In little over a year since the first stable version of Steam for Linux emerged, the number of Linux-supported games continues to grow at a rapid pace. Valve’s digital game distribution currently hosts 376 games for Linux, with many quality commercial titles such as Shadowrun: Dragonfall, System Shock 2, and Europa Universalis IV to name-drop just a few of our favorites. With more game engines being natively ported to Linux, this trend is going to continue. For example, the CryEngine technology has recently been natively ported to Linux, so we could see ports of games like Ryse: Son of Rome and Crysis 3.
There are a small number of Linux games hosted on Steam that can be downloaded without a charge. None of the games featured in this article are released under a freely distributable license, and so they are not free in the sense of freedom. But if you want some fun and entertainment without exercising your wallet, look here. What is particularly pleasing is that there are some real gems. Let’s check them out!