

This has been the primary way for Linux users to run Windows programs on Linux. You may have heard of WINE (which stands for “Wine Is Not an Emulator”). This is where DXVK comes in.ĭXVK is a translation layer that converts DirectX calls to Vulkan. And the Doom games aren’t even available natively on Linux despite using Vulkan.īut the lack of support for Vulkan in the latest games means we don’t see many native Linux versions, despite Vulkan having a very good reputation. Some high-profile Vulkan releases include Doom and Doom Eternal by Id Software and Half-Life Alyx by Valve.

The problem is that Vulkan is not that widely used by game developers. Vulkan, on the other hand, is an open alternative to DirectX and works natively on Linux (as well as Windows and macOS). This is what causes many of the compatibility issues regarding gaming on Linux. Most developers develop with DirectX in mind, as the majority market is Windows. Vulkan, DirectX, and DXVKĭirectX is a Windows-only graphics API with no Linux support. But what if I told you, there is a way to play Windows games on Linux, and it doesn’t involve any sort of emulation or Virtual Machines? Enter DXVK. Once upon a time, those 19,660 games would be all you got on Linux, and pretty much none of them would be anything close to approaching something like Battlefield or Call of Duty. macOS is just a hair under 31k but not many of those are popular AAA games. We can see that Windows is by far the best choice if we go solely on the number of games available to the platform. On Steam, the home of PC gaming, we can see just how many games each operating system has available to it. When it comes to choosing an OS for gaming, naturally the best choice will always be the one that supports the highest number of games, and also the latest and greatest games. How many games does each OS natively support? Final thoughts regarding gaming on Linux.The best Linux Gaming operating systems.What is Steam Play, Steam Proton and Lutris?.How many games does each OS natively support?.
