If you use Linux as your primary OS, then you already understand why it is so great. But, do you game on it? Ever try to convert your Windows friends to Linux? More times than not, the dreaded first question is, "Can I game on it?"

 

For some reason, there is a constant mindset that there are not many games for Linux when in fact there are many. I don't mean the small ones that are included with GNOME or KDE, but full blown projects that deliver captivating and deep game play experiences. There are even a few good commercial games out there for Linux, but that's not the topic of today's article.

Instead, we have put together a top 10 list of free games you should have installed. With the help of the Gentoo and Ubuntu forums, we have thrown together what I believe to be a solid list of 10.

 

 

 

To start things off, we have a classic Chinese puzzle game at number 10. Classic in the sense that it's well over 100 years old! After creation, the game quickly spread out of China and become popular the world over. Like Solitaire, it can be played by yourself, which is a huge draw.

 

 

It's not too often you can say you are playing a game put out by the United States Government, but Americas Army is just that. This began not only as a game, but a tool to train future army recruits. The US Army probably didn't expect the game to quickly explode into a popular online stature though.

The game follows a rather serious theme due to its original and current goals, but it's also a blast for players who have no desire to join the army. Other similar games on the market cost money while AA is free. But there's a catch. As of version 2.5, AA was discontinued for Linux and Mac OS X, although it doesn't seem to affect the training missions or playing with other 2.5 clients. So, this makes it great for a Linux AA clan, or a LAN party.

 

 

#8 Armagetron Advanced

Who doesn't love Tron? Admit it, you do. Tron is a prime example of killer gameplay that doesn't need superb graphics to be fun. Armagetron Advanced does nothing amazing to the Tron-like style games, but what it does do, it does well. The game doesn't have good graphics, although they are very clean in high resolutions. The sound is nothing major either, but works well with the Tron theme.

 

 

#7 Cube 2 (Sauerbraten)

One thing you will notice with this top 10 list, is that four of the games are FPS. It goes to show that these are some of the most favored out there, and it's no surprise given the graphic and online capabilities. Cube is one of these, for multiple reasons. First, it's a game that's incredibly quick and easy to get into. After running the start script, you are literally standing in the game ready to go, within seconds.

 

 

#6 Pingus

Puzzle games have proven to be one of the most popular genres around, so it's no surprise that the market is littered with such games. Not only that, but some of the true classics, we have seen recreated and updated time and time again. Not only by the official companies, but by fans also. Pingus, if you cannot already tell, is based off the ultra-popular Lemmings game. When it originally came out in the early 90's, I am sure the developers did not expect it to catch on so rapidly!

 

 

#5 Neverball & Neverputt

If you enjoy playing with balls, then Neverball should be right up your alley. The game is quite similar to Super Monkey Ball for the Nintendo Gamecube, so if you've played that, then you know what to expect here. The game premise is simple... you have a ball and are required to move it around the level collecting a set amount of coins. Once done, you must make it safely to the finishing portal. It sounds simple, because for the most part... it is.

 

 

#4 Nexuiz

Nexuiz proves to be one of the most popular open source FPS games on Linux, and for good reason. The game engine used is DarkPlaces, which is a heavily modified Quake 1 engine. That's evident in the graphics. If you've ever played Quake 1 deathmatch, then you are aware that it was one of the pioneers in what it did. Jump in, have some quick fun and log oback out. Personally, it was the first game that I played online quite often. Nexuiz tries to go back to those roots, and delivers for the most part.

 

 

#3 Enemy Territory

When Return to Castle Wolfenstein was first released, it was hailed quickly by online gamers. It was a blast to play and had great graphics and sound to boot. Shortly after this, Enemy Territory, originally slated as a commercial expansion pack, was released entirely for free. In early 2004, the source code was released making it easier for modders and those working on total conversions to get things done.

 

While there are many online FPS games for Linux, this is by far one of the most in-depth and realistic. This is a standard Axis and Allies fare, with five different classes to choose from. The game includes six official maps, but there are far more than that available online provided by the modding community. This game, in a sense, is like Day of Defeat for Windows, and also Counter-Strike. It's like DoD because of the standard gameplay, but CS in the sense that once you die, you stay dead until the round is over or until the timer hit its mark.

 

 

#2 Frozen Bubble

If there ever were a popular puzzle game for Linux, Frozen Bubble would be it. Based off what we have seen with Bust a Move, Frozen Bubble is a rather simplistic puzzle that that requires some sort of strategy to succeed.

The game board is filled with multiple colored balls, and it's your goal to match three or more of the same color to get rid of them. Sometimes the game board begins with more than three coupled together, but they don't just go away on their own. What color ball comes next is completely random, so you must use some strategy to make sure that you are not going to get caught in a dead end. If you do take too long for a move, it will tell you to hurry up. After so many throws of a ball, the mechanism on the top will push all of the balls down a notch, making things more difficult.

 

 

#1 Battle for Wesnoth

Here is a game that was constantly being noted as a great game, but I have never even heard of it until recently. Wesnoth is a fantasy turn based strategy game that is truly cross platform. It's not only available for Linux but also Windows, BeOS, Mac OS X, FreeBSD and others. David White, the creator of the game, based it off a few Sega Genesis classics. He wanted the game to be rather simple to play, yet have strong AI. He strongly believes in the "Keep it Simple, Stupid" analogy, so you can't expect deep gameplay that will drag you away from real life for hours at a time.

 

 

 

 

 Now apart from these we have the popular clan and networking games like Quake , counter strilke and Need for speed and many more . Its just a matter of time that we have all these pouplar games in Linux.