The discussion on gaming within the Linux ecosystem has significantly evolved in recent years. This growth can be attributed to the dedicated efforts of developers involved with the Linux kernel and various open-source graphics projects, supported further by innovations like the Steam Deck. Contributing to these advancements are many devoted individuals from companies such as Valve and Red Hat, as well as numerous volunteers who dedicate their efforts to enhance the Linux gaming experience. While this isn’t a delve into history, it sets the stage to mention yet another win for Linux over Windows in performance metrics.

My recent experience involved using the Framework 13 laptop equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and AMD Ryzen 7 7480U. It offered an excellent chance to compare the performance of several games on both Windows 11 and Fedora 40. The results were quite surprising!

Brief observations regarding the Framework system and the testing setup are noted below.

The Framework 13 operates on Fedora 40, shown here laid flat to highlight its 180-degree hinge capability.

The Framework 13 excels in gaming with its integrated graphics, albeit with adjustments in resolution and quality settings for more intensive games. This highlights the improvements in AMD’s APUs over the last ten years.

Both operating systems were tested under equal conditions with the power profiles set to “Performance”. Importantly, only the second benchmark test was recorded to avoid the effects of any potential thermal throttling that might not be apparent in a first run.

Before testing on Fedora 40, a system update was performed. Standard configurations were maintained, with no use of altered kernels, specialized versions of Proton, or cutting-edge graphics drivers—only the existing components of the Fedora 40 kernel were utilized.

Testing on Windows 11 included a system update and an upgrade to the Radeon 780M driver to version 24.7.1, addressing the slightly outdated driver version included in Framework’s initial driver package.

OK! Let’s kick things off with two games that have native versions for both Windows and Linux.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s native version: Windows vs Linux

It could be argued that this isn’t a fair fight despite both OSes running their native versions of Lara Croft’s 2018 adventure. Linux is rocking the Vulkan API, and Windows is utilizing DX12. However, it does show both operating systems playing to their strengths. Indeed, Fedora 40 pulls off 7% higher average framerates.

Total War: Warhammer III does battles its native version on Windows and Linux.

In this battle of native versus native using Warhammer III’s Battle benchmark, we saw Vulkan on Linux up against DX11 on Windows. The slight difference in performance can generally be attributed to the typical variance in game runs, with Windows having a very slight edge.

Cyberpunk 2077 FPS comparison on Windows 11 versus Fedora 40

The results here were unexpected, particularly because this scenario dips into Proton territory. As you might be aware, Proton is a compatibility layer created by Valve that enables Windows games to be adapted for Linux. This technology is crucial for the operation of the Steam Deck and greatly expands the range of games available on Linux.

Yet, running software on an operating system for which it wasn’t specifically designed usually incurs a performance loss. This has been a noticeable trend with Proton-reliant games, where playing on Linux may result in a performance reduction ranging from 5% to 30%.

That’s what makes both of these Cyberpunk 2077 results so interesting. Without FSR scaling enabled, Fedora 40 eeks out a 3% performance advantage. Considering the above info, that’s quite a victory in my book.

Cyberpunk 2077 FPS comparison on Windows 11 vs Fedora 40, with FSR Balanced

And wow, things look even brighter when utilizing AMD FSR! Bumping up the graphics from Low to Medium and switching on FSR “Balanced,” Fedora 40 pulls away a bit more, turning in 7% higher average FPS and, crucially, a 24% higher minimum framerate.

Forza Horizon 5 FPS comparison on Windows 11 vs Fedora 40 without dynamic resolution or image upscaling

Yes, Windows wins here. But what’s notable is that when Forza Horizon 5 released in 2021, Linux gaming websites published celebratory headlines about the fact that it ran at all. Now, only three years later, this Microsoft-developed DirectX 12 game is performing admirably right out of the box (on Steam Deck, too). A 7% performance deficit with the overhead of running Proton? Things are improving, and improving quickly,

Another exciting takeaway is that holy cow, we now live in a world where a Linux laptop with integrated graphics can run a modern racing game above 60FPS at 1080p. I love living in that world.

These results are an interesting slice of the Linux vs Windows gaming picture, but certainly not representative of the entire landscape. A few shorts years ago, however, I never would have dreamed I’d be writing an article where even two games on Linux are outperforming their Windows counterparts.

That said, I want to run these same benchmarks on laptops with dedicated AMD and Nvidia GPUs and see what happens. If you’re interested in seeing those results, follow me here at Forbes or on Mastodon and I’ll keep you posted.

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