Running MMORPG's on Linux - Windows MMORPG's, and Online Browser Games
Windows MMO’s Playable in Linux with WINE
Windows emulation has grown by leaps and bounds in the last several years. As of now, it is pretty much possible to get any major MMORPG working in WINE, the Linux Windows emulator, if enough people get together and work on making the game compatible. There are so many people playing WoW, for instance, that a way was found to get the game working very well in any Linux environment.
As we speak, there are several native Windows games which can be played on Linux without any serious difficulty. Many of them require a bit of tinkering with your setup to get working, but for some people it’s worth a little extra work to be able to play their favorite game without having to load up Windows XP or Vista.
I think it’s safe to say that within 5 years’ time, pretty much any MMORPG game will be playable with WINE in Linux. Much progress is being made in WINE’s operability, on a daily basis, and it’s not unreasonable to believe that this possibility is very real, at this point.
Some of the Windows MMORPG’s which are currently playable in Linux include World of Warcraft, The Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, and Guild Wars. Last I heard, work was moving along nicely on Warhammer Online as well.
Browser-Based MMO’s Playable in Linux
The beauty of browser-based games is that they are playable on pretty much any operating system. Additionally, most have very low system requirements as well. Flash games and Internet games in general have been getting better and better as of late, and a browser-based MMORPG game may be just what the doctor ordered, if you want a simply MMO to kick around with on your Linux build.
Browser compatibility with flash, and other more complex languages in Linux has been getting better as well. I’ve heard success stories of people playing Runescape on Linux, as well as an assortment of other browser-based games. We will conclude this series with a substantial list of browser MMO games which are playable in your favorite linux distro.
So, these are the 3 major ways to play MMO’s in Linux - There are native Linux clients for many MMORPG’s, there are ways to play the native Windows MMORPG’s in Linux, and there are quite a few browser MMO’s which are totally playable in Linux, as well. When it comes right down to it, if you want to play a MMORPG in Linux, there really is a pretty good selection of games to choose from.
This post is part of the series: MMORPG Games For Linux
Which MMORPG’s are available for Linux? We go into detail on which MMORPG games are playable on Linux, from Native Linux MMORPG’s to Online Games which are playable on Linux as well as other operating systems. The list includes open-source free MMORPG’s, new MMORPG’s, and browser MMORPG’s.
