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Steam now has above 2,500 Linux & SteamOS games available

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I've seen some posts on reddit and across the wider net about Steam hitting around 2,000 games for Linux. The truth is the number is actually quite a lot higher.

People seem to be using SteamDB numbers which aren't up to date. The problem here is that SteamDB is unofficial and a manual process for people to let them know a game works. So you need to own the game and manually tell them, which makes their numbers rather different to the reality.
Note: SteamDB do truly excellent work, this isn't a bash attempt, but to let people know how they work and how their list is different.

The other problem is that the Steam Search when filtering only for Games and only for Linux is still incorrect. It actually lists games that are due soon, or due this month and haven't released yet. It also still lists games that haven't updated their release date that were supposed to release before today, but didn't actually release yet.

In reality, the number is around 2,500 Linux games on Steam right now. Using the official Steam Search it gives us "2,549" games, but that's still off by a little bit due to the above mentioned issues.

With that said having at least 2,500 games on Linux is pretty amazing isn't it? Granted there's a lot of junk, but we have been steadily getting some bigger releases as well as some fantastic smaller games.

In comparison, Mac OSX has around "3,791" games and Windows has around "10,260". Those numbers are without taking into account the above issues, so those numbers will also be a bit smaller. Windows will continue to dwarf us in game count for a long time given the current numbers and rate of increase.

We have two key things that are missing right now as far as games go:
- Day 1 releases for bigger titles
- Bigger titles
There's obviously a lot of other issues holding us back, but this article is entirely about the games themselves.

Both of which have slowly been increasing over time thanks to the porting efforts of various companies and individual porters.

Just remember, a couple years ago that number was zero on the biggest PC gaming store and community of them all. Good progress, but lots still to do for us.

Another interesting mark is the top played games on Steam. This changes often with releases and sales, but as of right now 8/10 games in the top 10 support Linux. Pretty good that. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial, Steam
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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36 comments
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Beamboom Sep 28, 2016
Doesn't matter much though. What matters are how many of the best selling games are on Linux. That's the "make it or break it" for our platform.
Eike Sep 28, 2016
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Quoting: GuestThen DOOM happened.

I don't think there can be anything like this anymore without a whole new technology.
Like VR.
But then, people need to have their hands on the new technology...
MadVillain Sep 28, 2016
Quoting: elbuglioneuse Nvidia Card, and you will not have any problem.
Weeelll i actually do have nvidia card and latest proprietary drivers from nvidia ppa.
My problem with Dota 2 was not even about video card, it was about keyboard input.
Both of these problems was reported a long time ago and developers did nothing to fix them.

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Dota-2/issues/453
https://steamcommunity.com/app/241930/discussions/0/451850468366263604/


Last edited by MadVillain on 28 September 2016 at 5:51 pm UTC
Mountain Man Sep 28, 2016
Quoting: Eike
Quoting: MegazellFor example on STEAM, reviewers on Linux should denote that somehow. I tend to post my distro for the games I review. I should do it more often, tho.

Just had the same thought. :) I have "Runs fine for me on Linux." as the last sentence of a review. Should do that every time (when it's true, obviously). Just to remind people every now and then that Linux gaming is a thing and that the game they're interested in runs on Linux.
I always include a word about Linux performance in every review I write.
skinnyraf Sep 28, 2016
Quoting: MintedGamerThe best thing we can do is vote with our wallets, only buy games with Linux support, and do without the EA and Ubisoft windows only franchises that are mostly stale and uninnovative anyway.

You're right... But the Witcher 3 :(

But I've managed to change the way I see Windows-only games: as exclusives. I'd love to play Doom, just as I'd love to play Uncharted, but neither is on my platform of choice.
Arthur Sep 29, 2016
Quoting: ajgpI already have far too many games on Linux to play than I have time for! My last non-linux purchase was Witcher 3 (and I havent yet played it!!), and other than that I havent bought a windows only game since 2014.

I am slowly playing my way through my steam library, and my MMO itch is sated by GW2 via WINE
GW2 has a lot worse performance in WINE for me, enough that I can't be bothered and swallow the Windows poison for my eyes.
I wish for a Guild Wars 3 with Vulkan, even if reusing most of the GW2 content.
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