Do I Need to Redownload Steam Games When Switching to Linux?

I’m not entirely sure, but if you keep your games on NTFS, chances are you might need to download them again because of how different filesystems work. Linux handles NTFS, but performance can take a hit. The best option would be to reformat your SSD to something like EXT4 before transferring your games. But from what I gather, it's doable without reformatting as long as those games aren't from Xbox Game Pass or the Microsoft Store. Worst case, you can just reformat and redownload.

You don’t have to redownload all your games when switching to Linux. Steam can recognize them on your NTFS SSD, but there might be some quirks when launching. It's usually best to move your game installation to a native Linux format for a smoother experience. I had to tweak my setup a bit, and now I'm playing everything from my Windows drive with no issues. I'll share those tweaks if anyone's interested!

No, you don't need to reinstall everything. I switched my setup recently and just copied my game files from Windows to Linux. Steam recognized most of the files and handled what was needed for Linux. I still had to download some data, but it was way less than starting from scratch. Just be prepared for some games to require more updates than others!

You really should reinstall the Steam games you want to play on Linux onto a proper Linux filesystem. NTFS can cause data corruption issues over time, especially if you're running .exe files right off it. Better to do a clean install on EXT4 and avoid any potential headaches in the future.

Best practice is to move your games to an EXT4 partition after switching to Linux. Steam will recognize your existing library, but if things start misbehaving, consider relocating problem games to a dedicated Linux partition to see if it helps. If you're cautious with NTFS, you may just run into performance issues later on.