Baldur’s Gate 3 got its initial publishing release more than two years ago, and it’s still making headlines thanks to a dedicated player base and excellent support from developer Larian Studios. Case in point: The latest update includes a full Linux port of the game. That means it no longer needs the Proton compatibility layer to run on the Steam Deck.
“The game can now be run natively on the platform, resulting in a more stable framerate, lower loading times, and smoother gameplay,” says the official update. Without needing to run through the Proton layer, like most Windows-only games on the Steam Deck and other hardware using the Linux-derivative SteamOS, it can run with a lower CPU and memory overhead. That means better, smoother graphics, which is handy. Even though Baldur’s Gate 3 is mostly a turn-based game, it gets graphically intense, especially in crowded areas.
BGIII is a massive title, sitting at nearly 150GB on my gaming desktop (even without those mods that give Withers some shocking cleavage). It must have been a huge undertaking on Larian’s part to get a Linux-native version up and running. According to Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, it was the passion project of a single engineer, who got a Linux build of the game working on his own time in order to convince the team it was worth the effort.
The Steam Deck has been a smash hit in the PC gaming world, in more ways than one. Not only has it exploded a previously niche category of handheld PC gaming gadgets, it’s generating a lot of interest into Linux/SteamOS as an alternative platform for PC gaming. Official builds of SteamOS are now available for Asus and Lenovo handhelds, and you can buy a Legion Go S with SteamOS running out of the box.
SteamOS’s real superpower is its ability to run most Windows games without any extra thought necessary from the user. It is, if PC gamers will forgive me, a console-style experience. But there are a growing number of games that just come with a Linux/SteamOS version, an interesting and exciting development in a market that’s stagnant in many other respects. Maybe Microsoft should keep that in mind. And if you’re curious about dipping your toes into Linux, you should check out PCWorld’s newest podcast series, Dual Boot Diaries.