Unexpected Result: The Outer Worlds 2 on Linux Outperforms Windows

The gaming industry often treats Linux as a secondary platform, but recent tests of The Outer Worlds 2 show the opposite. It turns out that when using AMD Radeon RX 9000-series graphics cards, the game can run even better on Linux than on Windows.

A cross-platform comparison revealed a stable gain of a few frames per second in standard graphics mode, but the real surprise came from the tests with ray tracing enabled. Here, Linux showed higher performance, which is a rare occurrence, as this technology traditionally runs more efficiently on Windows.

Analysts link this phenomenon to the specific characteristics of the game itself. The Outer Worlds 2 places a significant load on the CPU, and Linux's less resource-intensive environment allows the system to allocate power more optimally, giving the AMD graphics card more headroom to work in complex scenes. Another discovery was the performance of FSR 4 upscaling technology. Despite the lack of an official port, it launches correctly in Linux via the Proton compatibility layer, giving players access to cutting-edge graphics features right now.

The situation is the opposite with Intel graphics. While Intel Arc cards allow the game to run, they show a noticeable performance drop compared to Windows. As for NVIDIA card owners, they encountered technical difficulties: activating the proprietary DLSS technology caused freezes, making comfortable gameplay on this hardware impossible for the time being.

Thus, The Outer Worlds 2 has become one of those rare titles that not only works fully on Linux but, in certain configurations, actually works better. This is an important signal for gamers who are considering alternative operating systems as their primary platform for gaming.