Linux gaming performance rises as Windows compatibility features move from Wine and Proton into the Linux kernel

Linux surpassed 5% of Steam users in March 2026, helped by Windows 10 end-of-support concerns and the Steam Deck’s mainstreaming of Linux gaming. The article says performance gains are increasingly coming not just from Wine and Proton, but from kernel-level work like NTSYNC, now enabled by default on updated Steam Decks.

Moving Windows-style synchronization into the Linux kernel reduces translation overhead and makes Linux a more credible gaming platform. If this trend continues, compatibility layers may become less of a workaround and more of a deeply optimized part of the Linux gaming stack.