Support us on Patreon to keep GamingOnLinux alive. This ensures all of our main content remains free for everyone. Just good, fresh content! Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal. You can also buy games using our partner links for GOG and Humble Store.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.
Not my usual sort of topic, but since it's proving popular it's probably worth highlighting. No Man's Sky (GOG Link) the brand new survival sim from Hello Games works rather well in Wine on Linux.

Note: I have not tested it myself, but there's multiple reports of it now.

It's interesting because it shows again how powerful Wine is and also how games using OpenGL rather than DirectX can be good for us even if the game itself isn't getting a Linux version.

A user has even supplied a video on steps on how to get it running:
YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link
Quote**How to install (thanks to https://www.reddit.com/user/Lejoni)**
Note: you must have a 64 bit distro.
[1] Buy No Man's Sky (NMS) on GOG (DRM-free)
[2] Install WINE PPA: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wine/wine-builds
[3] Update: sudo apt-get update
[4] Install WINE: sudo apt-get install --install-recommends winehq-staging
[5] Run wineboot
[6] Run winecfg and set "Windows 7"
[7] Run NMS GOG installer, after (the installer shows up an error, but don't worry!) you can play :D


Note: I am in no way endorsing buying Windows games to play in Wine, but you can't ignore how amazing Wine is. Wine is an incredible useful tool for those games you feel you can't live without, but aren't willing to put up with Windows.

Remember: buying a Windows game will not help Linux gaming. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: GOG, Wine
0 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
59 comments
Page: «3/6»
  Go to:

Jarno Aug 17, 2016
Yeah, it runs good on wine and even free demo edition (pirated) works fine.
To ppl who is even thinking about linux version, no, there is NOT going to be native linux version because game uses phyreengine.
Only "hope" is wrapper-port but I wouldn't keep my breath while waiting...
JudasIscariot Aug 17, 2016
Quoting: Guest
Quoting: JudasIscariotPeople keep mentioning setting the prefix to Windows 7 but I found that only Windows XP mode works for me ...

Same here, the game won't even start on windows 7-comp; but I'm running the winehq-devel and not the winehq-staging recommended in the post. What version of wine are you running?

I am running the multilib version of Wine (non-Staging) from the Arch repos officially but I took the PKGBUILD script from this package: https://www.archlinux.org/packages/multilib/x86_64/wine/ modified it slightly and now I compile wine-git with it. This way I get a distro-perfect Wine package but I don't have to wait for the maintainer :D

As for the XP or 7 mode, I have tried about 5-6 times to run the game in Windows 7 mode and it would just hang whereas in 64-bit XP mode everything loads :)
Eike Aug 17, 2016
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: 14Wine has its purpose. For one, it is a gentler transition to Linux gaming rather than just saying "goodbye" to a lot of your games. But I'm not a Winer user anymore, not for a couple years now. There is enough Linux gaming support to keep my backlog growing more than it's shrinking.

My purpose for WINE is making my tax declaration.
I'm a bit tempted to try No Man's Sky, but hey, there are good videos out there.
And as others already said: I've got too many good games for Linux anyway.
[email protected] Aug 17, 2016
Quoting: Xpander
Quoting: cxphergmailcomWine is bad for gaming on Linux imo.

I'd rather the focus be on imommu with KVM going forward if that's the case. Anything is better than Wine.

Wine is however, good for Office applications and other productivity apps not available on Linux.

and that means you still have to install that garbage OS.

i'd take wine every day over that.



as for No Man's Sky. I't works pretty good indeed under wine:

View video on youtube.com


I'd love to see the Linux official client for it, i quite enjoy the game tbh.
Luckily we will get Planet Nomads soon™

True. For the record, i don't use wine or iommu (my ivy bridge dosen't support vt-d). I just don't support Windows only games. So wine is kinda useless to me in that regard.
manero666 Aug 17, 2016
I honestly don't understand how someone dislike WINE...

I don't know in which world you're living but in my world Linux gamers make up the 1% of the entire gaming community, meaning that we count almost as zero to some developers and publishers (such as Bethesda, EA, Activision, etc..).

A lot of games aren't going to be ported soon and some of them will NEVER get ported to Linux, due to them being too old or being in an evil copyright limbo or other bullshit.

In the meantime Wine provides to the Linux-only user a great chance to get a lot of these games to work without the need of dual boot.
Sure, sometimes is counter-productive because it "counts" as Window$ purchase, but we are in a situation where A LOT of gamers don't try/switch to Linux because native ports are lacking, especially compared to an OS that can run all the games available.
Most of them don't even know that Wine exists and that with it the amount of playable games on Linux duplicate or even triplicate, making Linux an extremely solid alternative.

I.e. a guy who plays just Age of Empire II can wait 7-8 years to get a native Linux port and then switch to Linux (and in the meantime using Windoze) or switch and play the game with Wine until the native ports is available (if ever..).

Another example: I bough a 10yo used audio-mixer on ebay and it came with a software-cd, naturally Window$-only, so I can go on and say No TUX NO BUCKS and go with this mentality in an audio-store to find some compatible mixer (and say goodbye to the cheap ebay prices) or just run the software on my Linux rig where it may run even better then on a newer Micro$oft OS; Wine compatibility is quite famous.

IMO Wine is the key to get more people to permanently switch to Linux! I'm pretty sure that videos like this one about No Man's Sky impress the gaming community, especially if someone see that the game runs better on a non supported OS and maybe even with a lower hardware.

As for performances (excluding Gallium Nine), there were 1500+ developers who worked on Wine and it was written using reverse-engineering to avoid copyright issues, there are still thing to improve but they're really getting there..
And unlike the OS that some of you dual-boot or suggest to virtualize, Wine it's open-source, financed by donations and free to use, modify and fork for everyone.
You may think that is useless, or that sucks.. In my opinion it's a godsend and one of the best software that Linux has to offer..


Last edited by manero666 on 17 August 2016 at 2:57 pm UTC
dilly Aug 17, 2016
Quoting: JarnoYeah, it runs good on wine and even free demo edition (pirated) works fine.
To ppl who is even thinking about linux version, no, there is NOT going to be native linux version because game uses phyreengine.
Only "hope" is wrapper-port but I wouldn't keep my breath while waiting...

Looking on the wiki page list of games made with that engine there are some games that have been ported (like Bound by Flame):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhyreEngine

So... it's not impossible. :]
Nanobang Aug 17, 2016
View PC info
  • Supporter
What is this "No Man's Sky" of which you speak my brethren and sistren?
Wherefore utter you a name so puerile and hopeless? So untrue.
It is harsh to my hearing, a sound
not unlike the bursting of a festering pustule
amplified a thousandfold.

I know of no such being.
My blood allegiance is sworn onlyto the coming of the One True Dawn,
the Pure and Piercing Light that is only and forever revealed to we mortals as
Planet Nomads.


In the name of the One True Procedural,
Worlds without end,
Amen.
mcphail Aug 17, 2016
The problem about buying a game to run on Wine is there is no guarantee the game is going to keep running when a new version or patch is released. I do buy windows games to run on Wine (the last one being Dragon Age Origins on GOG) but only if they are cheap/on sale and don't rely on an online connection (where version upgrades can be forced). I'd prefer more native Linux games, but I'm a pragmatist.
Stupendous Man Aug 17, 2016
Quoting: mcphailThe problem about buying a game to run on Wine is there is no guarantee the game is going to keep running when a new version or patch is released.
This! The game might work now, but what is the guarantee that it'll continue to do so? A few months ago I looked at Subnautica, a game that'll probably never come to Linux. Initially it worked fine under wine, but now it doesn't (according to the Steam forums, I didn't buy it since I subscribe to No Tux No Bux). Any future update may make a wine game unplayable.

The only thing I use wine for these days is Lego Digital Designer and the occasional old windows game on my Steam library. And with the enormous number of Linux games, I never really get around to the wine games anyway.
ronnoc Aug 17, 2016
I agree with the posts above - Could be the greatest game ever made for all I know. It certainly looks like a game that I would like. But, just like how we might want to eat cake every day - the real world kicks in and we discover we need to have the diligence to do what's right. So, in short, make a Linux port and then shut up and take my money!!. Until then, I'll just hang out with Stardew Valley and 7 Days To Die and friends.

Short commentary on Wine here: I think WINE is a great tool. Remarkable, really. I use it, for example, to play my original Baulder's Gate I purchased way back when when I ran MS Windows XP. WINE certainly has it's place - whether it's gaming or running and old version of Quicken or a myriad of other use cases.

But to spend cash on a game that will likely never see a native Linux port because it's good for you personally - well, that's kind of just selling out. To make a real difference, we need to support companies like Feral and others that see Linux users as an asset and a viable market. In the end, what good does it do to send $60 US to Hello Games without a Linux version? All it means is that it's much less likely that they will ever release a Linux version! Not to mention that, if purchased via Steam it will additionally count as a Windows sale in the sales figures. A double-whammy!

I'm not telling anyone what to do. We're free to play and buy what we want. Just don't complain that more top-tier titles aren't released for SteamOS / Linux.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.