Top 3 Windows Games Launched in 2012 That Run Well on Linux

Even if a lot of games have been launched for Linux this year and more are expected to arrive in 2013, the Windows platform is still home for the best titles. Until this status quo changes, there will always be Wine.

Wine is a framework that can be used to run Windows applications in a Linux environment. Some titles work better than others, but details about the game’s performance in Wine can be found on their official website, rated accordingly: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

The number of platinum games is fairly limited, so we’ll just stick with the next level, gold. Games rated with gold will run on most operating systems, albeit with some minor limitations.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a turn-based tactical strategy in the old Xcom universe. A lot of people thought that it was not going to live up to its expectations, but XCOM: Enemy Unknown has surpassed them and became a major hit of 2012.

The game will need just Wine 1.5.16 and has only one install tip from testers: play it on a clean winetrick. Installing DirectX9, Xact, vcrun2008 and physx before the actual game is also recommended.

Another good game that runs very well under Wine 1.5.15 is Dishonored. Developed by Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks, the game has proven to be a real success and established itself as a future francize.

Unfortunately, some extended features and video sequences are not working, but the game is playable. The vcrun2008 will have to be run before installing the game.

The last mentioned in this short list, and probably the game of the year, is Borderlands 2. It only requires some minor adjustments and they have nothing to do with the gameplay, only with the installation procedure. We have written an extensive tutorial on Softpedia on how to install Borderlands 2.

There are lot more games that have received the gold rating on the Wine website. Be sure to check them out!