Gaming on Linux always seems to be growing in popularity. It has seen a massive boost in the handheld landscape, all thanks to the great development Valve has, and continues to do, with the Steam Deck and SteamOS. That work is also spreading to other handhelds as the Lenovo Legion Go S will become the first third-party handheld to offer official support for Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS in May this year.

However, Linux gaming doesn’t come without its drawbacks. The biggest one for fans of multiplayer games is anti-cheat support. We’ve seen titles like GTA 6 having its online support cut on devices like the Steam Deck as a result of more aggressive anti-cheat solutions, typically ones that only work on Windows. Apex Legends is another game that stopped working on Linux systems; this was announced in October last year.

Apex Legends has fewer cheaters now that Linux support has been removed

In a recent update posted to the Apex Legends YouTube channel, Game Director Steve Ferreria talks about what’s new, just ahead of the ‘Takeover’ season which launches on February 11th. Anti-cheat is the first thing he addresses, providing yet another update on the situation and how they continue to deal with cheaters in the popular multiplayer shooter.

“A couple of months ago, we blocked Linux access to Apex. And we’re pleased to report that we have seen a meaningful reduction in the amount of cheating recently, which we hope you are feeling too. We’re taking a multi-pronged approach with our work on anti-cheat, so in addition to everything happening behind the scenes, you’ll also see us making player-facing changes to bolster our anti-cheat efforts.”

Steve Ferreira, Game Director on Apex Legends

Linux support was removed back in Season 23 of the game and there has been a drop in cheating since then, claims developers Respawn Entertainment. The last time we got an update about cheating in Apex Legends was in December last year, which showed a sharp decline following the Windows-only approach. While we hope to see more games offering Linux support, primarily via Valve’s Proton compatibility layer, multiplayer titles (especially those competitive by nature) seem like a low priority right now for game developers.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.