Nearly 90% of Windows Games Now Run on Linux, Latest Data Shows
'Nearly nine in ten Windows games can now run on Linux systems, according to data from ProtonDB compiled by Boiling Steam. The gains came through work by developers of WINE and Proton translation layers and through interest in hardware like the Steam Deck. ProtonDB tracks games across five categories. Platinum-rated games run perfectly without adjustment. Gold titles need minor tweaks. Silver games are playable but imperfect. Bronze exists between silver and borked. Borked games refuse to launch. The proportion of new releases earning platinum ratings has grown. The red and dark red zones have thinned. Some popular titles remain incompatible, however. Boiling Steam noted that other developers appear averse to non-Windows gamers.' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/25/10/28/206219 Cheers, Peter
On Wed, 29 Oct 2025 13:28:41 +1300, Peter Reutemann quoted:
'Some popular titles remain incompatible, however. Boiling Steam noted that other developers appear averse to non-Windows gamers.'
Presumably the big sticking-point is anti-cheat. This is getting quite intrusive, to the point of loading custom system-watching code into the Windows kernel. Battlefield 6, recently launched, requires your machine to boot with Secure Boot so it can watch for the use of any potential cheating tools even *before* you start the game. At one point this caused the interesting situation that running a different game (Valorant), with its own anti-cheat system, was seen as an attempt to load some kind of cheat tool <https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/battlefield-6-open-beta-wont-run-if-you-have-valorant-installed-thanks-to-riots-anti-cheat-uninstall-if-you-plan-to-joint-the-second-open-beta-this-weekend>.
participants (2)
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro - 
                
Peter Reutemann