Does anyone here do linux gaming w/out steam?

C

CrazedNerd

Guest
I'm just wondering, because I spent hours trying some GOG and Lutris gaming on Ubuntu over the past day, and I have to say both were very disappointing. If you download games directly from GOG, chances are the file gets corrupted during download for some reason, and lot's of other people have had this issue. I did get two of the games to install and run, but that's 2 out of about 8 that I tried...

Also, I tried Lutris and the downloads they have on the website, I couldn't get anything whatsoever to install properly and run.

As it stands, steam certainly isn't perfect, but the games install and run properly most of the time on Ubuntu linux. You've even got a good chance of making the windows games run if you change "Proton Experimental" to an earlier version of Proton (the one i've been using is 7 something)...I got Resident Evil 4 to run smoothly that way, and it's overall a very fun game.

I would be willing to try lutris again if you could give me an alternative to using the website directly, but some folks on here have complained that Ubuntu isn't a great distro for gaming. I'd have to disagree since steam installs with the debian package, but does that even matter?
 


@CrazedNerd :-

A lot depends on what your expectations are. I'm only an occasional gamer, and I'm perfectly happy with independent indie titles.....got no interest at all in the usual AAA+ titles.

Those I dabble with - w/out the need for Steam - include:-

Xonotic
Red Eclipse
Urban Terror
AssaultCube
etc....

These are all directly-ported for Linux anyway, and run pretty much without issues. In the last couple of years, I've re-packed/re-built all the above into 'portable' versions for Puppy.....because 'portable' applications suit the Puppy ethos so well.

I also mess about with Half-Life2 under WINE - I believe that IS by Valve, though 'Steam' is not involved - along with GZDoom, Castle Wolfenstein, the FlightGear flight simulator and the EndlessSky 'space trader'-style game.

It's quite possible to game without involving Steam.....but it all boils down to what you want, AND expect.

My choices wouldn't suit everyone.


Mike. :p
 
Last edited:
The only game I play without Steam using Lutris is World of Warcraft, for the rest I just buy my games from Steam because I have been doing that for years even before I switched to Linux. Before I switched to Linux I had a couple games using different launcher but I don't even know which those were anymore but I have always liked Steam better that is why I have stuck to Steam, also because of Valve putting so much effort into Linux gaming. The only dissapointment with Steam and Valve is that I'm still waiting for Half Life 3!
 
f33dm3bits said:
The only game I play without Steam using Lutris is World of Warcraft, for the rest I just buy my games from Steam because I have been doing that for years even before I switched to Linux. Before I switched to Linux I had a couple games using different launcher but I don't even know which those were anymore but I have always liked Steam better that is why I have stuck to Steam, also because of Valve putting so much effort into Linux gaming. The only dissapointment with Steam and Valve is that I'm still waiting for Half Life 3!
Click to expand...
Thats interesting that WoW works on Lutris.
 
Unfortunately, I do the VAST majority of my gaming on my phone, buuuut...

Back in 2016, I was running Duke Nukem 3D on my Ubuntu 16.04 'pooter, outside of Steam, using Wine.

Hope this helps!!
 
f33dm3bits said:
The only game I play without Steam using Lutris is World of Warcraft, for the rest I just buy my games from Steam because I have been doing that for years even before I switched to Linux. Before I switched to Linux I had a couple games using different launcher but I don't even know which those were anymore but I have always liked Steam better that is why I have stuck to Steam, also because of Valve putting so much effort into Linux gaming. The only dissapointment with Steam and Valve is that I'm still waiting for Half Life 3!
Click to expand...
Good luck on HL3. Doubt we see it in our lifetime.
 
Hey there, fellow gamer! I noticed your message about downloading games directly from GOG, and I'm here to help you out!
First of all, when you say "download games directly from GOG," are you referring to using the GOG Client? Because as far as I remember, you can't download EXE files directly from GOG. Instead, you'll need to download the GOG Client, and then use it to download the game you want.
Now, if you're planning to use wine to run your GOG games, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Wine can be a bit of a hit and miss - while many games run great with Wine, you need to know what you're doing. I've spent a lot of time tinkering with Wine, and even the smallest change can make a game run great or run really bad. There are also thousands of commands that can help games run better, so it's important to know what you're doing.
It's been close to a year since I last did this, so there may have been some changes since then. However, the best way to use Wine is to create a .Wine folder where you want it, making sure it's compatible with the game you want to play. Then, you can install the GOG Galaxy client in Wine using Lutris and Proton. Once you've done that, you should be able to open the client and start playing your games!
If you want more information, you can check out some of my videos on YouTube! Just head to https://www.youtube.com/@TheDanishFurryGamer/search?query=gog and you'll find plenty of helpful tips and tricks for running GOG games with Wine. Good luck, and happy gaming!
 
95+% of my purchases from GOG run just fine using Heroic Games Launcher. Most of them are really old so often there are community patches for things like widescreen support. Not everything runs perfectly yet, but it's getting better every year.
 
This is my list of non-Steam games I can think of:
  • Console games (emulated)
  • Touhou 6 to Touhou 8 (the rest of the official Touhou games is on Steam)
  • Minecraft
  • TLOPO (a community relaunch of the long dead POTCO)
For PC games I mostly play games that are on Steam
I would be willing to try lutris again if you could give me an alternative to using the website directly, but some folks on here have complained that Ubuntu isn't a great distro for gaming. I'd have to disagree since steam installs with the debian package, but does that even matter?
Click to expand...
Ubuntu is fine. When it comes to distros, what mostly matters for gaming is how frequent your packages update because the ideal scenario is to have the latest drivers, etc. For non-Steam games, a distro that uses musl instead of glibc could also bring further hassle for Linux-native games, since most of them have a dynamic link to glibc.
 
Hey there,

If you're looking to do Linux gaming without Steam, there are certainly alternatives available. While Steam is a popular gaming platform with Linux support, there are other options to consider. Here are a few alternatives worth exploring:

  1. GOG.com (Good Old Games):
    • GOG.com offers a wide selection of DRM-free games, including Linux-compatible titles.
    • You can download and install games directly from their website, without the need for a dedicated platform.
  2. Humble Bundle:
    • Humble Bundle offers game bundles, often with Linux support.
    • You can purchase games individually or subscribe to their monthly bundle service.
  3. Epic Games Store:
    • The Epic Games Store occasionally offers Linux-compatible games for free or at discounted prices.
    • They have their own client, which you can download from their website.
  4. Itch.io:
    • Itch.io is a platform that supports independent game developers, many of whom offer Linux versions of their games.
    • You can browse and download games directly from their website.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 527 (members: 1, guests: 526)

Latest posts

Top