Linux gaming has been evolving over the years, thanks to Wine, Valve's Proton, and many other tools like Bottles, Lutris, and Heroic Game Launcher.
This means even if a game is unavailable natively on Linux, you can still play some of them thanks to Steam Play.
That's great. But you would need some great discounts on games to give them a try, right?
Well, you are in luck; the yearly Steam Winter Sale is live right now (until January 5, 2025), with offers on much of the catalog.
I have picked a few games for Linux systems (even if they are not natively supported) that might pique your interest.
Let's get started. ๐ฎ ๐
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a fantasy role-playing game set in a unique world inspired by the Belle รpoque era. The story takes place on an island where a mysterious woman called the Paintress paints a number on a monolith each year, anyone that age or older disappears instantly.
The game follows a group of people trying to stop her before she paints the number 33, hoping to end this deadly cycle. The main characters include Gustave, Maelle, Lune, and Sciel, each with their own backstories and abilities.
The gameplay mixes turn-based combat with real-time action. You build points by landing melee attacks, aiming carefully with ranged weapons, and dodge or parry at the right time during enemy turns. There are also quick-time events and special moves that require good timing.
It's 20% off on Steam right now at $39.99.
2. Tiny Glade (Native Linux)
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
Build charming castles and winding walls in a peaceful medieval setting, where there's no combat or the need to micromanage things. Just you and your tools creating a world where sheep wander, vines grow, and your imagination takes center stage.
It's 25% off on Steam right now at $11.24.
3. Arc Raiders
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure set in a post-apocalyptic Earth marred by mysterious machines called ARC. You start in the underground refuge of Speranza, a society built on survival and hope, where you take on quests from traders and build up your base.
The gameplay flows between exploring the dangerous surface world and returning to your hideout. You scavenge for resources across well-designed landscapes, each with changing weather and special events for better loot.
You can play solo or team up with two other players, facing both hostile ARC machines and unpredictable encounters with other Raiders who might help you, or just shoot you in the face (this has happened to me quite a few times already โ ๏ธ).
It's 20% off on Steam right now at $31.99.
4. Dispatch
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
Your superhero suit is trashed, so now you are stuck working a desk job at a dispatch center, managing a team of reformed supervillains. That's the premise with Dispatch.
Coming from the same writers who made Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us, you pick which heroes to send to each emergency using a strategy map, and your choices matter.
Relationships shift according to your actions as people remember what you did, and the story branches based on your decisions. It is part visual novel, part tactical game, with plenty of office drama.
It's 10% off on Steam right now at $26.99.
Suggested Read ๐
Ankush Das
5. The Last of Us Part I
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
This is one of my personal favorites. The Last of Us Part I takes you on a tense journey through a post-apocalyptic world, following Joel and Ellie as they try to survive harsh dangers and build a fragile connection along the way.
The gameplay mixes stealth, crafting, and combat, making every encounter feel tense. You need to think carefully about when to fight or avoid enemies.
It's 50% off on Steam right now at $29.99.
6. Mafia: The Old Country
Steam Deck status: Unsupported โญ
Go back in time when organized crime started, 1900s Sicily. You play as Enzo, a guy who escapes the brutal sulfur mines and joins a crime family. The story follows his rise through the ranks, dealing with all the betrayal and violence that comes with that life; there's romance involved too!
Gameplay-wise, it is a linear, story-focused experience like the first two Mafia games. You'll sneak around, fight with classic weapons, and ride horses or old-timey cars between missions.
It's 10% off on Steam right now at $44.99.
7. Dying Light: The Beast
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
Kyle Crane is back, and he's been through some dangerous experiments that gave him monster powers. Now you can switch between playing as a regular human or going full-beast mode; each comes with different abilities.
The game dumps you in Castor Woods, a huge wilderness area with towns, industrial zones, and swamps to explore.
You can play solo or bring up to three friends along for the 40+ hours of content.
It's 20% off on Steam right now at $47.99.
8. The Outlast Trials
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
Ever wanted to be a human test subject? With this game, you can realize that goal. You are recruited by the totally not villainous Murkoff Corporation, who use your abilities to test advanced methods of brainwashing and mind control.
This game can be played either solo or with friends, with the gameplay including stealth, chases, puzzles, and survival.
It's 70% off on Steam right now at $11.99.
9. METAL GEAR SOLID ฮ: SNAKE EATER
Steam Deck status: Unsupported โญ
This is a remake of the 2004 Metal Gear Solid 3, rebuilt from the ground up. You play as Naked Snake (who later becomes Big Boss) on a mission that goes sideways when his mentor betrays him.
The stealth gameplay is still the core focus, but they have also added many modern improvements, like a full Unreal Engine 5 overhaul with vastly enhanced visuals and dynamic environments, a new over-the-shoulder third-person camera alongside a legacy fixed-camera option, and modernized controls.
It's 40% off on Steam right now at $41.99.
10. R.E.P.O.
Steam Deck status: Playable ๐ก
This one is an absolute blast. R.E.P.O. puts you and up to five friends into creepy places where you have to carefully grab and carry strange objects without setting off alarms or attracting monsters.
The game focuses on teamwork, stealth, and planning your moves. It includes many maps and weapons, mixing scary moments with some dark humor to make gameplay more interesting.
It's 30% off on Steam right now at $6.99.
11. Escape From Duckov
Steam Deck status: Playable ๐ก
In this one, you are a duck, stuck on a dying planet (much like humans) trying to scavenge enough junk to build a spaceship and escape. I know it sounds ridiculous, but somehow it is one of the most addictive extraction shooters out there right now.
Think Escape From Tarkov, except you waddle around as a duck with guns. You raid maps, grab loot, shoot hostile ducks, and hope you make it back to your hideout before you lose everything.
It's 12% off on Steam right now at $15.83.
12. RV There Yet?
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
Your vacation is over, and you need to drive your RV home, but the road is blocked. Now you and up to three friends have to navigate through a dangerous valley full of obstacles that your RV absolutely should not be able to cross.
One person drives while everyone else gets out to scout, clear the path, use winches, and guide the driver through using voice chat. You'll deal with broken roads, wildlife, and physics that want your RV to explode.
The base game is 10% off on Steam right now at $7.19.
13. Dying Light (Native Linux)
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
If you haven't had an introduction to the Dying Light franchise, then you can go for the first game. Here, you play as Kyle Crane, an undercover agent sent to infiltrate the quarantined city of Harran that's been overrun by zombies.
The game combines first-person combat with parkour, allowing you to scale buildings and navigate the urban environment with agility. During the day, you scavenge for supplies and craft weapons, while at night, the infected become more dangerous, and new threats emerge.
PS: The Volatiles will gang up on you if one of them detects you.
It's 85% off on Steam right now at $3.74.
Bonus: DELTARUNE
Steam Deck status: Verified โ
This is a follow-up to UNDERTALE that is set in a parallel universe with a new story. You play as Kris, teaming up with Susie and Ralsei to save the world by sealing Dark Fountains.
Combat mixes turn-based strategy with bullet hell dodging, and like UNDERTALE, you can choose to fight or spare your enemies. The first two chapters are free, while Chapters 3 and 4 came out earlier this year as paid content, with more chapters planned as free updates down the line.
It's 20% off on Steam right now at $19.99.
Game Over? No, this list does not represent all the fantastic games discounted on the Steam store for Linux.
You will find massive discounts on several outstanding titles, such as:
