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Gaming on Linux might not be quite equal to gaming on Windows yet, but with a few small free, open-source programs, you can get pretty close. Here are a few of my long-time favorites for gaming on Linux, whether you're using a laptop or a high-powered desktop.
6 OpenRGB
If you've purchased gaming peripherals in the last 15 years, you've no doubt noticed the abundance of RGB embedded in everything from headphones to mice to keyboards.
Despite how universal RGB is, most software suites designed to control the RGB on your favorite gaming peripheral won't run under Linux natively, and most emulation layers don't play nicely with them either.
That is where OpenRGB comes in. OpenRGB lets you control the RGB lights on most gaming devices from most major manufacturers out there.
I tested it against a Corsair keyboard, a Razer mouse, and a Steel Series mouse, and was pleasantly surprised to find it worked with all of them perfectly.
It doesn't let you access the advanced features related to all the extra buttons gaming peripherals tend to have, but at least you can game in style.
5 ZeroTier
Many old games no longer have official server support, and there aren't always community projects to fill in that void.
If that is the case for your favorite game, you have an option: ZeroTier.
ZeroTier lets you create a small virtual private network that treats devices connected over the internet as if they're part of the same LAN network. That way, you can use a game's integrated LAN function to play a quick round with your friends instead of relying on traditional multiplayer servers.
All you need to do is install the app then go to the ZeroTier website to set up and manage your network.
4 Lutris
Everyone has a launcher these days: the Epic Launcher, Steam, Galaxy of Gamers (GOG), and Battle.net, to name a few.
If you don't want to manually keep track of every launcher, Lutris has you covered. It collects all the games you have across all of the different launchers and displays them in one place. That means you don't need to go hunting between the different games stores if you don't remember which platform you own a game on; just hit the Play button, and you're good to go.
If you have games that install directly without a digital storefront or launcher, you can also add them to Lutris too.
3 Input Remapper
Most gaming peripherals, like your mouse and keyboard, have specialized software available for Windows that let you rebind keys and otherwise change what all the buttons do.
Unfortunately, the situation on Linux is still a bit more hit-and-miss. However, you're not totally out of luck. Input Remapper lets you rebind keys and buttons however you like, which can be extremely handy when you don't have the Logitech GHub or any of the other gaming-specific software suites available.
2 GameMode (Feral Interactive)
Linux is famously more lightweight than Windows, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement if you're looking to get the most out of your PC's potential gaming performance.
GameMode by Feral Interactive, often called Feral GameMode, automatically makes certain changes to your system to try and get the best possible performance.
Depending on your PC's default settings, you may not get much out of it, but I've always found it helpful on my laptop, since it ensures that everything that can be set to performance mode (as opposed to more battery-friendly options) is automatically dialed up to 11.
1 Open Broadcast Software
If you're gaming on Windows, the NVIDIA App and the Radeon app are usually the easiest way to capture those memorable gaming moments.
However, despite improvements to driver support in general on Linux, neither are available for Linux at this point in time.
That is where Open Broadcast Software (OBS) saves the day. OBS is typically used by streamers to record and broadcast their gameplay, but it can also be easily configured to work like NVIDIA ShadowPlay.
When you're in game, all you have to do is press the shortcut you set, and you'll save it to your drive.
I tested OBS against Shadowplay on Windows 11 to see if there was any kind of performance hit, and I was pleasantly surprised to find there wasn't anything noticeable. I can't make the same comparison on Linux (since ShadowPlay isn't available), but I wouldn't expect the performance situation to be worse.
With the real gains Linux has seen in gaming performance over the last few years, especially due to Proton. With some open-source apps to fill in for some of the Windows utilities, the gap closes even further.