Across various previous articles we've looked at how many games are supported on Linux and how many Windows games work with Steam Play Proton, so let's take a look at the current top 100.
The top 100 Steam games is a list that fluctuates quite a lot, so this is taken using a snapshot of what was available thanks to SteamDB going by the 24 hour player peak count. Seems like a pretty good sample to use since it shouldn't be drastically different any time soon, except for big new releases after the article goes live of course. So this is just a snapshot of how things look in early October 2021 ahead of the Steam Deck release.
Over time the compatibility is expected to increase thanks to native ports, more Windows-only games working with Steam Play Proton and now Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye have expanded their support.
| Name | 24 Hr Peak | Linux Status |
| New World | 790,682 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 789,100 | Linux Native |
| Dota 2 | 587,627 | Linux Native |
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | 341,912 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Apex Legends | 220,593 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| NARAKA: BLADEPOINT | 131,161 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 103,932 | Works with Proton |
| Team Fortress 2 | 89,491 | Linux Native |
| Destiny 2 | 81,595 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Rust | 69,107 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Wallpaper Engine | 64,082 | Proton Broken |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | 64,048 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Warframe | 59,171 | Works with Proton |
| Dead by Daylight | 56,988 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Rocket League | 54,039 | Works with Proton |
| Battlefield V | 51,319 | Works with Proton |
| Football Manager 2021 | 50,672 | Works with Proton |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | 46,999 | Linux Native |
| FIFA 22 | 46,847 | Works with Proton |
| Cookie Clicker | 46,482 | Works with Proton |
| Valheim | 46,423 | Linux Native |
| MIR4 | 46,023 | Proton Broken |
| PAYDAY 2 | 38,942 | Linux Native |
| Sid Meier's Civilization VI | 37,433 | Linux Native |
| Terraria | 36,815 | Linux Native |
| Euro Truck Simulator 2 | 35,640 | Linux Native |
| FINAL FANTASY XIV Online | 35,113 | Works with Proton GE |
| DayZ | 34,126 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| War Thunder | 32,164 | Linux Native |
| World of Tanks Blitz | 31,939 | Works with Proton |
| Hearts of Iron IV | 31,686 | Linux Native |
| Unturned | 29,382 | Linux Native |
| Garry's Mod | 28,931 | Linux Native |
| Farming Simulator 19 | 28,141 | Works with Proton |
| Monster Hunter: World | 28,126 | Works with Proton |
| The Elder Scrolls Online | 25,690 | Works with Proton |
| Don't Starve Together | 25,412 | Linux Native |
| Total War: WARHAMMER II | 25,372 | Linux Native |
| Stardew Valley | 24,900 | Linux Native |
| Brawlhalla | 23,196 | Works with Proton |
| 雀魂麻将(MahjongSoul) | 23,028 | Works with Proton |
| Left 4 Dead 2 | 22,208 | Linux Native |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition | 21,876 | Works with Proton GE |
| Phasmophobia | 21,558 | Works with Proton |
| Europa Universalis IV | 20,886 | Linux Native |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 20,084 | Works with Proton |
| Sid Meier's Civilization V | 19,629 | Linux Native |
| Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | 19,578 | Works with Proton |
| 7 Days to Die | 19,320 | Linux Native |
| RimWorld | 19,272 | Linux Native |
| Black Desert | 18,719 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 18,622 | Works with Proton |
| Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous | 18,336 | Works with Proton |
| Bloons TD 6 | 17,775 | Works with Proton |
| VRChat | 17,705 | Unstable with Proton |
| Bless Unleashed | 17,400 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 17,363 | Linux Native |
| Fallout 4 | 17,208 | Works with Proton |
| SMITE | 17,107 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Hunt: Showdown | 16,873 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| SCUM | 16,750 | Proton Broken |
| Factorio | 16,549 | Linux Native |
| Stellaris | 16,463 | Linux Native |
| Cities: Skylines | 16,238 | Linux Native |
| Arma 3 | 16,060 | Partially works with Proton |
| Conqueror's Blade | 15,251 | Proton Broken |
| Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord | 14,638 | Works with Proton |
| Battlefield 1 | 14,473 | Works with Proton |
| Counter-Strike | 14,338 | Linux Native |
| tModLoader | 14,225 | Linux Native |
| No Man's Sky | 13,686 | Works with Proton |
| Forza Horizon 4 | 13,465 | Works with Proton |
| EA SPORTS FIFA 21 | 13,399 | Unstable with Proton |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links | 13,358 | Works with Proton |
| eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE | 13,297 | Partially works with Proton |
| NBA 2K22 | 12,848 | Works with Proton |
| Crusader Kings III | 12,609 | Linux Native |
| Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl | 12,494 | Proton Broken |
| Sea of Thieves | 12,394 | Partially works with Proton |
| Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout | 12,266 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Football Manager 2020 | 11,991 | Works with Proton |
| The Sims 4 | 11,627 | Works with Proton |
| Soundpad | 11,571 | Proton Broken |
| Path of Exile | 11,232 | Works with Proton |
| Geometry Dash | 11,031 | Works with Proton |
| Need for Speed Heat | 11,018 | Works with Proton |
| Satisfactory | 10,788 | Works with Proton |
| World of Warships | 10,775 | Works with Proton |
| DARK SOULS III | 10,733 | Works with Proton |
| Medieval Dynasty | 10,611 | Works with Proton GE |
| Dying Light | 10,453 | Linux Native |
| F1 2021 | 10,224 | Proton Broken |
| Paladins | 10,144 | Proton Broken (Anti-Cheat) |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 9,952 | Works with Proton |
| Tales of Arise | 9,686 | Works with Proton |
| Eternal Return | 9,235 | Proton Broken |
| Divinity: Original Sin 2 | 9,131 | Works with Proton |
| BeamNG.drive | 9,123 | Works with Proton |
| Timberborn | 8,775 | Works with Proton |
| Among Us | 8,699 | Works with Proton |
Some notes:
- Proton GE refers to the community-built version of Proton. So while it requires adding it manually (which takes all of 5 minutes), it still works. This is sometimes needed for games where videos don't work with the official Proton. Valve is working on getting them all working out of the box with official Proton.
- We expect Rust to work at the launch of the Steam Deck or shortly after, given that Garry Newman of Facepunch already stated previously it was in progress to have their Easy Anti-Cheat supported in Proton.
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition works but online multiplayer can desync unless you do a small fix.
- Phasmophobia doesn't have in-game voice due to it needing Windows Cortana.
- The native port of ARK: Survival Evolved is pretty poor, and online with the Windows version in Proton is broken due to the BattlEye anti-cheat used.
- Rocket League was removed from Steam, however it does work with Wine (which Proton is built from) if you use something like the Heroic Games Launcher.
- Total War: WARHAMMER II has a native Linux port but the multiplayer is separated from Windows, it does also work with Proton.
- The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has a native port but the latest DLC does not, so it needs Proton for that.
- Fallout 4 works but needs a small launch option fix for the audio.
- Arma 3 single-player can work with Proton but multiplayer does not, same for eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE.
- Sea of Thieves works but is missing in-game voice chat.
The takeaway here is that when blending together native Linux builds, those that run well with the official Valve Proton and Proton GE you can currently expect approximately 75% (minus 3 if you don't want to count Proton GE) of the top 100 to work on Linux / SteamOS and so hopefully the SteamOS Linux powered Steam Deck too.
It's never going to be an exact figure because PC gaming (both Windows and Linux) has so many possible configurations, there's a lot of wiggle room for games to work for one person and not another so as always take it with a grain of salt. How well they work within the constraints of the Steam Deck is another matter, many will need special tweaks.
When you think about those broken by anti-cheat, 15 might not sound like a lot but these are they absolute most popular games on Steam. Their absence will be felt if they aren't updated to work.
Considering there are over 52,000 games on Steam (with hundreds releasing each week), Valve has plenty of work to do with Proton to hit their marketing where they've said their aim is for all games to work. Hopefully a bunch more developers will also look to support Linux directly with either native builds or properly test against Proton to further increase compatibility.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Quoting: BielFPsAlso Liam you should include in your post that Phasmophobia requires Cortana to use the voice functions of the game, so you kinda can play it with proton but you won't be able to speak with the ghosts.Good point, thought it was already noted. Added.
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Quoting: ShabbyXwhy? its not their fault if linux dont have this feature, its a fault of linux as an platform to run thirdyparty apps that it didnt developed speach reconiniton tech.Quoting: BielFPs... that Phasmophobia requires Cortana to use the voice functions of the game, ...
Wow, that's so braindead.
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Quoting: BielFPsYes that's why they can safely invest in a new concept like this one. Valve is in a unique position where they're consolidate as the top game store in the world and doesn't have shareholders to answer too, but this doesn't mean they don't want profit.
If for some reason investing on linux would result only in expenses they would never invest on it.
I didn't say they didn't want to profit from it. I wrote that we can't be sure why they're doing it, and I listed profit as one option.
You've never done anything for any reason other than profit? Or are Valve shareholders of a different species than you? Maybe you'd be right if they were Ferengi.
Last edited by Arten on 6 October 2021 at 7:59 am UTC
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Quoting: ShabbyXQuoting: BielFPsQuoting: ShabbyXThey did this to take advantage of the Cortana's AI, despite the "Windows dependency" part, I think this was actually pretty smart of them.Quoting: BielFPs... that Phasmophobia requires Cortana to use the voice functions of the game, ...
Wow, that's so braindead.
That's a sure way of making sure your game is completely unplayable in 5 years is what that is.
at the worst case scenario, they disable this feature and the game do work.
you seem like someone who prefer an game to never exist than to exit for a few time.
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Quoting: ArtenQuoting: BielFPsYes that's why they can safely invest in a new concept like this one. Valve is in a unique position where they're consolidate as the top game store in the world and doesn't have shareholders to answer too, but this doesn't mean they don't want profit.
If for some reason investing on linux would result only in expenses they would never invest on it.
I didn't say they didn't want to profit from it. I wrote that we can't be sure why they're doing it, and I listed profit as one option.
You've never done anything for any reason other than profit? Or are Valve shareholders of a different species than you? Maybe you'd be right if they were Ferengi.
i certainly never wasted billion of dollars into something not expecting profits in return.
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Quoting: BielFPsso you kinda can play it with proton but you won't be able to speak with the ghosts.
SPEAK... With the ghosts?! 😮
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Quoting: elmapulQuoting: ArtenQuoting: BielFPsYes that's why they can safely invest in a new concept like this one. Valve is in a unique position where they're consolidate as the top game store in the world and doesn't have shareholders to answer too, but this doesn't mean they don't want profit.
If for some reason investing on linux would result only in expenses they would never invest on it.
I didn't say they didn't want to profit from it. I wrote that we can't be sure why they're doing it, and I listed profit as one option.
You've never done anything for any reason other than profit? Or are Valve shareholders of a different species than you? Maybe you'd be right if they were Ferengi.
i certainly never wasted billion of dollars into something not expecting profits in return.
Do you have billion of dollars?
You think all the billionaires giving away their assets to charity are doing it for profit? Some of them do it for taxes, but part of it gives away so much that it doesn't make tax sense. They're doing it for something other than monetary gain. Some do it for a good feeling, someone else to be accepted back into the human race (Gates). Nobel, for example, created the Nobel Prize because he wanted to improve his reputation.
I keep saying valve can do it for profit (which I personally don't think is a bad thing), but they doesn't have to. They can count on losses to be acceptable or they can even guess that they might be profitable, but we don't have the information to say they're doing it for profit. Even that profit may end up being a side benefit of their efforts to do it for a different purpose.
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Quoting: dxmnHopefully Valve adds an easy way to implement GE's Proton into the steam deck. There are already tools like protonup that automate the aforementioned 5 minute processWhy?
If Valve wants you to use ProtonGE, the straightforward way is to ship it by default alongside "vanilla" Proton.
Are there licensing issues i'm not aware of?
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Quoting: ripper81358The out of the box experience will be the crucial point here. But even a failed steamdeck will bring better gaming to linux on the desktop, so i am quiet happy with how things develop right now.If we assume that the enormous effort Valve made for Linux gaming was finalized to the Steam machines first and the Deck now (i never trusted the hypotesis of the Windows store threat), then you say well:"right now" is the key.
If the Deck will fail, Linux gaming will follow shortly, and badly.
Last edited by kokoko3k on 6 October 2021 at 11:33 am UTC
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It's no secret why Valve push Linux. They're aware of how crucial an open platform is to having a healthy software ecosystem, and then - with Windows 8 - Microsoft showed that they wanted to close it all up so that they were in control. Whether would succeed or not isn't as important as the fact that they wanted to. And if they did that, that would kill Steam.
So Gabe Newell said
They need a way for all the Windows Steam users, should Microsoft go nuclear, to still be Steam users not on Windows, rather than Windows users not on Steam. They made their own games and client work on Linux. They tried to get OEMs to sell machines with Linux pre-installed (which didn't work). They made it pretty easy for game developers to make their games for Linux (which only kinda worked). So they brute-forced all those Windows games to work on Linux regardless of anyone else helping or not, with Proton.
Having done that, they still need everyone (particularly gamers, and particularly Microsoft) to know that they've done it. That locking Steam out of Windows isn't a viable plan, because gamers can go somewhere else. They need, say "new ways for prospective users to get into Linux gaming and experience these improvements." Which is what the Steam Deck is for. So that everyone can say, "you know what, gaming on Linux is perfectly fine. I wouldn't miss Windows because I can play all my games on Linux."
So Gabe Newell said
QuoteWe want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well. It’s a hedging strategy. I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space.They need an exit strategy from Windows in case they get locked out of it, and they need to visibly have an exit strategy as a deterrent from being locked out in the first place. And they feel qualified to hold the doors open because "people don’t realize how critical games are in driving consumer purchasing behavior."
They need a way for all the Windows Steam users, should Microsoft go nuclear, to still be Steam users not on Windows, rather than Windows users not on Steam. They made their own games and client work on Linux. They tried to get OEMs to sell machines with Linux pre-installed (which didn't work). They made it pretty easy for game developers to make their games for Linux (which only kinda worked). So they brute-forced all those Windows games to work on Linux regardless of anyone else helping or not, with Proton.
Having done that, they still need everyone (particularly gamers, and particularly Microsoft) to know that they've done it. That locking Steam out of Windows isn't a viable plan, because gamers can go somewhere else. They need, say "new ways for prospective users to get into Linux gaming and experience these improvements." Which is what the Steam Deck is for. So that everyone can say, "you know what, gaming on Linux is perfectly fine. I wouldn't miss Windows because I can play all my games on Linux."
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