I'm planning to switch from Windows to Fedora because I'm tired of the limitations in the Windows interface. I've been experimenting with Fedora KDE on older hardware and really enjoy it. I already use Linux for my university projects, and I have a dual boot with Ubuntu, but I'm concerned about gaming compatibility with Fedora and other software I may need. I read that using a Virtual Machine is an option for running Windows games, but I've heard that some games won't work because of anti-cheat software, which I don't fully understand. I know dual booting is an option, but I dislike the hassle of having to restart my computer to switch between systems. Plus, I'm not a fan of how ugly the GRUB menu looks. I'm looking for insights from people who have fully made the switch to Linux. I've considered several solutions, like installing Windows on an external HDD, but I'm unsure how that would affect gaming performance. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
I've switched to gaming on Linux entirely. If the game relies on anti-cheat tools, you're likely out of luck for that title. I loved Fortnite too, but they've made it pretty clear they don’t want non-Windows users. On the upside, for most games, especially those available on Steam, you should be good to go with Proton. It's gotten quite good, and nearly all my games run without issues, though you might encounter the occasional performance hiccup.
I can't see what games you're into, but you can check compatibility on sites like ProtonDB. For software like Adobe or AutoDesk, you might have trouble; mostly they don’t work well outside Windows. If you've got non-gaming software in mind, specify which ones and I can offer more detailed help. Keep in mind that while some software may run in a virtual machine, you might need to set up GPU passthrough for solid performance.
For general software compatibility, check out the WineHQ App Database.