Linux gaming made easy: The fastest way to get up and running

You don't have to be running Windows to play great Triple-A game titles. Many are available in Linux. Let's look at how you can make it all work.

We're starting in Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver using GNOME. Since Linux distros can be so different, you may need to follow other instructions depending on your distro.

The Ubuntu Software Center is the UI package manager for Ubuntu. It's the easiest way to get started, but -- of course -- there are always command line options if that's your jam.

Go ahead and select Games.

Right "out of the box," Ubuntu comes with pages of game options. Most of these are casual games native to Linux, but it's a nice and fun selection.

Scroll down and look for the Steam installer. Click it.

Once you're in the installer, hit install. Don't let the lack of a screenshot scare you away. This installs the full Steam app. If you're not familiar with Steam, it's Valve's software distribution system and is used to provide access to an enormous library of great games.

Give the installer a few minutes to run.

You can launch or remove Steam from the Software Center, although this isn't what we'd recommend for regular use.

Instead, launch Steam from the launcher. This is how you'll do it when you want to play or manage your Steam library.

It's Linux, so things didn't exactly go smoothly the first time around. We wound up having to try launching Steam a few times before it got itself sorted out and started working. But once you get it working...

It's regular ole Steam. If you've played Steam games in Windows, this is exactly the same environment.

I have a Steam account, so I just logged in. If you don't have one, you can create one easily enough.

Steam has MFA using the Steam app on your phone. Just authenticate and you're in.

It looks like Steam. It smells like Steam. It works like Steam. It's Steam.

Once you're in Steam, you have access to the full Steam dashboard. Along the left are the games you already own. The list shown represents my game library. Yep, I like strategy games.

Not all Steam games will run on Linux. If you tap the tiny penguin, you'll see the games that are available. About half the games I own run on Linux. About half the games I own are also Fallout. I like Fallout.

Not all Steam games will work on Linux. Notice that Fallout 4's installer is grayed out.

Civilization 5 is one of the games compatible with Linux. Let's go ahead and install it by pressing Install.

Go ahead and configure the install options. If you opt for a desktop icon, you'll get one in GNOME.

Give the game a few minutes to download and fully install.

There it is, ready to play. Press the green button and prepare to conquer the world.

Once the game launches, you can configure it like normal. Sound and graphics work just like you'd expect.

And here we are. Once the game launches, it plays exactly as you'd expect it would. 

What Steam games do you play on Linux? Let us know in the comments below.