Quite a number of people have asked me to talk about where to buy Linux games, how to make sure developers are supported and so on, so here I am.
First of all, I am fully aware there will likely be a small backlash in the comments on certain points. We do seem to have a small minority of very vocal people who like to boast about buying dirt cheap games from places like G2A, which makes me sad. We also have a few who like to advocate piracy, which is not only sad, but makes us look really bad in the eyes of developers. For the most part though, the people commenting here are fantastic to talk to.
To make this a point: I am not aiming to single anyone out, nor am I aiming to be hostile towards anyone. Read this as if we are all sitting around the table having a *insert favourite drink* and discussing the best way to support our platform. That’s what this is all about, everything I do is to help Linux gaming progress somehow.
To get this out of the way; I flat out do not recommend buying from places like G2A and Kinguin, Samsai already wrote about that here. Read that as a starting point if you please. Basically, don’t pre-order, don’t buy from random reseller stores.
While Samsai touched on some dubious stores in his linked post, I wanted to talk about Steam key resellers in general. I would completely steer clear of all of them, that’s the single safest option here. I actually already wrote about this before here.
As you can see, we’ve already written about all of this before in various places, so it’s time to bring it together under one roof. Instead of having the information scattered across various previous articles.
So, how do you know if your purchase is counted as a Linux sale? Most of the time it’s actually pretty simple. I’ve come up with some general guidelines and information for you, it’s your call on how to act upon it. I don’t want to seem like I am forcing anything on anyone, these are my personal thoughts as always. As someone who is a gamer at heart who firmly believes in supporting developers, as well as an editor.
Cheap games & Resellers
If you’re extremely strapped for cash, rather than go to some dubious key reseller, try to wait out for spring/summer/autumn/winter sales. Most major stores now do massive sales for each season like Steam and GOG do. Sales happen so often, you really have no reason to go to some random reseller where your purchase is not just likely to count for Windows, but feed the pocket of none of the actual developers or publishers.
Steam rather often does specific Publisher or Developer sales, weekend sales, free weekends to test games and more. You have so many chances to get legitimate cheap games. If money really is the issue, you’re just not being patient enough. You are in full control of your own wallet, be smart with it. There's nothing wrong with waiting for a sale, that's not the issue here at all.
I’ve seen so many people worry about how little Linux games sell in comparison to other platforms, and buying your games dirt cheap on reseller stores only does one thing: Weaken our sales statistics even more and reduce the possibility of future ports happening.
Seeing people say things about their financial situation, well, I have news for you, you’re not entitled to anything. It’s a shame if you can’t afford it (and I feel for you!), but why should that entitle you to pay sometimes 90% less than the rest of us from a store that supports no one but itself? You know what I do if I can’t afford something? I wait until I can, I don’t buy it for 90% off the price from the back of a truck. That’s essentially what key resellers do. Not all of them mind you, but most use dubious methods of acquiring their keys.
I admit there are reasons why you may want to seek other sources, like region locking, bad dubbing of the audio in certain versions and other reasons I haven’t thought of. I don’t mean to lump everyone under the same umbrella here. The same thing, sadly, still applies to you. You’re not entitled to it, it’s best to voice your opinion to the developer directly. By going to these questionable stores, you’re still possibly hurting Linux gaming.
I really hate the word “entitled”, it sounds terrible, but it’s an accurate way of portraying some of the attitudes I’ve seen. If this offends you somehow, you should realize it’s probably a perfect description of your attitude.
If you’re still going to buy cheap games from random places, remember who you’re supporting by doing it (certainly not the developer), and remember when developers and publishers talk down Linux ports, you’re probably at least a small part of the problem. This may sound a little unfair, but it’s the honest truth of the matter. A small amount of sales being cut down even smaller is good for no one.
To quote Edwin from Feral Interactive:
I've spoken to numerous other developers who all say a similar thing. I linked to this before, but Bundle Stars is a good example of this when I asked them if they have Linux keys or just Windows keys a while ago:
Steam - Buying directly from Steam on Linux is a Linux sale. That’s a fact, so long as the game has a playable Linux version. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t have a SteamOS icon, if it has a Linux version, the developers will see a sale for it.
It doesn't really matter what operating system you buy your game on when it's directly on Steam, the main thing that counts is where it's first installed and played on for the first two weeks.
If you buy a key from elsewhere and don’t activate it until that particular game gets ported to Linux, that’s still a Windows sale. Why? Your key would have been generated before a Linux version existed, it would be part of a set of keys designed for a specific platform. The developer may see a Linux download, but not a Linux sale. I’ve had this confirmed from multiple different developers.
GOG - My GOG contacts have been unable to tell me how Linux games are tracked. I refuse to believe in 2016 a store as big as GOG don’t have something in place, and I don’t take their refusal to be open about it as a “we don’t track them”, but more as they are a business not wanting to divulge private business information.
It’s most likely that they track the number of downloads per-platform for each game.
I’ve tried asking developers about their stats from GOG, but no one is talking about it. It’s possible GOG specifically prohibits this.
Humble Bundle/Store - Humble as mentioned above in our quote from Edwin usually have keys for each platform.
Humble track the platform that was used to purchase each game, which is how they do their pie chart. So, if you buy it while on Linux, it’s generally a Linux purchase. The same applies as before though, if you buy it on Humble before it has a Linux version, prepare to be a Windows customer.
I am unsure how buying it from a mobile will count, as that’s never been mentioned anywhere. They most likely have a default set on it, which would probably be Windows for mobile sales. It’s possible they may wait to see what desktop system tries to redeem them, but we can’t be sure here.
Originally, Humble had a checkbox to tick which operating system to be counted for, but that hasn’t been around for some time. I did some test purchases today for researching this and never saw anything like it.
Itch.io (updated)- A statement from their head:
Games Republic - Their answer to me from last time:
Developers stores
One major way to support developers is to buy directly from their own store or website. Like the Feral store, Aspyr Media store, Virtual Programming store as some examples. That way, you are guaranteed to not only count as a Linux sale, but support developers directly with more of your money (Steam gets no cut then for example).
Final note, please try to remain respectful in the comments. There's no need to be rude or disrespectful to others. Disagreements are fine and part of life, insults and bad attitudes are not needed here.
With thanks to Samsai and Flesk for giving their input on this article. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
First of all, I am fully aware there will likely be a small backlash in the comments on certain points. We do seem to have a small minority of very vocal people who like to boast about buying dirt cheap games from places like G2A, which makes me sad. We also have a few who like to advocate piracy, which is not only sad, but makes us look really bad in the eyes of developers. For the most part though, the people commenting here are fantastic to talk to.
To make this a point: I am not aiming to single anyone out, nor am I aiming to be hostile towards anyone. Read this as if we are all sitting around the table having a *insert favourite drink* and discussing the best way to support our platform. That’s what this is all about, everything I do is to help Linux gaming progress somehow.
To get this out of the way; I flat out do not recommend buying from places like G2A and Kinguin, Samsai already wrote about that here. Read that as a starting point if you please. Basically, don’t pre-order, don’t buy from random reseller stores.
While Samsai touched on some dubious stores in his linked post, I wanted to talk about Steam key resellers in general. I would completely steer clear of all of them, that’s the single safest option here. I actually already wrote about this before here.
As you can see, we’ve already written about all of this before in various places, so it’s time to bring it together under one roof. Instead of having the information scattered across various previous articles.
So, how do you know if your purchase is counted as a Linux sale? Most of the time it’s actually pretty simple. I’ve come up with some general guidelines and information for you, it’s your call on how to act upon it. I don’t want to seem like I am forcing anything on anyone, these are my personal thoughts as always. As someone who is a gamer at heart who firmly believes in supporting developers, as well as an editor.
Cheap games & Resellers
If you’re extremely strapped for cash, rather than go to some dubious key reseller, try to wait out for spring/summer/autumn/winter sales. Most major stores now do massive sales for each season like Steam and GOG do. Sales happen so often, you really have no reason to go to some random reseller where your purchase is not just likely to count for Windows, but feed the pocket of none of the actual developers or publishers.
Steam rather often does specific Publisher or Developer sales, weekend sales, free weekends to test games and more. You have so many chances to get legitimate cheap games. If money really is the issue, you’re just not being patient enough. You are in full control of your own wallet, be smart with it. There's nothing wrong with waiting for a sale, that's not the issue here at all.
I’ve seen so many people worry about how little Linux games sell in comparison to other platforms, and buying your games dirt cheap on reseller stores only does one thing: Weaken our sales statistics even more and reduce the possibility of future ports happening.
Seeing people say things about their financial situation, well, I have news for you, you’re not entitled to anything. It’s a shame if you can’t afford it (and I feel for you!), but why should that entitle you to pay sometimes 90% less than the rest of us from a store that supports no one but itself? You know what I do if I can’t afford something? I wait until I can, I don’t buy it for 90% off the price from the back of a truck. That’s essentially what key resellers do. Not all of them mind you, but most use dubious methods of acquiring their keys.
I admit there are reasons why you may want to seek other sources, like region locking, bad dubbing of the audio in certain versions and other reasons I haven’t thought of. I don’t mean to lump everyone under the same umbrella here. The same thing, sadly, still applies to you. You’re not entitled to it, it’s best to voice your opinion to the developer directly. By going to these questionable stores, you’re still possibly hurting Linux gaming.
I really hate the word “entitled”, it sounds terrible, but it’s an accurate way of portraying some of the attitudes I’ve seen. If this offends you somehow, you should realize it’s probably a perfect description of your attitude.
If you’re still going to buy cheap games from random places, remember who you’re supporting by doing it (certainly not the developer), and remember when developers and publishers talk down Linux ports, you’re probably at least a small part of the problem. This may sound a little unfair, but it’s the honest truth of the matter. A small amount of sales being cut down even smaller is good for no one.
To quote Edwin from Feral Interactive:
QuoteIf you buy from a third party and they don't explicitly say they are selling Linux or Mac keys then you've bought a Windows key. Bundle-star for example sell Windows keys.
Doesn't matter where you play the game on third party stores the sale is based on the steam keys they have purchased. Humble Bundle for example have a set of keys tagged as Windows, Mac and Linux and hand out the correct ones based on your platform so that the correct platform sale is recorded.
I've spoken to numerous other developers who all say a similar thing. I linked to this before, but Bundle Stars is a good example of this when I asked them if they have Linux keys or just Windows keys a while ago:
Bundle StarsHi Liam, Sorry for the delay in responding over the weekend. I can confirm that we have not been sent new keys for Shadow of Mordor since the Linux release and only Windows is mentioned on the page. However, where we promote games as being available for Linux, these will all activate correctly for the platform.
Steam - Buying directly from Steam on Linux is a Linux sale. That’s a fact, so long as the game has a playable Linux version. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t have a SteamOS icon, if it has a Linux version, the developers will see a sale for it.
It doesn't really matter what operating system you buy your game on when it's directly on Steam, the main thing that counts is where it's first installed and played on for the first two weeks.
If you buy a key from elsewhere and don’t activate it until that particular game gets ported to Linux, that’s still a Windows sale. Why? Your key would have been generated before a Linux version existed, it would be part of a set of keys designed for a specific platform. The developer may see a Linux download, but not a Linux sale. I’ve had this confirmed from multiple different developers.
GOG - My GOG contacts have been unable to tell me how Linux games are tracked. I refuse to believe in 2016 a store as big as GOG don’t have something in place, and I don’t take their refusal to be open about it as a “we don’t track them”, but more as they are a business not wanting to divulge private business information.
It’s most likely that they track the number of downloads per-platform for each game.
I’ve tried asking developers about their stats from GOG, but no one is talking about it. It’s possible GOG specifically prohibits this.
Humble Bundle/Store - Humble as mentioned above in our quote from Edwin usually have keys for each platform.
Humble track the platform that was used to purchase each game, which is how they do their pie chart. So, if you buy it while on Linux, it’s generally a Linux purchase. The same applies as before though, if you buy it on Humble before it has a Linux version, prepare to be a Windows customer.
I am unsure how buying it from a mobile will count, as that’s never been mentioned anywhere. They most likely have a default set on it, which would probably be Windows for mobile sales. It’s possible they may wait to see what desktop system tries to redeem them, but we can’t be sure here.
Originally, Humble had a checkbox to tick which operating system to be counted for, but that hasn’t been around for some time. I did some test purchases today for researching this and never saw anything like it.
Itch.io (updated)- A statement from their head:
QuoteWe don't have a metric to associated purchases to a platform. But we do monitor what files are downloaded with a purchase so we could calculate what purchases result in Linux downloads.
Games Republic - Their answer to me from last time:
QuoteWe work directly with developers & online retailers like Nexway, which work directly with publishers too. We got that information on our About Us page: https://gamesrepublic.com/service/about-us.html
We sell only legitimate and authorized keys received directly from the publishers
Developers stores
One major way to support developers is to buy directly from their own store or website. Like the Feral store, Aspyr Media store, Virtual Programming store as some examples. That way, you are guaranteed to not only count as a Linux sale, but support developers directly with more of your money (Steam gets no cut then for example).
Final note, please try to remain respectful in the comments. There's no need to be rude or disrespectful to others. Disagreements are fine and part of life, insults and bad attitudes are not needed here.
With thanks to Samsai and Flesk for giving their input on this article. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
So wait, Bundle Stars (despite mentioning Linux explicitly in their store filters) does not actually sell Linux keys? That really sucks since I did bought games from them.
Are we really sure about this?
Are we really sure about this?
2 Likes, Who?
Hmm I usually buy steam on my macbook but play on my linux desktop... so those are osx purchase then omg... didn't know this.
I thought Steam tracks only the platform you play on. For example I bought a few windoze only games on OSX so what's up with them? (Mass Effect, Dungeon Siege etc.)
I thought Steam tracks only the platform you play on. For example I bought a few windoze only games on OSX so what's up with them? (Mass Effect, Dungeon Siege etc.)
0 Likes
I feel that someone could essentially one-up you and ask you why you feel entitled to buy games at sales price, and complain that you are participating in a race to the bottom that is hurting indies. In fact I've read blog posts from multiple indie developers making exactly that claim, linked on this site.
It turns out that morality is kind of a subjective thing. People have different perspectives and stakes in this issue.
I am glad this article is there to answer questions that people might have about how to support games on gnu+linux, but I think the best approach is to present the facts without judgment and let people use their own sense of morality to make their decisions.
I don't want to diminish the work you do with this site, I just think there could be a little more nuance there.
It turns out that morality is kind of a subjective thing. People have different perspectives and stakes in this issue.
I am glad this article is there to answer questions that people might have about how to support games on gnu+linux, but I think the best approach is to present the facts without judgment and let people use their own sense of morality to make their decisions.
I don't want to diminish the work you do with this site, I just think there could be a little more nuance there.
8 Likes, Who?
I usually do the following
Buy all the bundles available windows,mac,linux whatever
Humble Monthly, weekly bundles , indiegala,bundlestars etc
Activate all the games from bundles that I dont have, it doesnt matter if are linux or windows or whatever.
Run steam idle in order to get cards
---> sell cards ,get steam money, buy a linux game that I like
or sometimes exchange games for a linux game that I dont have and I like to play
I also get steam codes because sometimes I am selling hardware for example amd codes for Total War: Warhammer and Deus EX Mankind divided
Most of the games that they are already ported to Linux like Rocket League,Mad Max, Dawn of War II,COH 2,Tomb Raider and so many others I already had them from bundles.
Should I be ashame for that ? I am not :P
I do support most of the times the day 1 release Linux games like I bought XCOM2 , Hearts of Iron V and so many others or buy DLC for that game that ported to linux.
some people posting to steam forums requesting for a Linux port , some other buying ONLY linux released games from GOG , some other other buying only from Feral or Aspyr store and some other email or tweet to developers for a Linux port
either way at the end we all we all contribute to Linux gaming community in one way or another :)
Last edited by wolfyrion on 6 October 2016 at 3:06 am UTC
Buy all the bundles available windows,mac,linux whatever
Humble Monthly, weekly bundles , indiegala,bundlestars etc
Activate all the games from bundles that I dont have, it doesnt matter if are linux or windows or whatever.
Run steam idle in order to get cards
---> sell cards ,get steam money, buy a linux game that I like
or sometimes exchange games for a linux game that I dont have and I like to play
I also get steam codes because sometimes I am selling hardware for example amd codes for Total War: Warhammer and Deus EX Mankind divided
Most of the games that they are already ported to Linux like Rocket League,Mad Max, Dawn of War II,COH 2,Tomb Raider and so many others I already had them from bundles.
Should I be ashame for that ? I am not :P
I do support most of the times the day 1 release Linux games like I bought XCOM2 , Hearts of Iron V and so many others or buy DLC for that game that ported to linux.
some people posting to steam forums requesting for a Linux port , some other buying ONLY linux released games from GOG , some other other buying only from Feral or Aspyr store and some other email or tweet to developers for a Linux port
either way at the end we all we all contribute to Linux gaming community in one way or another :)
Last edited by wolfyrion on 6 October 2016 at 3:06 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
[email protected] Oct 6, 2016
I buy all games via Steam for Linux. Purely. I don't even use my Android phone to do it. Just to be sure.
Recently, I got Rocket League and all it's DLC, Aragami collection and SOMA on sale.
I'm looking to pick up Mad Max, Deus Ex : Mankind Divided and XCOM II. I actually practically kicked smoking to support the Linux games initiative. At least it's going towards growing the platform for gaming here.
Hopefully soon, I can get my hands on Battlechasers : Nightwar and Shadow Warrior 2. Big fan of those franchises.
And ASPYR, YOU GET CIV 6 TO LINUX and I'd gladly burn 100 Euros on it even. I've got my eyes on you =D
Last edited by [email protected] on 6 October 2016 at 3:44 am UTC
Recently, I got Rocket League and all it's DLC, Aragami collection and SOMA on sale.
I'm looking to pick up Mad Max, Deus Ex : Mankind Divided and XCOM II. I actually practically kicked smoking to support the Linux games initiative. At least it's going towards growing the platform for gaming here.
Hopefully soon, I can get my hands on Battlechasers : Nightwar and Shadow Warrior 2. Big fan of those franchises.
And ASPYR, YOU GET CIV 6 TO LINUX and I'd gladly burn 100 Euros on it even. I've got my eyes on you =D
Last edited by [email protected] on 6 October 2016 at 3:44 am UTC
2 Likes, Who?
I think someone posted that GOG support told him, that they collect stats on user agents and downloads. But I can't find the source now.
2 Likes, Who?
Quoteyou’re not entitled to anything.
Sorry, but this is extremely offensive. Blocking off people from cultural activities because of their financial situation or location is simply wrong.
That said, I rather think there's sufficiently convenient alternatives to shady store fronts to make this point moot.
Last edited by emphy on 6 October 2016 at 5:35 am UTC
6 Likes, Who?
Guys, take a deep breath. Everyone has an opinion and no one here can force you to share theirs. In fact it's silly to accuse someone of forcing you to do this or that when all they actually do is write something that you disagree with. So please, less drama and more discussion about the facts. This is an article about best practices, not the ten commandments of Linux gaming. You won't be cast into the fiery pits of Windows if you transgress this covenant.
Personally I happen to agree with Liam though, on most points at least. I don't buy stuff from resellers I don't trust, or ones that I know are doing shady business, even if I know that means I can't afford the product. I've often been in a situation where I couldn't afford games, which means I don't own many games. I'm patient though, and sooner or later (or much later) every game I'm interested in goes on a good sale in GOG, Steam or Humble. No need for third party resellers. I don't get to buy all the games I want, but that's okay. I get enough.
This philosophy applies to everything I buy though, not just entertainment. I'm not entitled to stuff I cannot afford, and I'm happier without stuff I could only afford if I supported immoral or even illegal practices by shady companies. (Not just G2A and pals, but multinationals like Nestle, H&M etc.)
Personally I happen to agree with Liam though, on most points at least. I don't buy stuff from resellers I don't trust, or ones that I know are doing shady business, even if I know that means I can't afford the product. I've often been in a situation where I couldn't afford games, which means I don't own many games. I'm patient though, and sooner or later (or much later) every game I'm interested in goes on a good sale in GOG, Steam or Humble. No need for third party resellers. I don't get to buy all the games I want, but that's okay. I get enough.
This philosophy applies to everything I buy though, not just entertainment. I'm not entitled to stuff I cannot afford, and I'm happier without stuff I could only afford if I supported immoral or even illegal practices by shady companies. (Not just G2A and pals, but multinationals like Nestle, H&M etc.)
6 Likes, Who?
Regarding sales: Developers often look more at the number of sales rather than the turnover on each platform. Therefore it doesn't really matter wether you pay full price or sale price. In fact during a sale, you can buy more games for the same amount of money, so if you spend the money you save on other games, you are actually boosting Linux statistics.
0 Likes
Quoting: ShmerlI think someone posted that GOG support told him, that they collect stats on user agents and downloads. But I can't find the source now.
I wanted to hint on the same, e.g. for the question when you buy from mobile. I've set my user agent for Steam to a plausible string containing "Linux" (using UAControl) on my work desktop PC running Windows. You could do it for other shops as well.
Quoting: AsuHmm I usually buy steam on my macbook but play on my linux desktop... so those are osx purchase then omg... didn't know this.
The tipp above might be useful for you.
Last edited by Eike on 6 October 2016 at 7:34 am UTC
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