Field guide · 10 games compared

FPS games with native Linux builds on Steam

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios), maker of Iron Curtain Call. Published 8 November 2026; every price, release date and platform below was checked on 8 November 2026 against the US Steam store and the sources at the end.

Iron Curtain Call in first person: a white cartoon glove holds a typewriter submachine gun as the 6:15 steam express bursts from a brick tunnel
Iron Curtain Call, chapter 1, Rubbleton: playable natively on Linux, macOS and Windows in the free Steam demo.
The short answer

Native ELF binaries on Steam, checked against the store.

Proton runs almost everything on Linux today, but plenty of Linux desktop and SteamOS players still look for shooters that ship a native Linux build with no Windows translation layer in between. Every game on this page was checked against the US Steam store API on 8 November 2026 to confirm where Linux is listed.

For finished shooters whose full game lists Linux natively on Steam, play Half-Life 2 ($9.99, free demo), Black Mesa ($19.99), DUSK ($19.99), Ion Fury ($24.99), Selaco ($24.99, Early Access), SUPERHOT ($24.99), Metro Exodus ($29.99), Dying Light ($24.99) and Borderlands 2 ($19.99).

If you want a brand new 1930s rubber hose cartoon FPS whose free Steam demo runs natively on Linux right now, download Mission 1 of my game Iron Curtain Call (the free demo lists Windows, macOS and Linux; the full game is slated for 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and you can also play 60 seconds in your browser via WebGL 2).

At a glance

All ten games, side by side.

Prices are US Steam list prices before any sale, read on 8 November 2026. The platforms column comes directly from each game’s Steam store record.
GameStyle and engineHow it playsFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy game1930s rubber hose cartoon noir (Godot 4.7)Fast arena FPS: native Linux build in the free Mission 1 Steam demoYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
DUSKLate 1990s low poly folk horrorFast boomer shooter with sickles, strafe jumping and native Linux buildNo$19.9910 December 2018
Ion Fury1990s Build engine voxel cyberpunkClassic keycard hunting and Bowling Bombs with native Linux supportNo$24.9915 August 2019
Half-Life 2City 17 dystopian sci fi (Source engine)Story driven physics shooter running natively on Linux, macOS and WindowsYes, free$9.9916 November 2004
Black MesaModern Source remake of the 1998 classicFull campaign through Black Mesa and Xen with a native Linux buildNo$19.996 March 2020
SelacoGZDoom tactical sci fi facility siegeHigh intensity gunfights against flanking soldiers, native on LinuxNo$24.9931 May 2024Early Access
SUPERHOTMinimalist red on white glass aestheticTime moves only when you move; native on Linux, macOS and WindowsNo$24.9925 February 2016
Metro ExodusPost apocalyptic Russian wilderness across four seasonsAAA story survival shooter with native Linux and macOS buildsNo$29.9914 February 2020
Dying LightQuarantined city of Harran with parkour rooftopsFirst person zombie parkour and combat campaign, native on LinuxNo$24.9926 January 2015
Borderlands 2Cel shaded comic book looter shooter on Pandora1 to 4 player co op RPG shooter listing Linux, macOS and WindowsNo$19.9917 September 2012
Game by game

Ten FPS games with native Linux support

Each card notes the engine, the platforms listed on Steam and whether a free demo is available.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you want to play a fast 1930s cartoon shooter natively on Linux for free today.

Iron Curtain Call is built in Godot 4.7, and its free Mission 1 demo on Steam ships a native Linux x86_64 build alongside Windows and macOS. You play Corporal Punishment fighting through an alternate 1965 World War III of wind up tin robots, punching for health, sawing for ammo and burning for armor.

We keep the platform facts strict: the free demo runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux today, while the full 12 chapter game currently lists Windows and macOS on its Steam store page for 11 March 2027.

Download the native Linux free Steam demo or play 60 seconds in your browser in any desktop WebGL 2 browser.

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Out
11 March 2027
Free demo out
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo on Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Download the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

Iron Curtain Call in first person: fighting Major Disaster, the giant tin general boss at the end of Mission 1
Mission 1, Welcome to Rubbleton: playable natively on Linux in the free Steam demo.

DUSK

Boomer shooter benchmark · Windows, macOS & Linux

Play it if you want one of the highest rated retro shooters on Steam with lightweight native builds on all three desktop OSes.

David Szymanski and New Blood Interactive released DUSK on 10 December 2018 ($19.99, Windows, macOS and Linux). Its three episodes run at high frame rates on modest Linux hardware and integrated GPUs.

See our FPS games for low end PCs guide for more lightweight shooters.

Developer
David Szymanski
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Released
10 December 2018
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Ion Fury

Build engine cyberpunk · Windows & Linux

Play it if you love Duke Nukem 3D’s EDuke32/Build engine roots, which have first class native Linux support.

Voidpoint and 3D Realms released Ion Fury on 15 August 2019 ($24.99, Windows and Linux). Built on the modern continuation of Ken Silverman’s Build engine, it ships a crisp native Linux binary.

Dense, secret packed cyberpunk levels with zero polygon bloat.

Developer
Voidpoint, LLC
Publisher
3D Realms
Released
15 August 2019
On Steam
Windows and Linux
US list price
$24.99
Demo
None on Steam

Half-Life 2

Valve’s flagship · Windows, macOS & Linux · Free demo

Play it if you want the classic Source engine campaign that led Valve’s original push into Linux gaming.

Valve’s Half-Life 2 (16 November 2004, $9.99, free demo on Steam) lists Windows, macOS and Linux natively and remains one of the best optimized shooters ever shipped.

Read our games like Half-Life 2 guide for nine more story driven shooters.

Developer and publisher
Valve
Released
16 November 2004
On Steam
Windows and Linux
US list price
$9.99
Demo
Yes, free

Black Mesa

Source engine remake · Windows & Linux

Play it if you want the full modern remake of the original 1998 Half Life with native Linux support.

Crowbar Collective released Black Mesa on 6 March 2020 ($19.99, Windows and Linux), bringing its completely reimagined Xen chapters natively to Linux.

Pairs naturally with Half-Life 2 on a Linux setup.

Developer and publisher
Crowbar Collective
Released
6 March 2020
On Steam
Windows and Linux
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Selaco

GZDoom engine · Windows & Linux

Play it if you want a modern tactical retro shooter running on a native Linux GZDoom build.

Altered Orbit Studios launched Selaco into Early Access on 31 May 2024 ($24.99, Windows and Linux). Because it is built on a heavily customized GZDoom foundation, Linux support is native from day one.

Fierce enemy soldier AI and destructible office environments.

Developer and publisher
Altered Orbit Studios
Entered Early Access
31 May 2024
On Steam
Windows and Linux
US list price
$24.99
Demo
None on Steam

SUPERHOT

Time moves when you move · Windows, macOS & Linux

Play it if you want a tactical puzzle shooter that runs natively across Linux, Mac and Windows.

SUPERHOT Team released SUPERHOT on 25 February 2016 ($24.99, Windows, macOS and Linux). Every red glass enemy freezes in midair until you step or fire.

Clean, minimalist geometry that runs smoothly on desktop and laptop Linux.

Developer and publisher
SUPERHOT Team
Released
25 February 2016
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$24.99
Demo
None on Steam

Metro Exodus

AAA campaign · Windows, macOS & Linux

Play it if you want a graphically rich, story driven post apocalyptic journey with a native Linux port.

4A Games released Metro Exodus on 14 February 2020 ($29.99, Windows, macOS and Linux), one of the rare modern AAA first person shooters to maintain native builds on both Linux and macOS.

A massive cross country campaign aboard the Aurora steam train.

Developer
4A Games
Publisher
Deep Silver
Released
14 February 2020
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

Dying Light

First person parkour & combat · Windows, macOS & Linux

Play it if you want open city rooftop movement and first person combat with a native Linux listing.

Techland released Dying Light on 26 January 2015 ($24.99, Windows, macOS and Linux), combining first person parkour across Harran with day and night survival.

Supports both solo play and co op.

Developer and publisher
Techland
Released
26 January 2015
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$24.99
Demo
None on Steam

Borderlands 2

Comic book looter shooter · Windows, macOS & Linux

Play it if you want a long cel shaded looter shooter campaign that lists Linux on Steam.

Gearbox Software released Borderlands 2 on 17 September 2012 ($19.99, Windows, macOS and Linux), offering dozens of hours of comic book gun hunting.

See our best FPS games for Mac guide if you also play on macOS.

Developer
Gearbox Software
Publisher
2K
Released
17 September 2012
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam
Questions

Questions Linux players ask

Does Iron Curtain Call run natively on Linux?

Yes for the free demo: the Iron Curtain Call Steam demo (Mission 1, Welcome to Rubbleton, updated to 1.5.3 on 8 November 2026) ships a native Linux build alongside Windows and macOS. The full game’s Steam page currently lists Windows and macOS for its 11 March 2027 release.

Which native Linux FPS games on Steam have a free demo?

On 8 November 2026, Iron Curtain Call (native Linux demo on Steam, plus a 60 second browser trial at ironcurtaincall.com/play/) and Half-Life 2 listed a free demo on the US Steam store. We also track all 25 top rated demos in our free FPS demos on Steam guide, including every demo that lists Linux.

How were the Linux listings on this page verified?

Every game on this page was checked against the US Steam store appdetails API on 8 November 2026: the platforms column shows exactly what Steam’s own platform flags report for the game and its demo.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources and verification

Every release date, US list price, platform and demo status on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against the official Steam store pages and reference articles below.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. DUSK, Steam store page
  3. Ion Fury, Steam store page
  4. Half-Life 2, Steam store page
  5. Black Mesa, Steam store page
  6. Selaco, Steam store page
  7. SUPERHOT, Steam store page
  8. Metro Exodus, Steam store page
  9. Dying Light, Steam store page
  10. Borderlands 2, Steam store page
  11. Linux gaming, Wikipedia
  12. Vulkan, Wikipedia
  13. Dusk (video game), Wikipedia
  14. Ion Fury, Wikipedia
  15. Half-Life 2, Wikipedia
  16. Black Mesa (video game), Wikipedia
  17. Superhot, Wikipedia
  18. Metro Exodus, Wikipedia
  19. Dying Light, Wikipedia
  20. Borderlands 2, Wikipedia

On Linux? Try Mission 1 natively for free.

Download the native Linux build of the Iron Curtain Call demo free on Steam today, or play 60 seconds right in your browser tab with WebGL 2. The full 12 chapter campaign launches on 11 March 2027.

Download the free Steam demoWishlist and Follow on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download