Best Nostalgia Linux Games on Steam
Steam currently has 318 Nostalgia games, but not all of them are able to be played on Linux builds. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Nostalgia game rankings were last updated on 12/4/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best nostalgia games on Steam
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- Free nostalgia games on Steam
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- Most played Steam games
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1. Counter-Strike
Play the world's number 1 online action game. Engage in an incredibly realistic brand of terrorist warfare in this wildly popular team-based game. Ally with teammates to complete strategic missions. Take out enemy sites. Rescue hostages. Your role affects your team's success. Your team's success affects your role.
Counter-Strike holds the #1 spot for "best Linux Nostalgia game on Steam" with a Player Score of 96. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 245,092 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 238,801 positive reviews and 6,291 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Counter-Strike on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
2. Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside
There's no reason to be afraid of the dark. Fed up with his fear of the dark, Sam transforms himself into Pajama Sam - world's youngest superhero and resolves to confront Darkness! With help from King the mine car, Otto the boat, and a host of fascinating characters.
Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,201 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,172 positive reviews and 29 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $6.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $6.99 |
| Release Date | 4/17/2014 |
| Developer | Humongous Entertainment |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 283960 |
3. Parkitect
Parkitect is a business simulation game that charges you with the construction and management of theme parks! Bringing back the best of classic theme park games with many new features and content on top. Now supports online co-op with up to 8 players!
Parkitect has achieved a Player Score of 91, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 7,352 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 6,942 positive reviews and 410 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $29.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Parkitect on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $29.99 |
| Release Date | 11/29/2018 |
| Franchise | Texel Raptor |
| Developer | Texel Raptor |
| Publisher | Texel Raptor |
| Steam App Id | 453090 |
4. Putt-Putt® Saves The Zoo
Today's the grand opening of the Cartown Zoo, and there's still so much to do: zoo chow is running low, and all the baby animals are missing.
Putt-Putt® Saves The Zoo has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 727 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 703 positive reviews and 24 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $6.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Putt-Putt® Saves The Zoo on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $6.99 |
| Release Date | 7/3/2014 |
| Developer | Humongous Entertainment |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 294660 |
5. Lucy Dreaming
Discover a dark family secret and rid a young girl of her nightmares in this splendidly British point & click comedy adventure. Playing as sharp-witted Lucy, explore both dreams and reality to meet all the colourful characters who'll help you solve puzzles, gather clues and find a murderer.
Lucy Dreaming has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 326 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 322 positive reviews and 4 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $18.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Steam Price | $18.99 |
| Release Date | 10/18/2022 |
| Developer | Tall Story Games Ltd |
| Publisher | Tall Story Games Ltd |
| Steam App Id | 1532710 |
6. Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds
Help underwater detective Freddi Fish and her finny friend Luther solve the case. Explore underwater caves, deep canyons and colorful reefs, and discover fascinating places like King Crab's Castle and A Sunken Ship Out of Time, in an effort to save the reef.
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 647 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 626 positive reviews and 21 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $6.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $6.99 |
| Release Date | 4/17/2014 |
| Developer | Humongous Entertainment |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 283940 |
7. Horizon Chase Turbo
Thrilling arcade racing game, inspired by the super-fun-straight-to-the-point classic racing games from the 90s.
Horizon Chase Turbo has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,508 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 5,131 positive reviews and 377 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
8. Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening
Join Pajama Sam, the world's youngest superhero as he journeys to World Wide Weather, the storm-stirring factory in the sky!
Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 324 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 318 positive reviews and 6 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $6.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Steam Price | $6.99 |
| Release Date | 5/1/2014 |
| Developer | Humongous Entertainment |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 292780 |
9. The Gardens Between
The Gardens Between is a surreal puzzle adventure that follows best friends, Arina and Frendt, as they fall into a mysterious world of beautiful garden islands. Manipulate time to solve puzzles and discover the secrets of each island.
The Gardens Between has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,659 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,493 positive reviews and 166 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $19.99 |
| Release Date | 9/19/2018 |
| Developer | The Voxel Agents |
| Publisher | The Voxel Agents |
| Steam App Id | 600990 |
10. Descent
Prepare To Start Your Descent.Sensory overload in 360° 3-D.Welcome to Descent™ - 27 levels of the most mind-bending, stomach-churning action game ever. Featuring true 3-Dimensional worlds with light source shading, texture mapping, 3-D morphing, directional sound effects and sizzling music, this is technology taken to the limit.
Descent has achieved a Player Score of 89, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Linux Nostalgia games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 446 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 431 positive reviews and 15 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Descent on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 2/11/2014 |
| Developer | Parallax |
| Publisher | Interplay Inc. |
| Steam App Id | 273570 |
More Nostalgia Linux Games on Steam
Explore even more rankings for the 10 best Nostalgia games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,855 | 11/1/2000 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 35 | 4/17/2014 | 92 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 166 | 11/29/2018 | 91 | $29.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 17 | 7/3/2014 | 90 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 10/18/2022 | 90 | $18.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 11 | 4/17/2014 | 90 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 14 | 5/15/2018 | 90 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 3 | 5/1/2014 | 90 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 9/19/2018 | 90 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 3 | 2/11/2014 | 89 | $9.99 | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 4). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 4). Counter-Strike on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 6). Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 12). Parkitect on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Putt-Putt® Saves The Zoo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 11). Lucy Dreaming on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 16). Horizon Chase Turbo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Pajama Sam 2: Thunder And Lightning Aren't So Frightening on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). The Gardens Between on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 4). Descent on Steam. Steam Store.