Turn Linux into a gaming platform with Lutris
Playful
Gaming on Linux has traditionally involved a complex installation and configuration procedure, until now. Lutris lets you enjoy games from different worlds quickly in a unified interface.
Linux has not been most people's preferred gaming platform until now because many interesting and also graphically sophisticated games are only available for other operating systems. But with PlayOnLinux [1], a tool enters the scene that makes games developed for Microsoft systems usable under the free operating system with the help of the Windows runtime environment, Wine. PlayOnLinux is also aimed at users who want to use conventional Windows applications on Linux. It therefore also integrates numerous office applications and programs for productive use.
With the release of Lutris [2], there is now another solution that uses Wine for Windows games and also integrates native Linux games. On top of this, Lutris supports games that are distributed and managed via the Steam platform, and the program can handle other digital distribution platforms that offer game collections or retro games. In this way, Lutris opens up a variety of integration options for games from a wide range of genres to serious gamers looking for a uniform interface.
Getting Started
In order to install Lutris and use it with Windows games, you may first need to add Wine as a runtime environment on your system. Depending on the distribution, you can either use the Wine packages included in the respective package sources or download them from special repositories (check out the detailed documentation on the Wine wiki page [3]).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.