Check out our Monthly Survey Page to see what our users are running.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is out now as a partnership between Timelock Studio and Croteam. It can run rather well on Linux, although you do need a quick adjustment for Steam Play Proton.

This is a much shorter and simpler game than previous entries, as it's a sort-of standalone expansion that sits together with Serious Sam 4. Although, going in cold is not a big deal, since it's mostly the usual mindless fast-paced shooting you would expect from a Serious Sam game. The game actually started off life from a modding team, who under guidance from Croteam, turned it into an official game in the series.

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

Out of the box, it does work on Linux with Proton and so it will on the Steam Deck too. However, there's no sound. A quick fix is available though! All you need to do is go into the sound settings and select OpenAL as the output instead of the default XAudio. After that, it all works as you would expect.

Performance is a bit shaky though, which is true on Windows as well. Since it's using Croteam's game engine, you can swap Direct3D 11 for Vulkan in the Graphics options to get native Vulkan on Linux (instead of it going through DXVK). In my own testing (at least on NVIDIA), you're definitely going to want to hit the switch to Vulkan too, as it gave a boost of ~20FPS in most cases and was less stuttery too.

It clearly needs some more optimization as a whole though, as other players have also noticed the low GPU usage and micro-stuttering that's completely random even with nothing happening. Most of the time it's okay and good enough to run and gun your way through it.

You don't get much breathing space, your heart will be furiously pumping and your fingers may begin to ache as it's so fast. Perhaps a little too fast at times, everything feels like someone set a knocked a magical speed dial up. Honestly, it's like you're on roller skates but that is true of most Serious Sam games.

It does the job quite nicely of making you feel like the ultimate bad-ass with no filler — it's all action. Unless you count a few optional side-missions, which are still full of completely insane action. A few dumb one-liners too because what's a hero without that? If that's what you're after, it's thoroughly entertaining.

Available to buy on Humble Store and Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
14 Likes
About the author -
author picture
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.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
21 comments
Page: 1/3»
  Go to:

sudoer Jan 26, 2022
well it was a shame Croteam gave their loyal Linux fan base (+Vulkan) the middlefinger with SS4 and this, ever since AlenL left the company to join Google Stadia or what was it. SS4 ran horribly or not at all with Proton despite 10 engine + proton hacks combination and people also heavily complained about stuttering and bad performance issues since the beginning that were never fixed, so I made my choice ever since not supporting Croteam in the slightest anymore. Buying SS4 only because I was a loyal fan and out of good faith that they would eventually care to bring out the Linux version after some time was a big mistake.


Last edited by sudoer on 26 January 2022 at 3:38 pm UTC
Termy Jan 26, 2022
Yeah, it's a shame seeing a pioneer in native Linux and Vulkan succumb to the dark side :/
TheSHEEEP Jan 26, 2022
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
I'm just glad something good came out of SS4 after the monumental disappointment that it was in pretty much all regards.

Somehow, Croteam just lost their magic between SS2 and SS3. No idea what happened there.

This standalone expansion, however, is pretty amazing and it shows it was developed by people who actually understood what made SS great to begin with.
ShabbyX Jan 26, 2022
> everything feels like someone set a knocked a magical speed dial up

Luckily implementing such magic in computer games is as easy as `*2`.


Last edited by ShabbyX on 26 January 2022 at 5:33 pm UTC
rea987 Jan 26, 2022
Without a proper native port I'll pass. So many good native games to play.
gbudny Jan 26, 2022
I like games that Croteam created for Linux even if their early versions were very buggy. I can even spend money on a native game for Linux that wasn't finished or when you don't officially support it.

You can publish one or two versions for Linux, and discontinue it, which is still better than nothing.

Unfortunately, I can't buy a game for Windows, and I don't care how well it runs on Proton, Wine, etc. It's a fun game for Windows users.

However, I use Linux when I play games and rarely Mac. Be SERIOUS about your customers that don't want to use Windows.


Last edited by gbudny on 26 January 2022 at 10:21 pm UTC
omer666 Jan 26, 2022
I got pretty incensed about Serious Sam 4 not coming to Linux despite their early claims.

To be honest I may buy it someday but if I have to consider Proton games there are much better FPS I should buy before even considering eyeing this one.
jp Jan 27, 2022
Quoting: omer666To be honest I may buy it someday but if I have to consider Proton games there are much better FPS I should buy before even considering eyeing this one.
Better and smooth FPS (without stuttering and high system load) on Windows.
Xpander Jan 27, 2022
Woow. What have they done with their good game engine? It used to be really good with the HD remakes and Serious Sam 3. Now it runs like crap. frametime spikes all over the place. GPU doesn't even get fully utilized with Ultra GPU settings and 1440p. And the game doesn't really look amazing. Looks more like a game from 2010 or so.
Ryzen 7 3700X gets only 30-40% Utilization and GTX 1080Ti 55-70%. Vulkan rendering.
Gameplay is kinda meh also, at least at the beginning of the game. Gunplay feels very weak and feedback is almost non existent. Specially shotgun. Explosions are good though and Sam jokes are pretty good in line with their earlier games.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.