What is your favourite game with native Linux port?

Portal 2, one of the best games, good story, excellent gameplay, excellent coop, good performance.
- Portal 2
  Strongly agree. I also tried to play Portal Reloaded on Linux, but I had some performance and dual monitor issues.
  
  Portal Revolution has a native build and it works great, highly recommend!
- This is the one

Rimworld. Also DRM free through GOG!
- Rimworld
  I think you can be a DRM free copy on their website too. But damn, that game is expensive with all the DLCs.
  
  the DLC are pricey, but they're also proper, old school expansions adding lots of content that actually enhances the game.
  it's perfectly playable without the DLC, and there's a LOT of DLC-sized mods on the workshop!
  kind of a fundamental problem with modern DLC: they generally don't get cheaper over time (remember when that was an actual thing? not just sales, but actually lower prices for older games?).
  if you keep up with the releases it's super okay at about 20/25€ once a year, maybe twice, bur if you're late to the party it's a whole lot of cash all at once!
  exactly why paradox introduced a subscription for Stellaris' DLCs at 10€/month... honestly kinda worth it, if you know you're just gonna play for a while and then move on...still wish stuff would just get cheaper at some point again...
- It is also DRM free on Steam. You can copy the rimworld folder to a PC that's never had Steam on it and play it as an example.
  You can also do that to sort of save a snapshot in time of Rimworld when they are releasing a new version that will likely break mods for a long time/sometimes forever.

Celeste! One of the best games ever made, with a flawless Linux native version
- Celeste
  True! Still haven't beaten it yet fully (no, I don't want golden strawberries)
  
  I think that farewell and the c-sides are some of the most enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding gaming experiences I've ever had. Keep it up!
- I did not know that. Might have to double dip. I have it on switch, but encouraging Linux game ports with my wallet seems worthwhile. Plus it wouldn't be the first time I bought a second copy of a game....
  
  I had many copies of the same game now on Steam when I committed 2 years ago for Linux gaming. I preferred GOG back then, but with Proton and much friendliness of Valve, I prefer Steam now.

Minecraft, Stellaris, and Valheim were already mentioned so I'm gonna add Neverwinter Nights.
- Fun fact about Minecraft: It's written in Java which is a programming language makes porting to other platforms really easy. The way it works is that it turns the instructions into bytecode that Java Virtual Machine runs, essentially allowing any device with JVM to run it.
  
  And funnily enough they made Bedrock for every device that's not a PC.

I was going to say Factorio as well! :D Hollow Knight has a native port and is a fantastic game, but my favorite games are ones like OpenMW or DevilutionX where the entire engine is remade from the ground up and open-source

Rimworld! Probably my favorite game ever actually.
- Rimworld!
  I see many of you in the comments section. I will probably try it at some point. :)

As a Linux newb...
 
   
 
- Its all about how an application goes from "I would like to display X on a screen" to how X actually gets displayed. Wayland is effectively a language (technically a protocol) that graphical applications can speak to describe how they would like to be drawn. It's then up to a different program more deeply embedded in your OS to listen to and act on those instructions (this program is called a Wayland compositor). There's a lot more to it (handling keyboard input monitor settings, etc), but that's the general idea.
  Wayland is a (relatively) new way of thinking about this process, that tries to take into account the wide variety of input and output devices that exist today, and also tries to mitigate some of the security risks that were inherent to previous approaches (before Wayland, it was very easy for one application to "look at" what was being displayed in a completely different app, or even to listen to what keys were being typed even when the app isn't focussed).
  Thing is, change is hard, doubly so in the consensus driven world of Linux/FOSS. So, until the last couple of years or so, adoption of Wayland was quite slow. Now we're at the point where most things work at least as well in Wayland, but there's still odd bits of software that either haven't been ported, or that still rely on some features that don't exist in Wayland, often because of the aforementioned security risks.
  
  Thing is, change is hard, doubly so in the consensus driven world of Linux/FOSS.
  ... So if im reading this right
  ~~Move fast and break things~~
  Move slow and fix things?
- I see X11 and Wayland as display protocols that tell to render things on the screen, for example to Desktop Environments like Gnome or KDE Plasma. X11 wasn't originally designed for this purpose, and its codebase is very messy and 'hacky,' which led to the development of Wayland.
  X11 Wayland
  
  Legacy Modern
  Many issues due to being legacy Many issues due to being Modern
  Old New
  Stable Experimental
  in short.
  
  Ah, so it's like DirectX11/12? That makes sense! How come it's never (presumably?) used on Windows?
  Also...
  Many issues due to being legacy
  Many issues due to being Modern
  Lol.
   
  Edit: Okay, looking it up, it's apparent that X11 is not the same thing as DirectX11. Lol.
- it's a newer display server protocol designed to replace X11, focusing on improved security, simplicity, and contemporary display technologies such as multi-display variable refresh rate and HDR (eventually).
- it's when devs of a graphics stack just suddenly feel the need to protect your own computer from itself, so they say fuck you to any features that they deem "insecure", including accessibility features (they will claim they fixed this, but it's opt-in per app. old apps will just be completely unusable for some people with special needs.)
  But they eliminated tearing on the desktop! woo!!!!
  
  Ew.
  That's unfortunate.

X11	Wayland
Legacy	Modern
Many issues due to being legacy	Many issues due to being Modern
Old	New
Stable	Experimental

I use steam and I can't tell which is which usually.
- True, when Proton enabled it's hard to tell, but you can filter it.

Terraria
- And another one!

BallisticNG. Incredible WipEout homage, Linux native, VR compatible, runs locked at 60fps on Deck. Fun tracks, cool ships, nice lore. Physics and mechanics are by default more geared towards classic PSX games (1, 2097, 3), with "modern" physics and mechanics (Pure/Pulse/HD with absorb, barrel roll etc.) getting an overhaul in the next version.
- I didn't realise this was Linux native. appreciate you calling it out
- !ballisticng@sopuli.xyz
  Hoping to organize some online tournaments. Maybe monthly? Gonna need players :D

Factorio is so amazing on linux. Like the devas actually care about Linux. They care so much that went on to shit on Gnome for no client side decorations. Absolute legends. Wish more studios wer like them.
- In fact Linux is the superior version of Factorio, since you get to have asynchronous saves that don't pause the game
  
  Windows people don't get async saves? Wtf. Where are the Spyware benifits?
  
  It's Linux superpower that some implementation from / to the OS aren't pain in the ass.
- You need to set up CI for the new platform, expand your build system to support the new compiler(s) and architecture(s), and have at least one person on the team that cares enough about the platform to actively maintain it. https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-408
  And yeah, exactly. Their game seems like their life mission, and I don't blame them. The game is spectacular.

Doom, of course!
Also, OpenRCT2, and Unreal Tournament.
- Doom
  Which one because I don't think this Doom you meant?
  OpenRCT2
  I tried it to work on Linux but no luck so far. :c
  and Unreal Tournament
  I see 2nd mention of this game. Could you link it with the Linux native port?
  
  Nope, I meant this Doom, whose original source code is here on GitHub.
  I'm surprised you've not got OpenRCT2 to work - I'm fairly sure it's in most default repos.
  You do need to have a full copy of RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 as it uses data / assets from the original game.
  I would happily link you to Unreal Tournament, but it's no longer for sale anywhere as far as I'm aware.
  
  The original CDs of UT 99 had the linux Binaries on them, but (as mentioned in the UT2004 comment) Atari Castrated the Steam version.
  Use https://flathub.org/apps/com.epicgames.ut99 to play UT 99

The Half-Life Games.

I guess I have to say Stellaris because it's my favorite game in general. It also runs as good or better under the native Linux version than it ever did on Windows, so points there.
- I like stellaris a lot except no matter what I do what I try, it is always a mad expansion dash all the time. The AI is relentless at expansion. So the game is just 70% me constantly expanding and exploring. It doesn’t allow for a lot of experimentation lol
  
  Something I sometimes do for a more relaxed game is lower the number of empires from default for map size, and bump up the number of pre-FTL so some of them will later turn into empires. I usually also turn up the number of advanced empires.
  You end up with a few superpowers, a few insignificant empires who are pawns in their games, and a little more early-game breathing room.
  To be honest, I also generally peak at the map in observe mode to ensure I have a fun/interesting start position. I play with like 200 mods, usually create several of my own rival empires, and generally play it as a story generator rather than a game to "win."
  
  IMO the early game exploration rush is the best part. Anomalies and archaeological digs give that great Star Trek vibe that kind of goes away once everyone is settled into their borders.

Terraria
- Terraria
  True... I need to try it. Game updates to this game never die.
  
  Highly recommend. I have finished so many worlds with and without mods and I still return to it once in a while.

Somewhere between Minecraft Java edition and a modern title made with the Steam Deck in mind, like TMNT Shreaders Revenge.
I'm just happy to see a slowly increasing support base, even if its just to support wine

World of Goo!
- In case you didn't hear https://worldofgoo2.com/
  
  Wow, thank you !

Off the top of my head: Half Life 2! OpenTTD, Dwarf Fortress, Minecraft.
- OpenTTD, Dwarf Fortress, Minecraft
  Let me link these, so anyone can check them out!
  OpenTTD - amazing reviews for the free game from 14 Mar, 2004.
  Dwarf Fortress - bought it, I have not played it yet, though. I know it got Linux port not so long ago.
  Minecraft - I know this childhood gem, but I hate to have a Microsoft account on Linux and I know there are some launchers. Still hate to play for me single-player game with an account.
  
  Dwarf Fortress is quite the rabbit hole. It's so much more than just a game. The complexity of the simulation has actually made me wonder about simulation theory IRL.
  It's mind blowing.
  
  For DF: The free version had a Linux build for a long time. The paid version adds new graphics, and it took a while for that to get a Linux release.
  For Minecraft: you should be able to play without an account if you're single player and using a third party launcher. I almost exclusively play with friends.

No Besiege fans in here? Probably the most relaxing way to cause complete chaos and destruction.
- No Besiege fans in here>
  You are! I have this game on my wishlist due to reviews and native Linux port.
- I quite like Besiege, but I’d probably have to go with From the Depths.
  
  From the Depths
  Oh, there is a Linux port. I have never heard of this game, but it seems like some Lego game that you build voxel vehicles. How many hours do you have on Linux with this game?
  Over 1000 unique components allow you to build and command voxel vehicles from the deep ocean to outer space!

Xonotic?
- There are dozens of us!
  
  So it's easy playable online? No problem finding someone to play?
- Xonotic
  Looks great, thanks!
- Got back into it the other day and it's still everything I love about it!

Cube 2: Sauerbraten
Everything that is good about 90s FPS crammed into one free download.
- The thing I love more about the Cube series is that it introduced me to Marc A. Pullen
- Everything that is good about 90s FPS crammed into one free download.
  Never played it but totally agree!
- Isn't that open source?
  
  Yes, it's glorious 🤗

Stardew Valley is great
- Stardew Valley
  True, also modding it with SMAPI is working on Linux.

I will also add other games that I've played and absolutely loved them on Linux
Linux Native games that I've played
Dead Cells
Tails of Iron
Dome Keeper
Baba is You
Slay the spire
dotAGE
Inscryption
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
Psychonauts
Just Shapes & Beats
Bastion
Tunnet

CitiesSkylines, it was that game (having lower requirements for linux listed in steam) that actually made me a linux user in the first place!

Open Roller Coaster Tycoon 2! You need to own an official version of the game in order to get the models and textures and whatnot, which are still under copyright. After that, you can play with ORCT2 and enjoy the expanded capabilities,

seen a lot of games with native linux ports, always need to use proton because usually the native ones won't even launch successfully. the only one that works almost 100%, golf with your friends.
- Tomb Raider 2013. I specifically bought it when it got Linux support. The difference between the Linux and the Windows version are night and day. So much better graphics and performance with Proton.
  
  Tomb Raider 2013
  So much better graphics and performance with Proton.
  Interesting to see. The latest Tomb Raiders also have Linux native port, like Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Maybe they neglected it back then.
- I've seen it with Psychonauts 2. I needed to force Proton because FPS drops were horrible.
- I had that problem with half life, but they supposedly fixed it in the 25th anniversary update.
  
  Just a small delay. 😉

I never knew factorio has a Linux version. I hear the factory calling me again. You might not see me for a few days.
- What will happen when Factorio 2.0 with the new expansion comes out. :)
  https://www.factorio.com/blog/
  
  I know NASA asked KSP to delay the launch of KSP2 due to so many people there being huge fans.

@Psyhackological , the original Kerbal Space Program.
- So mad at them for cancelling that. It was a bright spot in a bleak landscape at the time.
  "Hey let's make a game for nerds and ignore the OS with a dramatically higher uptake among nerds"
  
  @rbos , absolutely! The original was available on Linux in short order. KSP2, if it ever gets finished (!)? I'm losing hope...
- @ssj2marx , I hear you. Only made it to the "backyard" myself, i.e. Mun and Minmus.

I bought Tales of Maj'Eyal from GOG and have been playing the Linux port. Yeah, I'd say it's my favorite. Even if I hate it sometimes.
- I just wish they'd add some more achievements

factorio, i have played well over 100 hours in the last three weeks.
help
- I found around 150 hours in I was suddenly able to break free from the curse. Don't install mods.
  
  that generally been my experience, 100+ hours in it starts to get slow and i start to lose interest, though i really enjoy playing the game up to that point so.
  
  That's a great curse to have.
- I have 118.7 hours in the last three years, haha. I'm aiming for 100% achievements with Vanilla gameplay. Then some mods. Then maybe Factorio 2.0.
  
  i bought the game i think about a year ago. Probably a few more months. I have 400+ hours now. It's easily my most played game aside from minecraft lol.
  I've done a handful of played saves, and some multiplayer, but the game just goes too hard apparently.

Factorio is great, I'm also a fan of X4.
- X4's linux support is such a good thing to have. The engine does struggle with interrupts like overlays or native OS dialogs. It refreshes everything,each time,but it's a small con.
- X4
  You mean X4: Foundations?

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
unreasonably realistic open ended post apocalyptic survival simulator roguelike
similar to dwarf fortress adventure mode (allegedly, never played it)
you will lose 3 weeks of progress
every major release makes the game feel like a different game
cool lore, even if it changes all the time
puts zomboid to shame
Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup
the best traditional roguelike
extremely focused design
tedious features get cut, pure gameplay
only (subjective) downside is the game is fairly heavily RNG dependent
Both of them are probably in your distribution repository, dcss may be packaged as "crawl" or "stone-soup".

Songs of Syx. hiiiiiighly addictive

@Psyhackological @play0ad 's #0AD game has to be my favorite
- 0 AD
  Ah I heard of it. It's also open source. :)
  
  @Psyhackological yup, playing it tonight

Rimworld for me.
(I have never tried Dwarf Fortress.)
Honorable mention goes to War Thunder, while it isn't on of my favorites, I was still a bit blown away to find out it runs natively on Linux.

The Long Dark
- The Long Dark
  I didn't know there was a Linux port, thanks!
  
  It does, but honestly its more stable for me with proton. At least it used to be I haven't tried the native version in several years

A great game I haven't seen mentioned yet is The Talos Principle (1) that also has a really good native port using Croteams Serious Engine.
- Croteams Serious Engine
  Oh, nice. I didn't know that!
  
  Sadly with The Talos Principle 2 they moved their entire studio to the Unreal Engine 5 and retired their own engine in the process. Apparently they lost a few engineers working on the engine and also couldn't have kept up with modern engines without some serious investment (no pun intended). On one hand it's probably for the better as we got a really pretty game where they could focus more on the game instead of bringing the engine up to speed but it's also sad to see the entire industry converge around engines like Unreal.

Borderlands 2. Give me a mindless Diablo With Guns experience any day.
- Borderlands 2
  I didn't know there was Linux port of this game, nice!
  
  There was a native release from the jump, it was always kind of jarring being able to install it without selecting a Proton version first.
- Sadly I found out the Linux version hasn't gotten the latest update so you gotta run it through Proton if you want Co-op with people on Windows.

Flightgear is a 🄯Copyleft, GNU General Public License(GPL) V2, Open-source and Freely Modifiable flight simulator that champions principles of user empowerment, community-driven development, and unrestricted customization. It embodies transparency, inclusivity, and the spirit of collaborative innovation in flight simulation.
- Flightgear
  Wow, nice, I didn't know about this game!

I'm not sure if I have a favorite game but if I had to choose one I'll probably have to say Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup given the amount of time I have spent with that game.

Team fortress 2. The best game of all times, if not for the bots
- Team Fortress 2
  Yeah, nice recent reviews...

I'm gonna say Valheim, even though the native version doesn't respect your default audio device so it can end up outputting sound to the wrong device at startup, which you can then correct using a volume mixer.
That's the reason why I still play the Windows version via Proton though.
But you were asking for my favorite game with a native Linux port, not for the game with the best Linux port :D
- Love a bit of modded valheim but that audio quirk is fucking annoying.
  I've not observed the same with other unity games featuring native Linux builds, it's likely specific to the engine version they use?
- Oh, yeah, last time I tried it I had this issue with audio.
  But you were asking for my favorite game with a native Linux port, not for the game with the best Linux port :D
  Yeah, that works. 😆 Still, I was looking for the almost perfect or even better Linux port compared to Windows's that I have never heard of.
- Weirdly, years ago when I last played it, I had to use proton because of performance problems. I have it in the backlog for for quite some time again already and hope I can use it natively with all its glory in 4k now.

Quake 3 sourceports, my favorite is quake 3e
- Quake 3 sourceports
  you mean this?
  
  It has been forked several times, but that works.

Most of mine have already been mentioned; KSP, Rimworld, Stellaris.
So I'll add one of my all time favourite games and say XCom and XCOM 2. I've sunk hundreds of hours into xcom 2 with various mods.
Close second is Crusader Kings 2, and close third after that is Empire Total War.
And of course CIV. It's not a proper list without CIV.
- I've never finished Xcom 1. It's the second part that much better that's it's worth trying it out still?
  
  I'd say yes; with the mods available 2 is still WELL worth it. i n fact I'm doing yet another play through at this moment.
  1 is also excellent, especially with the Long War overhaul installed.
- I would note that Rimworld and Stellaris (for me) run much slower in linux than they do on windows, and they are kind of perforamnce sensitive games.
  
  I hadn't noticed. but I have no real comparison since I was on Linux long before starting either title, so I've never played either on Windows.
  They seem to run well enough, so even if its faster on windows and that's the tradeoff for having no Windows in my house, I'm cool with it.

UT2004
- UT2004
  Unreal Tournament 2004? Since when has it native Linux port?
  
  Since release.

I've been playing both Oxygen Not Included and Celeste regularly.

Dota 2
- Dota 2
  Out of curiosity, did you also test the Windows port? How good is Valve in Linux porting? I tried CS:GO and CS 2 and CS:GO was problematic, while CS 2 is now better for Linux.
  
  I haven't tested on windows at all but I haven't ran into any issues on Linux.

Since people have already mentioned Factorio, Dead cells, and Stellaris (which btw all of paradox grand strategy games since CK2 have native versions). I'll mention a lesser known game that me and my wife love to play, it's similar to Overcooked (which btw Overcooked 2 has native Linux support) but a lot more calm: Out of Space
- It's weird that Paradox supports Linux.
  Why Overcooked 2 has a Linux port while Overcooked 1 hasn't?
  Out of Space looks interesting, thanks!
  
  Overcooked 1 is a Unity game released in 2016. Unity only started offering Linux build support as an experimental feature at the end of 2015, so it's very likely that the version of Unity they used to make Overcooked didn't had Linux support.
  The real question is why Overcooked All you can Eat doesn't have Linux support.
  Edit: I forgot to say, I don't think it's weird that Paradox supports Linux, they made their engine Linux compatible a while back, so offering support now is trivial. And I always remember the reddit post in which a dev explained that Linux users are like a dedicated QA team hahaha

Heroes of Might and Magic II, using the fheroes2 recreation engine.
https://github.com/ihhub/fheroes2
- Also HOMM3 using VCMI
  https://github.com/vcmi/vcmi
  
  Wow, there's even the III.
- So many great open-source recreations I see!

Tomb Raider 2013 reboot, although today the windows version under proton actually performs significantly better than the linux version

Devil daggers at the moment
- Devil daggers
  Oh, never heard of it, thanks! Almost decade old.

Team fortress 2

My favorite native game is flight simulation X-plane since version 8. For kids Super Tux Kart.
- X-plane
  X-plain seems fantastic for hobbyists and enthusiasts! Good to see a Linux port.
  Realism You Can Feel
  Everything in X-Plane operates from real world physics. Aircraft handling, ground effect, wind gusts, and more will give you the most accurate flight sim experience possible. Try it today!
  Detailed World and Atmosphere
  As you explore the X-Plane world, the weather, water, light, 3-D forests, and everything around you add to the immersion.
  Analyze and Refine Your Flying
  There’s no end to the customization you can make to your flight simulator experience. Adjust your approach scenarios, get real-time feedback, and use tools like X-Plane’s replays to study and improve your skills and confidence over time.
  Super Tux Kart
  Yeah, that's the classic one. It would be weird if there wasn't a Linux port for something "Tux" related.

Rocket League. It has an outdated Linux port that still runs just fine, just no online play, then runs great in Proton, too.
So technically, it qualifies.
- Probably due to Epic Games exclusivity that spits at Linux users.
- RL without online is like gaming without eyesight.
  
  True. I didn't say I played the Linux port, just that the game qualifies under the rules of the post.

The new Valheim update was pretty fun. I also like playing CS2
- The new Valheim update was pretty fun
  Has it supported Linux more or just adding more content?
  CS2
  Yeah, its Linux port is superb now compared to CS:GO.
  
  Just more content. The ashlands update added a new biome to the game with some fun stuff. Valheim has been running well on Linux for a long time.

Graphics

Linux Native games that I've played

Realism You Can Feel

Detailed World and Atmosphere

Analyze and Refine Your Flying