this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2025
554 points (99.3% liked)

Linux Gaming

28033 readers
85 users here now

Discussions and news about gaming on the GNU/Linux family of operating systems (including the Steam Deck). Potentially a $HOME away from home for disgruntled /r/linux_gaming denizens of the redditarian demesne.

This page can be subscribed to via RSS.

Original /r/linux_gaming pengwing by uoou.

No memes/shitposts/low-effort posts, please.

That includes posts generated by LLMs. It doesn’t matter if you “don’t have the time” or “would’ve written the same anyway”, or if “everyone’s doing it geez get with the times”.

For now it’ll also include “AI”-assisted projects that haven't had at least two months of (public, verifiable) dev time behind them.

Resources

Help:

Launchers/Game Library Managers:

General:

Discord:

IRC:

Matrix:

Telegram:

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

To ensure games run well on Linux either via Native Linux builds or Windows games with Proton, part of the magic is in the Steam Linux Runtime. A new version of it, the Steam Linux Runtime 4.0 was recently put up with some pretty big changes.

What's the point of it? It ensures Steam and games run through Steam on Linux work properly across all the many different Linux distributions. Another secret Valve sauce for Linux. Well, not secret at all but you get my meaning I'm sure.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

So you can use those to develop on a platform and be sure that it work on the other too? Is this runtime steam-indipendent?

[–] derek@infosec.pub 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 3 points 11 months ago

Oh that's cool, thank your for the link too

[–] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus -2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

idk about that, but it's called the Steam Runtime because it's the library files for running Steam. so I'm not sure what context you would use it in that didn't include Steam, since it's used for everything Steam does from connecting you to your friends in multiplayer games, to notifying Steam users that it's their turn in asynchronous games.

if the game wasn't run from Steam, it probably wouldn't need or want to use the Steam Runtime.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

No, it's for running games on Linux. Steam will probably use the libs as well for its own functionality. But the main use is for game developers to target specific libraries so that they are independent of the user's distribution.

And they can indeed be used outside of Steam as well. I sometimes use it to link in specific libraries for other games. @Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it

[–] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 6 points 11 months ago

I stand corrected then

[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 3 points 11 months ago