Considering switching to linux. Is the steam library for that comparible to windows

[M0dulo]

I hate windows 10 and 11 and I really don't want to have to use their crap anymore. I'm considering switching to linuxs but I'm not sure how much of my steam library I would lose out on. Especially when it comes to VR games. What do you think? Is there a tool where I can see what in my library is compatible?

[Omega]

Many games have a native Linux version. For those which do not (Or just have a terrible native version) you can instead run the Windows version of the game via Proton.

Proton is a compatibility layer based on WINE which can run Windows programs on Linux, it is included with Steam for Linux. It is what the Steam Deck uses to run Windows games.

By default you can only install whitelisted Windows games, in the Steam settings you can enable a setting which will allow you to install any Windows game.

Most non-whitelisted Windows games just work, the primary games to have issues are those with intrusive DRM or anti-cheat software. You can check protondb.com to see which games work, don't work, which issues you might encounter or what tweaks they might require to function properly. You can use the dashboard tab to get a rough overview of the compatibility of your personal Steam library after providing it with a link to your Steam profile or Steam ID.

[worstcaster]

Generally it is great for single player games. DRM and anticheat can be an issue with multiplayer games. As mentioned above protondb and the Steamdeck verified program can be useful for checking the ones you use the most.

I think some VR games work, but that is a little less well supported. You might want the check on the VR and Linux subforums to get options from people who use them.

As general switching to Linux advise: check non games programs you use to see if they are available. For example Adobe programs tend to be poorly supported. Most of the open source alternatives ie. Libre Office for Windows Suite, Kdenlive for video editing, GIMP for photo editing are available on Windows, so you can she if any of those are a deal breaker for you.

Don't get hung up on distros. Since Linux is so customizable you can make any distro look and behave like another with some work. Look at different desktop environments. Ie. Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon. You can switch the look and feel of the OS without having to do a full reinstall. This will help you get things the way you like it with less hassle.

[N3tRunn3r]

If you really have decided, get Debian @ https://debian.org/
Minimal NetInstall @ https://www.debian.org/distrib/

Or Linux Mint, fully based on Debian @ https://linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

Proton you want to have, as mentioned already.

[Omega]

Originally posted by N3tRunn3r:

If you really have decided, get Debian @ https://debian.org/
Minimal NetInstall @ https://www.debian.org/distrib/

Or Linux Mint, fully based on Debian @ https://linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

Proton you want to have, as mentioned already.

Debian is really not a beginner distro.

Linux Mint, Manjaro, Solus, Ubuntu, Garuda, Elementary OS etc.. those are the type of distros which should be recommended to beginners.

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

When I tried Linux I was surprised at how many games in my library actually ended up working. I was only expecting a few to actually launch but to my surprise almost half my library was compatible.

I still went back to windows lol. I'm not ready for Linux just yet. I love the idea of Linux but I'm unable to make it practical for every use.

[HypersleepyNaputunia]

manjaro is pretty easy
debian will throw up a few roadblocks you have to google for answer on, not many but a couple

[Ulfrinn]

Originally posted by Omega:

Originally posted by N3tRunn3r:

If you really have decided, get Debian @ https://debian.org/
Minimal NetInstall @ https://www.debian.org/distrib/

Or Linux Mint, fully based on Debian @ https://linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

Proton you want to have, as mentioned already.

Debian is really not a beginner distro.

Linux Mint, Manjaro, Solus, Ubuntu, Garuda, Elementary OS etc.. those are the type of distros which should be recommended to beginners.

I do agree Debian is a bad choice for beginners. Manjaro isn't that great of a distro to begin with though. The best starter distros right now are probably PopOS and Fedora. But definitely avoid Manjaro. If you want something Arch based, but a bit simpler and more streamlined, go with EndeavorOS. As someone who has been using Arch for about 10 years now, I would still recommend PopOS or Fedora to complete beginners.

[Ulfrinn]

Originally posted by Hardʬare Hero:

When I tried Linux I was surprised at how many games in my library actually ended up working. I was only expecting a few to actually launch but to my surprise almost half my library was compatible.

I still went back to windows lol. I'm not ready for Linux just yet. I love the idea of Linux but I'm unable to make it practical for every use.

When did you try that last? So far every game in my Steam library, and a significant number of games I have that aren't on Steam run and play without issue. I've actually been installing games I haven't played in a while, and don't really have any intention of playing in an attempt to find one that doesn't work.

[[N]ebsun]

For basic usage, Debian is fine for beginners - recent releases are quite straightforward to set up.. There will be some things to learn, of course - but that should be expected with using any OS for the first time.
For Steam, I would go for an Arch based distro though - since that is what they are using for SteamOS

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

I tried pop-os Nvidia about two years ago. I actually liked it. I just had a brightness issue at first. Nvidia was setting my display color range incorrectly and I had no shades of grey.

It was setting it to rgb full when my display is actually rgb limited. It threw me off at first because Nvidia doesn't do that on windows.

[A&A]

The closest thing to Windows for me is Mint. And it is hard to break :)

[Agent]

Originally posted by A&A:

The closest thing to Windows for me is Mint. And it is hard to break :)

I used it on one of my spare machines, but once I realised you couldn't do above 720p on Netflix, uninstalled and back to Windows.

[Peelingspud]

Originally posted by Hardʬare Hero:

When I tried Linux I was surprised at how many games in my library actually ended up working. I was only expecting a few to actually launch but to my surprise almost half my library was compatible.

I still went back to windows lol. I'm not ready for Linux just yet. I love the idea of Linux but I'm unable to make it practical for every use.

Wish I could say the same, only game that runs for me is Doom64, others like Doom 2016, Eternal, Borderlands 3 etc wont run, most say they are launching but never do, some say they are running but nada.
This is on Mint and Ubuntu and I've tried everything to get them to run but I end up booting back to Win10 if I want to play those games, annoying as hell as I'm mostly using Linux Mint 20.3

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

@Peelingspud:

I had that issue when I was using the default proton labelled as experimental. I used an older one and more games worked.

I was using a gtx 1050 in that build.

[Omega]

Originally posted by Nebsun:

For basic usage, Debian is fine for beginners - recent releases are quite straightforward to set up.. There will be some things to learn, of course - but that should be expected with using any OS for the first time.
For Steam, I would go for an Arch based distro though - since that is what they are using for SteamOS

That is the thing, it is not straight forward to set up.

Debian's software in the mainline release is old, this will cause lots of confusion as to why newer games don't work or perform very badly.

Debian also does not ship any non-free software or firmware by default. This will make people wonder why their Wi-Fi, ethernet and/or GPUs are not working properly

So you will need to know how to;
1. Switch to Debian Sid or Debian Testing.
2. Enable the Debian non-free repositories.

Or alternatively, you need to know that Debian also provides unofficial installation images with this configuration by default. It is going to be an adventure to find these, the Debian website is famous for its unnavigability.

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

Originally posted by Omega:

Debian is really not a beginner distro.

Linux Mint, Manjaro, Solus, Ubuntu, Garuda, Elementary OS etc.. those are the type of distros which should be recommended to beginners.

I do agree Debian is a bad choice for beginners. Manjaro isn't that great of a distro to begin with though. The best starter distros right now are probably PopOS and Fedora. But definitely avoid Manjaro. If you want something Arch based, but a bit simpler and more streamlined, go with EndeavorOS. As someone who has been using Arch for about 10 years now, I would still recommend PopOS or Fedora to complete beginners.

I think Pop!_OS is the way to go.

While Fedora is my favorite distro it will cause some hinderance for new users who might not understand why their YouTube video's aren't working properly. Fedora does not ship patent encumbered codecs by default, you will have to pull ffmpeg from the RPM Fusion repositories.