Despite still not being as popular as other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and macOS, Linux has gained traction within the global gaming community. Gabe Newell, founder of the game developing company Valve, maybe mostly be to blame after he boldly declared that “Linux is the future of gaming.” Moreover, Steam games come as a fortune for the Linux community, and now anyone can download or play various games on Steam either free or by paying a few bucks.
Best Cheap Steam Games For The Linux Gamers
If you want to recommend someone who swears by Linux as the operating system to play games with, but you don’t know what game titles to give them, don’t worry, as this article will get you covered.
If you don’t prefer to buy those cheap steam games or play Steam games online, in that case, I recommend you to offer a list of free Steam games for your friends and family. Moreover, you can also check my previous article on a list of the best Linux games and a tutorial if you don’t know how to play games on Linux.
1. Civilization VI
Ever since it first got its start less than three decades ago, Canadian programmer Sid Meier’s Civilization series of games has proved to be one of the few that stood the test of time and changing gaming trends.
Civilization’s premise is deceptively simple: Whoever plays it gets to rule over an entire group of people and lead it towards the road to global domination. It isn’t as easy as it sounds, though, as there are several strategic decisions the player has to make to protect his civilization from getting wiped out by opponents, barbarian or otherwise.
What makes Civilization appealing to gamers who have tried it over the years across various gaming platforms is how close most of the game’s events are to those that happened in actual human history.
Civilization – that is, the main game itself, as it had also spawned countless expansion packs, spin-offs, and even board games – is now in its sixth installment. The Linux version was put out by its developer last 2017. So, if a Linux gamer you know loves playing strategy games that require hard and fast thinking, they’ll be more than happy to receive Civilization VI as a present from you.
2. Ark: Survival Evolved
If the Linux gamer you know doesn’t want to go through different periods of human history while playing a game, you might want to give them Ark: Survival Evolved instead.
The game’s timeline covers man’s prehistoric period millions of years ago. Your recipient may like this game if he enjoys watching movies about island survival and dinosaurs such as Jurassic Park. This game is considered one of the best cheap steam games of all time.
3. Rocket League
Soccer games are tedious and tiresome for the most part, but not this best cheap steam game called Rocket League. The gamer can play soccer using a rocket-propelled car and score goals until his team wins. The gameplay itself can get very rough, though, that it may feel less like playing a soccer game and more like playing a demolition derby while wresting control of some ball.
4. Borderlands 2
When the first-person shooter game Borderlands was first developed by Gearbox Software back in 2009, Linux gamers missed out on it because it didn’t support the said gaming platform. Gearbox addressed this concern five years later by making its sequel Borderlands 2 available for Linux gamers.
If the Linux gamer you know loves both sci-fi and Western movies, they’ll enjoy playing Borderlands 2, where they get to choose from any one of its four main characters who traveled all the way to the fictional planet Pandora in search of a vault filled with ancient alien treasure. However, they’ll have to battle Pandora’s aggressive fauna as well as scavengers and private armies first.
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Another futuristic first-person shooter game that any Linux Steam gamer will enjoy is Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which is the fourth installment of the entire Deus Ex game series. However, it’s the first one that supports Linux and one of the best cheap steam games available right now.
Once your Linux gamer buddy loads up Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, they’ll get to play as protagonist Adam Jensen, former chief of security for a corporation supporting a biotechnological advancement that allowed for the creation of artificial body parts called “augmentations.” Jensen’s goal in the entire game is to infiltrate a corporate organization known as the Illuminati and stop them from manipulating people into thinking that humans equipped with augmentations ought to be concentrated in ghettos and ripped off their rights.
6. Metro: Last Light Redux
Another futuristic first-person shooter game that your Linux gamer buddy will surely like is Metro: Last Light. The Redux version (which means remastered with better graphics and additional support for newer gaming consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) came out in 2015.
Just like with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, your Linux gamer buddy, can only get to play the role of one character in Metro: Last Light Redux. Adopting the role of Russian peacekeeper Artyom, he has to fight both human and mutant enemies as well as find a group of mysterious creatures known as the Dark Ones.
Most of the action takes place in Moscow’s Metro subway system. This game is yet another one of the best cheap steam games that your buddy can play right now on Steam online.
7. Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
Most of the Linux games featured here thus far are sequels, and Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut is no exception. You should note, though, that a different developer made its predecessor three decades ago.
A lot of advancements in graphical capabilities throughout thirty years had thus allowed the developers behind Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut to take the storyline of the original game and retool it for the modern era of computer gaming.
If the Linux gamer you know possesses some leadership skills while playing in front of the computer, he will enjoy playing Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut. He gets to play the role of General Vargas, a leader of a group of soldiers and survivalists known as the Desert Rangers.
A fellow Ranger, Ace, turned up dead in the year 2102, and General Vargas, along with his team of seven Rangers, heads out on a mission to discover who killed their colleague. Four of the Rangers can be controlled by the gamer, although they’ll have to take turns during combat.
8. Mad Max
Remember Rocket League from earlier? If your Linux gamer buddy feels that the game could do without some oversized ball and focus instead on vehicular combat, you’re better off giving them a copy of Mad Max.
Yes, the very same Mad Max series of movies about an Australian police officer who killed a biker gang to avenge the death of his wife and child is now a Linux game, thanks to Avalanche Studios and Feral Interactive, who put it out in 2016.
The gamer will portray the role of Mad Max himself and fight a group of raiders led by a warlord bent on killing him. However, he may want to watch even just the first Mad Max movie so that he’ll know what to expect from its Linux game adaptation. I personally like this game and always recommend others as it’s one of the favorites and best cheap steam games in the games community.
9. Total War: Warhammer
If you think that Deus Ex’s four computer game titles are plenty enough for a series, be amazed to learn that Total War has 13 titles in it, eight of which are available for Linux gamers.
One of those eight titles that a Linux gamer would appreciate is Total War: Warhammer. This game’s combination of strategy and turn-based gameplay should make for a more active gaming experience.
But unlike previous titles in its family franchise throughout various eras of human history, Total War: Warhammer features a high fantasy setting where humans, monsters, and magical creatures all exist in the same universe.
If the Linux gamer you know is into Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, Total War: Warhammer would be right up their alley. Just buy this steam game online and start playing.
10. Cities: Skylines
If Civilization VI is a bit too overwhelming for your Linux gamer buddy, you can give them a copy of Cities: Skylines instead. With this game, he can create the city of his dreams and understand the various challenges that urban planners face in real life.
Colossal Order, who developed the said Linux game, also offers several expansion packs where the Linux gamer can simulate other urban planning challenges as well, such as disaster preparedness and sustainable development, to name but a few.
The Last Words
As of now, the estimated total number of Linux gamers is between 4 million to 6 million. The said estimate only shows that a subset of the global gaming community enjoys playing games in a machine running on a still-underrated operating system. Their numbers aren’t that small either.
If you know someone who’s a diehard Linux gamer, you’ll want to give them any of the above-listed best cheap steam games today. After all, there’s no telling when Linux might soon overthrow both Windows and macOS that it may become the dominant operating system not only for personal computers but gaming ones as well.
Note that this list has not followed any particular order; instead, it’s a generic list of the best cheap steam games available out there, which you can recommend to your friends and family who like to play games. If you like this list, don’t forget to share it on your social network and let know others who need it. Moreover, put forward your thoughts and experiences in the comment section, which will help us grow.
