I avoided using Wine (and Linux for gaming generally) for years on the sole basis that I assumed what they were trying to do was impossible to do well. Occasionally I’d try wine for some simple game and be impressed it worked at all, but refused to admit to myself that it was something I could rely on. (This was many years ago and I freely admit today that I was wrong.)

▲

ACS_Solver 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Valve's Proton (so Wine + DXVK + some other additions) revolutionized gaming on Linux. I play games both for fun and work, and for a solid 3+ years now, gaming on Linux has been an "it just works" experience for me, and should be for most games that don't use kernel-level anticheat.

▲

owaislone 5 hours ago | parent [-]

I really is impressive. I wish publishers like EA and anti-cheat developers weren't so reluctant to support it. I hope Steam devices and SteamOS gain enough traction to force their hands.

	▲	amatecha 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/ea-javelin-anticheat-j...

▲

ecshafer 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

With Proton especially, which is WINE really optimized with all of the right options and a few other things, I play literally any game on linux and never worry about support. It hasn't steered me wrong yet in the last 3 or 4 years I think.

▲

spoiler 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

To be fair, early wine (when I first tried it) wasn't very usable, and for gaming specifically. So if you were an early enthusiast adopter, you might've just experienced their growing pains.

Also, I assume some Windows version jumps didn't make things easy for Wine either lol

	▲	xattt an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		The hype/performance mismatch was significant in the 2000s for Wine. I’m not sure if there was any actual use case aside from running obscure business software. Yes, there was “the list” but there was no context and it was hard to replicate settings. I think everyone tried running a contemporary version of Office and Photoshop, saw the installer spit out cryptic messages and just gave up. Enough time has passed with enough work done, and Wine now supports/getting to support the software we wanted all along. Also, does anyone remember the rumours that OS X was going to run Windows applications?
	▲	ryukoposting an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		It took some futzing. The crusty PlayOnLinux UI is permanently etched into my brain.

▲

aranelsurion 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I remember managing to play Crysis under Linux with Wine and I was SO impressed. Never would’ve imagined one day almost every game would be playable.

▲

vbezhenar 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

[flagged]

▲

caconym_ 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

You seem to have missed this part of the comment you replied to:

> This was many years ago and I freely admit today that I was wrong.

Personally I stopped using Windows for gaming because it literally doesn't work anymore. I installed Windows 11 on my gaming VM and DLSS and FSR were just completely broken, didn't work at all. Couldn't figure it out. Switched to Linux (Bazzite for now) and I have no regrets; the only games that don't work are the dangerous time-wasters (live service games with invasive anti-cheat) that I have less and less time for as I age.

▲

severino 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Windows itself is a bunch of hacks, too, so if you think Wine is the same, then it surely looks like a very accurate emulation.

	▲	abustamam 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I think very few software can be considered _not_ a bunch of hacks, especially in the age of vibe coded electron apps.

▲

kyorochan 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You're saying the opposite of what the person you think you're agreeing with is.

▲

exe34 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I look forward to your conversion 20 years from now.