinyTask in a second desktop using Remote Desktop Connection/RDP Wrapper so i could still use my pc normally + play and grindy game i wanted in the background. Now I’m on Linux and wondering — how do you replicate this? can you replicate it on linux?

submitted by /u/Few-Tangerine-7401
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Are you poor? Do u wanna play offline games with your friends but don't have a controller? Do u wanna stay a bit away from ur screen and still play a game? I made an app that helps you do that! Just start a python server on your system and connect your phone with it.

Check my github, download the files, check it or change the scripts to make it better!

https://github.com/abhijeetsagr-g/gamypad

submitted by /u/Vans__G
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I've heard a lot of stuff about lack of Nvidia GPU support in most Linux distros. I want to make the jump but I have a 3080ti and don't really have the funds to upgrade right now. How bad is it really for gamers? What would I have to do to make it work? Are there any distros better at handling it than others?

submitted by /u/TheHeadlongFlight
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I know that you can use pipewire patching tools to reroute sound, but it seemingly needs to be done every time you start a game. This isnt really viable because its a lot of work, and frankly I'm just not going to remember to do it. The biggest reason I dont want to record all audio is most of the time I'm playing games I'm going to be in discord calls with friends and constantly recording what they are saying is just a completely unacceptable non starter, but it also just ruins being able to go back and watch bits and pieces of it without it being littered with whatever unrelated thing we happen to be talking about at the time.

Anyone have any ideas on how I can address this?

submitted by /u/_risho_
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I'll provide more detail if desired.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks

submitted by /u/dafunniman
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Tried it in several games I had installed (CS2, which runs natively; Deltarune, which doesn't), only seems to happen in Dark Souls Remastered

submitted by /u/Wozra
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my cpu clocks are lowering to minimum sometimes

submitted by /u/FamiliarAmphibian639
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I7 + RX 580 on Bazzite 42 - tried Proton 9 / exp / hotfix / GE10.8 same error. Any idea?

submitted by /u/Glum-Travel-7556
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Aww. Adorable Adventures is just the kind of game I needed to see today, one that's going right up on my wishlist.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

shapez 2 is a wonderfully chilled factory building sim that recently had a huge upgrade, and hopefully in November it will be ready for the full release.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

I finally pulled the plug and installed Linux Mint, as I am beyond tired of Microsofts bs. I have some minor experience with Linux as i've messed around with it on old laptops, but this is the first time I'm seriously doing it and on my main setup.

I have two internal SSDs. The smaller one I have my OS on, and the bigger one I usually used for games. I have added an ext4 partition to it through gparted, and I have mounted it. It shows up in my file directory. However when I go on steam settings, storage, add drive, and choose the drive, nothing happens. I try to save but the disk isn't added. I have tried googling the issue but I haven't found a way yet. I initially installed steam through the software manager, but I read it might not have all needed permissions then, so I went and installed the deb directly from steams page. I also tried making a steam directory on the drive and directly choose that, but it made no difference.

Anyone know how I can get steam to recognize the disk?

submitted by /u/LicoriceSeasalt
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I'm experiencing a weird issue where even simple games take upwards of 45 seconds to actually launch after I click play.

For comparison, Huniepop 2 (simple VN-style game) launches in roughly 3 seconds on Windows 10. On Kubuntu it consistently takes ~38 seconds to launch. I have background shader processing toggled on, and the long launch time is consistent even if I close and relaunch the game. I have "force specific Steam Play compatibility tool" toggled off, but even if I toggle it on and select Proton Hotfix the launch time is unchanged.

If I launch the steam snap from the terminal, I can see that 30 seconds of that time is spent doing this:

Fossilize INFO: Overriding serialization path: "/home/<user>/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/shadercache/930210/fozpipelinesv6/steamapprun_pipeline_cache".

Specs:
Kubuntu 25.04 (relatively fresh minimal install, only like 15 additional programs installed)
Ryzen 7 3700 8-core, RTX 4070, 1TB m.2 NVME
'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade' to confirm everything is up-to-date

submitted by /u/FragilePower
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With the latest updates to the popular Palworld, Valve have now bumped it up to Steam Deck Verified and SteamOS Compatible.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

NonSteamLaunchers is a tool you can use on Linux / SteamOS to automatically set up various third-party stores. A new release brings new tricks.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

I searched the internet and reddit but I haven't been able to come up with a solution. Everything is normal for other programs, it seems to be an issue with steam.

submitted by /u/Setsuwaa
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