Play Windows Games in Linux
Let's be honest: Most windows games will not currently run on Linux, but there are methods available to play some games. If you want to play SimCity or Bejeweled there is hope. If, however, you are thinking about porting over World of Warcraft, the Sims, or another newer game, you should prepare to be disappointed or to invest considerable time, money and effort.
More than 300 games are available for Linux today, but there are thousands more out there that are available only to Windows users. So how do we bring some of that gaming goodness to linux platforms? Several products and projects exist that make it possible to play Windows games under Linux and to run other Windows programs as well. These include Win4Lin, the WINE Project, CrossOver Office, VMware and TransGaming's Cedega. Keep in mind that some games like those from Id Software have binaries available that will let you run the game under Linux. Keep in mind that most of the games you'll be able to run will be simpler and older games rather than newer ones. We will look at commercial fixes and a freeware fix.
Steps
Commercial Fixes
- Try Win4Lin. Win4Lin is purchased software that allows you to install Windows 2000 or XP inside a Linux system. Essentially, it lets you run a virtual Windows machine inside a Linux machine. Although this product is meant primarily as a business tool, if you already have it, then you should try using it to run games. Because this is a commercial tool with plenty of documentation, we can leave the details of installation instructions and starting Win4Lin to the manuals. On older machines under 1.5 GHz and less than a 1G RAM, don't even bother. The virtual Windows runs at a snail's pace. Playing anything except untimed games is basically impossible due to performance lag, but you only get this slowdown inside the Win4Lin session. You will likely need to copy files from the CD-ROM to the hard drive for games.
- VMware is a pricey $200+ windows emulator for business, and is the only one that boots both SIMS and WoW in one session. It runs very similarly but way better than W4L, but the cost will keep most people away. The documentation is far better than W4L's and online support is acceptable. But consider a test drive before you sink this kind of money into your game addiction, since it may not work on your machine as well as it does elsewhere.
- TransGaming's Cedega product is a subscription service where you pay a monthly fee for access to the latest versions of the app in binary and vote on the games that you want to see ported over. WoW and several other newer games run on this service.
Freeware Fixes
- The WINE Project is freeware that allows people to run MS-DOS and 32-bit Windows applications under Linux and the free BSDs. Whether WINE will run your particular game is heavily dependent on a lot of factors you have no control over. Your best bet is simply to give it a try. Depending on which Linux distribution you're using, WINE may be easy or complex to install. WINE is often bundled in distros. If you didn't get it, go to the WINE site and click the Download button. You may find a ready made package for your specific distribution. If not, you will have to follow the WINE Source Download link and then follow the instructions in the README for how to build the program.
- Once you have WINE installed, attempting to run a Windows program using this tool isn't difficult. You will need to get it onto your system, either by mounting the disk, or by downloading/copying the software onto your machine. Then, if there is software you need to install, you need to determine which program launches the installation — this is typically INSTALL.EXE or SETUP.EXE. From inside its' directory, type wine program. For example, wine INSTALL.EXE.
- More often than not, the installation program will launch properly, so you may be able to install the software using WINE. Even if it does, don't get excited. Installer programs are very basic and the actual game software is something else. Programs installed inside of WINE are placed in ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/. You may get an icon on the desktop. If you start the program by hand, go to the directory containing the game, and type wine program just as you did before. So, if you were trying to get the game Bejeweled running, you might change to ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/PopCap Games/Bejeweled, and type wine WinBiz.exe. It either works or doesn't. If it does, great! If not, you can search for tips on how to tweak the game in WINE, or try a different virtual tool. I've seen some impressive results with WINE, including a beautiful HARPOON port and a shaky but functional Flight Simulator. The key is your willingness to pursue tweaks for your installation and the specific game you are trying to run.
Tips
- There is no perfect solution for playing Windows games under Linux. Most of the systems that get consistent results cost money and that seems to be a continuing trend.
- There is a lot of freeware and Ports out there. Investigate your options before you consider virtual machine programs that are going to cost you a lot of money with no guarantee of success.
- Find your local linux user's group and see what they are using for their game choices. Help may be available for the asking.
Warnings
- Building programs and playing with distros is not for the faint-hearted. Your local Linux user's group is the place to start from if you haven't tried any of this before.
