Linux is increasingly becoming a strong choice for PC gaming as a realistic alternative to Windows. With Wine, improved GPU driver support, SteamOS, and many other enhancements, Linux gaming is now a reality.
But as with Windows, things may not be perfect from the off. Here’s how to improve gaming on Linux with these top tips to tweak performance.
Use the Right Display Drivers
If you’ve been using Linux for any period of time, you probably know that it wasn’t always easy to use certain GPU drivers. Traditionally, proprietary drivers were limited to Windows and Mac systems. Consequently, third party drivers were needed, none of which were as good as the real thing.
Fortunately, if you’re new to Linux, you won’t know or care about any of this. You also won’t need to. AMD graphics cards are widely supported, while NVIDIA has its earlier stance and now offers better drivers.
But which GPU is best for Linux—AMD or NVIDIA? It’s difficult to say, but you’re likely to get superior support with an AMD system. That doesn’t mean you should immediately rip out your NVIDIA card, however. NVIDIA plus Intel CPU can give better results than AMD plus Intel CPU. But if your CPU is an AMD, coupling it with an AMD GPU makes far more sense.
Get the hardware right, get the drivers right, and things will improve immediately.
In addition, you’ll have an improved gaming experience on Linux with fully compatible controllers and audio. Ensure drivers for these are the latest version, and update where necessary.
Any issues with that might mean you’re better off simply updating the kernel.
Update the Linux Kernel
Deep within any operating system is a kernel, software that bridges the gap between hardware and the software you run. The Linux kernel is the heart of any Linux-based operating system, and includes a vast library of device drivers.
Most of the time these are up-to-date and include support for almost everything you might plug into your computer. But occasionally you might come across a game controller, audio, or display device that is not running at optimum.
In this case, check if it’s worth updating the Linux kernel, or see if any planned revisions will solve your problem down the line.
Tell the CPU Governor to Boost Performance
Linux users can instruct the CPU to increase performance, a trick that is vital for gaming. The easiest way to do this is with the cpufrequtils tool.
Install with
sudo apt install cpufrequtils You can launch the tool from the app drawer (or search for cpupower-gui) and use it to maximise your PC’s CPU cores. To do this:
This should make a notable difference to the Linux gaming experience.
Is the Operating System Suppressing the GPU?
In some cases, your gaming experience on Linux is actively reduced by the operating system. This particularly happens on PCs and laptops with discrete graphics cards or chips, rather than on systems with integrated GPUs.
The easiest way to overcome this is to right-click the game in question and select Launch using Discrete Graphics Card.
This will ensure that the game relies on the computer's GPU card for all graphics. You can then expect the game to launch with improved performance.
Change the Desktop Environment
Some desktop environments are bulkier than others. Unsurprisingly, this means they require more system resources to run, thereby reducing CPU and RAM for the game you’re running.
Switching to a lighter desktop environment can help with this. Installing a lightweight desktop means more resources are left over for playing games. It could be just the boost your system needs to increase framerate, for example.
Our look at the best lightweight desktop environments will help you make the right choice.
Disable the Desktop Compositor
Another tweak you can make to your Linux desktop is to disable the compositor.
While this will work with some desktop environments, it shouldn’t be necessary for GNOME, as apps and games can bypass compositing.
The compositor (or compositing window manager) is software that provides a memory buffer for each window on the screen (including those that are minimized). It can also handle visual effects for each app window.
Disabling the compositor depends on your desktop environment and the compositor.
- For KDE, press shift + alt + f12 before launching a game
- On Xfce, use the terminal command xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false (switch to true to re-enable compositing)
- For MATE, input gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false (or true when enabling)
Some distros and desktops are less reliable with disabling compositing. For example, Cinnamon, the desktop environment on Linux Mint, no longer allows the compositor to be disabled.
Enable Game Mode to Improve Games
Linux distros also support a game mode, temporary optimizations (CPU governor, screensaver blocker, GPU performance, custom scripts, and more) that run on demand.
GameMode is built into the most recent versions of Ubuntu. If your distro doesn’t have it installed, use
sudo apt install gamemode On Fedora and CentOS, use
sudo dnf install gamemode Some games have game mode support built in, so once installed it is automatically activated when the game launches. If this isn’t the case, use the gamemoderun command instead, along with the game’s process name:
gamemoderun quake3 It’s that easy to use.
Update Wine and Other Compatibility Tools
If you’re running Windows games on Linux, you should expect a performance hit. Unless the game is specifically designed to run on Linux, the requirements for Wine and other compatibility software will impact how the game runs.
To mitigate this, ensure that Wine and related software are kept up to date.
Don’t Forget to Update Your Games
It isn’t just drivers and operating systems that need to be updated for improved performance. The actual games you’re playing should be kept up to date on Linux (as with any other platform). Updating will ensure the latest patches, bug fixes, and other tweaks are applied.
Doing so can have a big effect on Linux gaming performance. If you use the Steam client, games are updated automatically by default.
Or Just Use SteamOS
All the fixes above are straightforward enough to apply, but the fact they’re even required is frustrating. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Why bother with manual kernel updates and game mode when you can simply run SteamOS.
Based on Arch Linux, SteamOS offers the optimum Linux gaming operating system experience. Arguably as good (if not better) than Windows, this is the same OS that runs on the Steam Deck handheld console.
These fixes, and many others, can be applied or toggled in SteamOS. In most cases, they’re handled automatically. The result is a robust and reliable Linux gaming experience.
Get the Best Linux Gaming Experience Possible
Gaming on Linux has come along considerably over the past few years. The release of the Steam Deck and the updated SteamOS has seemingly supercharged Linux gaming.
Is it as good as Windows gaming? No, not yet. But the two experiences are slowly aligning in a way that was considered unlikely until very recently. If you’re thinking about using Linux as your gaming desktop operating system, these steps will help you get the best performance.
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