The conversation around gaming on Linux sure has changed in the last few years. And these benchmark results prove it.

I recently spent some time with the Framework 13 laptop, evaluating it with the new Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and the AMD Ryzen 7 7480U. It felt like the perfect opportunity to test how a handful of games ran on Windows 11 and Fedora 40. I was genuinely surprised by the results!

…

The Framework 13 is perfectly capable of gaming even with its integrated graphics, provided you’re willing to compromise by lowering the resolution and quality presets for more demanding games. (It’s also a testament to how far AMD’s APUs have come in the past decade.)

Summary of results:

  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Linux wins
  • Total War: Warhammer III: Windows wins
  • Cyberpunk 2077: Linux wins
  • Forza Horizon 5: Windows wins

These results are an interesting slice of the Linux vs Windows gaming picture, but certainly not representative of the entire landscape. A few shorts years ago, however, I never would have dreamed I’d be writing an article where even two games on Linux are outperforming their Windows counterparts.

Archived Link

  • Opisek@lemmy.world
    283·
    3 months ago

    What I’m still missing unfortunately is how seemingly all modern online games require stupid kernel level anti-cheats that don’t work on Linux.

    • Crozekiel@lemmy.zip
      342·
      3 months ago

      Yea, but honestly that’s not a Linux problem imo. Invasive anti-cheat has been a deal breaker for me since its inception. It started as “I don’t want to deal with your shitty software always running in the background eating up my CPU cycles, need maximum performance baby” and then quickly became “I’m not giving your shitty software kernal access to my entire machine, I don’t trust you”.

      It’s made so much worse when you realize it doesnt even actually stop cheaters…

      • lidstah@lemmy.sdf.org
        132·
        3 months ago

        I must admit that my evil self impatiently waits for a crowdstrike-like event, but with a kernel-level anti-cheat instead. On the more serious side, it baffles me how much the vast majority of people don’t care about privacy or security problematics. They literally don’t give a f**k.

      • stupidcasey@lemmy.world
        91·
        3 months ago

        You’re right it’s not a Linux problem but it is a problem more to the point it’s our problem and anyone who would want to switch

        Cold hard fact is that people just do not care what causes the problem and people do not care if something is %1 worse or %1000 worse they will always pick the one slightly better that’s why monopoly’s are an inherent part of nature eventually competition is unviable.

        The only hope is that either Linux crosses the critical threshold of being slightly better than Windows or windows gets so invasive and counterintuitive that even normies can’t use it for productivity

        I use Linux all the time I have three physical servers running probably 20 or 30 VM’s and containers but even I am hesitant to switch my gaming Pc because even though I can play everything I want now what if tomorrow something comes out I really want to play but it’s locked down to windows?

        • Crozekiel@lemmy.zip
          2·
          3 months ago

          I just don’t agree. First, I don’t think a monopoly is an inherent part of nature, and further I disagree that monopolies exist because some company just makes the absolute best product and people end up always choosing it. A monopoly’s key feature is not giving the consumer a real choice through shady and unfair business practices.

          Also, windows is not the better product. They don’t make the best OS. Arguments could be made that they have a better OS for gaming, but for almost everything else they are worse than basically every alternative (not just Linux) but still dominate market share due to lack of consumer choice. At the retailer, hardware is tied to an OS - if you want macos you have to buy Mac hardware. If you want chromeos you have to by an underwhelming netbook.

          IMO, keeping windows around just in case a company does some underhanded shit like kernal anti-cheat or invasive DRM so you can give your support to the company doing the underhanded shit is a detriment to progress.

          I’d rather struggle to learn freecad than keep windows around even though fusion360 is easier (for me) to understand, because I don’t want to reward bad behavior. If those of us that can switch don’t, then things don’t get better. I couldn’t have made the switch if thousands of people more knowledgeable and talented before me hadn’t taken the first steps. It’s soapboxy, I know, but I also feel it’s important.

          • stupidcasey@lemmy.world
            11·
            3 months ago

            I won’t waste to much time on a generated question but businesses become monopolies by being better than others or one of the ones would have became the monopoly then when they have no competition they can get as bad as they like(NOTE: better doesn’t necessarily mean better for you it could mean better at collecting payments or better at logistics but better nonetheless)

            And the fact of the matter is nobody likes competition so they all try too work around it.

      • Opisek@lemmy.world
        21·
        3 months ago

        It’s extremely invasive, but I won’t give up playing something that my friends all enjoy once in a while. The best hope is that companies realize that Steam Deck and other efforts make companies consider other markets.

        • Crozekiel@lemmy.zip
          11·
          3 months ago

          Also, it sounds more like you’re advocating for kernal level anti-cheat being created for Linux by game devs as opposed to being against the horrible and invasive practice regardless of OS.

        • Crozekiel@lemmy.zip
          11·
          3 months ago

          It’s all about where to draw the line, and what you are able to tolerate, I guess. The biggest problem with that though is continuing to support a game / Dev / publisher that is consistently doing these awful things.

          If you aren’t able to tell your friends “no, I’m not playing that game, and here’s why” then the industry will just slide deeper into these terrible practices and the entire games industry gets worse. Some people don’t even understand what anti-cheat is doing (and think it works), and if those of us that do, that they trust, don’t explain it to them, they won’t have the opportunity to make an informed decision of whether to support it or not.

    • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
      18·
      3 months ago

      If Microsoft makes good on their threats to cut off all kernel-level access to third party applications, that might help with that

    • Cethin@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      All? It’s just Riot, right? I haven’t had issues playing anything else, but I also don’t play most AAA games so idk. What other companies are doing it?

          • Vik@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            3 months ago

            Oh right, neat!

            I guess I’m just thinking of a couple games with BE who have not bothered to reach out for this.

            I think EA and Activision also have newish, bespoke anti-cheat for Battlefield and call of duty respectively. I don’t believe either of those work on Linux but I could be mistaken.

            • Cethin@lemmy.zipEnglish
              2·
              3 months ago

              Yeah, it looks like EA’s launcher/anti-cheat explicitly do not allow wine. Oh well. EA hasn’t published an interesting game in many years.

              • Vik@lemmy.worldEnglish
                2·
                3 months ago

                You’re not wrong. I have no idea about the call of duty one either. I’m guessing it similarly doesn’t work.

                It sort of highlights another issue; even though a game technically leverages an AC system that can work in Steam, individual developers may not bother getting it running on Linux.

                I’m no fan of Fortnite, but you can’t deny it’s massively popular. I hope the steam deck sees continued success in order to sway developers. Broadening SteamOS to other HW platforms may also help to an extent.