gaming on linux
gaming on linux
Thanks for the details. I plan to try crossover and also consider using VMware since it seems effective for virtual gaming. I’m also curious—could it be feasible to use my CPU directly as a pass-through instead of relying on a separate GPU, given that I don’t have another one available?
It's always wise to ask questions. We all encountered this topic for the first time at some point. It's your chance to learn now. Yes, you can bypass your CPU; it won't actually help. Your CPU lacks built-in graphics support. However, it does allow hardware-level virtualization, which is what enables running a virtual machine. This is where the "pass through" feature originates, since the hardware must either natively support virtualization or your CPU only utilizes it within the VM. Your GPU doesn't offer native virtualization capabilities either. These types of solutions exist but aren't suited for gaming PCs. That leaves you with two choices: route the device through the VM or run it alongside the host system.
It isn't available on Linux since Vanguard operates directly within the Windows kernel and depends heavily on Windows APIs. Windows provides consistent behavior and closed-source reliability, whereas Linux offers more flexibility but with different security dynamics. You'd typically require a specialized proprietary distribution to match its functionality and protection level, which the community likely wouldn't support. Additionally, Riot Games would need to develop extra code for less than 1% of their player base. Valorant won't run in Wine or cross over to Windows due to these constraints, and Vanguard actively detects VM usage and flags it as a potential violation. If you want to play Valorant, you'd need to either dual boot or stick with Windows.
there isnt really much point in virtualising newer games. at least from what i have seen / read - half the games come out as alpha / beta versions and constantly require major fixes. - the basic game requirements are getting out of hand - the updates to games end up requiring newer hardware to keep playing - anti-cheat kernel level = now you gotta hope that the game companies are as vigilant as keeping bad actors out of your system or you could lose your whole system through no fault of the operating system or the user. if a game doesnt have either a - native port - successful translation interpreter layer like wine/proton then im not interested my biggest / heaviest games i am currently playing on Linux Mint Debian Edition 5 - space engineers ( but im not sure i like this one ) - Elite Dangerous - Far Cry 5 - New Dawn - Eve online ( not sure how i feel about this one ) - War Frame ( kinda sick of the constant updates/ patches installation delay ) - X4 Foundations (current favourite ) - Euro Truck Sim 2 - American Truck Sim but i digress
You appear to be the sole choice available because you don’t have an extra GPU to use. I’ll likely wait until the release of version 2 before switching, as Valorant will be better supported on Linux. Another concern is whether it’s feasible to move all data from your external drive to another drive—Linux on an NVMe drive and Windows on an SATA SSD.
It seems like the goal is to avoid unnecessary steps like setting up a VM or using an RTX 4080 just for testing games on Linux. If it works on Windows, that’s fine—what matters is cost. A Windows 10 license costs about $30, which feels reasonable compared to the rest of the gear. I’m not sure what an "aperiteef data add" means, but it sounds like each OS should have its own partition. That’s a solid approach. It’s better to dual boot from two separate drives rather than merging them. Windows can often overwrite the EFI or boot partition, which stops dual booting later.
Sorry about the mistake—I meant to say "separate SATA SSD and" What I really wanted was to switch Linux to an NVMe drive and Windows to a SATA SSD.