Must-Have Apps for Gaming on Linux in 2026 | Steam, Proton, Bottles & More
Gaming on Linux has never been easier than it is today. In this video, I go over the must-have apps for gaming on Linux, whether you’re playing, benchmarking, livestreaming, or recording gameplay.
We’ll cover essential tools like Steam, custom Proton versions with Proton Plus, and launchers like Heroic Games Launcher and Lutris. I’ll also show apps like Bottles for clean Wine setups, MangoHUD and GOverlay for performance monitoring, and even tools for upscaling and frame generation.
If you’re new to Linux gaming or looking to improve your setup, this list will help you get the most out of your system.
Apps covered in this video:
Steam
Proton Plus (Proton GE, custom Proton versions)
Heroic Games Launcher (Epic Games & GOG)
Lutris
Bottles (Wine containers for older games & apps)
MangoHUD (performance overlay & logging)
GOverlay (MangoHUD configuration & OptiScaler)
OBS Studio (for streaming & recording)
Gaming on Linux is not only possible—it’s great.
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#HeroicGamesLauncher
#Lutris
#Bottles
#MangoHUD
#GOverlay
#OBSStudio
#LinuxPC
#OpenSourceGaming