Steam users can now buy and download the game for Linux

Jun 19, 2014 12:25 GMT  ·  By

XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the tactical turn-based strategy developed by Firaxis, has been ported to Linux by Feral Interactive and is now available on Steam for Linux.

As it stands right now, there are two major companies that port games for Mac OS X – Feral Interactive and Aspyr Media. This platform is much closer to Linux than Windows, so it stands to reason that Firaxis wanted to have these companies make the ports.

“Since its inception, the XCOM Project has scoured the globe in search of the best and brightest military and scientific personnel to defend Earth from the alien invasion. Today marks the availability of a new technology that will enable even more world-class recruits to join the fight, as XCOM: Enemy Unknown is released for Linux.”

“XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a SteamPlay title that runs on Ubuntu 14.04 and Valve’s SteamOS. The base game and all the add-on content, including the explosive expansion pack XCOM: Enemy Within, are available now from Steam,” said the guys from Feral Interactive on the official website.

The good news is that all the content that has already been released for XCOM is available for the Linux users as well, including XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Elite Soldier Pack, XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Slingshot Pack, and XCOM: Enemy Within. The latter is actually a huge single-player add-on.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown represents a premiere for Feral Interactive, and any future collaboration with this company from the same studio probably hinges on how well they made the port. Given their track record, it's safe to say that it won't have any major issues, but users have been encouraged to report everything.

The system requirements are also quite acceptable, especially for the minimum configuration: 2.0GHz dual-core CPU with at least 4GB RAM, 512MB or better graphics card, and Ubuntu 14.04 (64bit). The game requires an AMD 6000 series graphics card or better, an NVIDIA 600 series or better, or an Intel IrisPro series or better.

It's also interesting to note that the game will only run on 64-bit systems. It's not clear whether this is a permanent problem or if it's going to be fixed anytime soon.

Firaxis and 2K Software also released Civilization V for the Linux platform, but the port was made by Aspyr Media. The reception was great and the Linux community loved what they did with the game. There are still some bugs in that title, but Aspyr is working on the issues.