I'm considering a dual-boot setup with Windows on one SSD (SSD1), Linux on another (SSD2), and my Steam games on a separate SSD (SSD3). I want to know if I can play my Steam games on SSD3 regardless of whether I'm booting into Windows or Linux. I'm specifically looking to try out Linux, but I don't want to give up my gaming, which includes titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, BG3, and Clair Obscur Exped33. Also, I've read that SSD3 might need to be formatted in Ext4 for Linux compatibility, but would that restrict access to only Linux? Thanks for the help!
4 Answers
Honestly, you might run into lots of issues. Best to keep things simple and maintain separate filesystems for your games — NTFS for Windows and Ext4 or BTRFS for Linux. It's safer and more reliable that way, plus allows better performance.
From my experience, gaming on a drive formatted as ext or btrfs in Linux works well, especially if you're installing games directly from Steam. Windows 11 can detect those formats over a network, but I'm not sure about local gaming. Stick with NTFS for Windows; it can be a pain otherwise, and dual booting for gaming might not be the best option overall.
You'll want to format the SSD3 with a filesystem that both Windows and Linux can read. Windows struggles with Ext4, and while Linux can read NTFS, it isn't always reliable. It might work in theory, but you may run into issues later on.
You need separate game installations for each OS. Steam doesn't allow sharing the same game files between Windows and Linux because of different formats. Non-Steam games might launch easier across both OSes, but Steam has limitations.
True, NTFS has been problematic for some users on Linux. Though, if you adjust some settings or use a newer driver, it can definitely improve compatibility. There’s also community support for formats like btrfs on Windows.