Although the Microsoft Windows operating systems (OSs) have a reputation for supporting more really great games than other operating systems, there are also a lot of really cool games available for Linux.

Windows OSs are used more than any other. And that is probably why there are so many games available for Windows systems. More game developers create games for the most widely used OSs than they do for the lesser used OSs, as they are seeking a wider market for their creations. That makes sense.

However, there is a growing and dedicated base of Linux users, and the number of available games for Linux has been growing steadily. In particular, the number of “modern” games with great graphics and challenging gameplay has been increasing.

Linux users may play free and open source games, commercial games, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Great news for Linux gamers is that many popular games from other OSs are in the process of being converted or released for Linux. This means that the outlook is good for continued increase in the selection of great games for Linux.

Although many Linux games run natively (using the OS without additional “helper” software), even more games are able to run on Linux via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), machine emulators, virtual machines, and binary compatibility packages. These extra helper software utilities enable many games that are designed for Windows or other platforms to work on Linux. As you might expect, these helper utilities do not always allow flawless operation of a game. However, there is an increasing list of Windows games that run flawlessly or without serious problems using these helper utilities.

Although Linux gamers had quite a limited selection of games in the first years of development of Linux operating systems, the situation has been changing! Now there is a growing and impressive selection of many kinds of games for Linux, including games with great graphics and gameplay. It’s time to have fun gaming on Linux!

Resource Links:

There is a links list of resources for Linux users in another article on this blog entitled Linux Gamers Unite! – be sure to check there.
Vendetta online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that support Windows, Mac, and Linux users. The game “permits thousands of players to interact as the pilots of spaceships in a vast universe”. It requires a paid subscription, but has a free trial.

World of Goo has received rave reviews, and it’s available for Linux. It’s a commercial program, although there is a free demo version available if you want to try it out.

If you are an online poker enthusiast, you can find listings of poker apps that will run on Linux at pokerlistings.com, on these pages:

http://www.pokerlistings.com/mac-poker-rooms

http://www.pokerlistings.com/online-poker-rooms