Heroic Games Launcher is the best Linux game launcher for most people, at 4.4/5. Its site calls it free and open source and promises no ads, with analytics that are anonymous and off by default. It signs in to your Epic Games, GOG and Amazon accounts, downloads its own Wine and Proton versions, and syncs your saves to the cloud. The money you spend goes on games, not on the launcher.
If your games are spread across more stores, Lutris (3.6/5) reaches Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG and Humble Bundle libraries. If you mostly run Windows programs and want full control over Wine, Proton and DXVK (a tool that translates Windows graphics calls to Vulkan), Bottles (3.4/5) gives you the most, but it does not connect to any store. Minigalaxy (2.6/5) does one job: it downloads, updates and launches the GOG games you own.
Our picks
- Best overall Heroic Games Launcher 4.4 /5
- Most stores Lutris 3.6 /5
- Most control over Wine and Proton Bottles 3.4 /5
- Simplest for GOG Minigalaxy 2.6 /5
Scores
1–5 per criterion · total is the weighted average · select a score to see its source| # | Product | Store libraries supported ×3 | Wine and Proton management ×3 | Library and backup tools ×2 | Release activity ×2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heroic Games Launcher | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.4 |
| 2 | Lutris | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.6 |
| 3 | Bottles | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3.4 |
| 4 | Minigalaxy | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2.6 |
How each criterion is scored
Store libraries supported ×3
How many game stores' libraries (such as Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Amazon Games or Humble Bundle) the launcher can sign in to or sync with, so the games you already own show up without adding them by hand.
- 5 Four or more stores
- 4 Three stores
- 3 Two stores
- 2 One store
- 1 No store libraries; every game is added by hand
Wine and Proton management ×3
How the launcher runs Windows games on Linux: whether it can download and switch between versions of Wine and Proton (the compatibility layers that run Windows games on Linux), manage DXVK (which translates Direct3D graphics calls to Vulkan), and keep separate settings per game.
- 5 Wine and Proton versions, plus DXVK version management and separate settings per game or prefix
- 4 Downloads and switches between Wine and Proton versions
- 3 Downloads and switches between Wine versions, with no Proton versions documented
- 2 Runs Windows games through Wine, with no documented way to download or switch Wine versions
- 1 No documented way to run Windows games
Library and backup tools ×2
Documented tools for managing what you have installed. Counted features: importing games that are already installed, updating games, moving or choosing the install folder, searching or sorting the library into categories, a download queue, syncing saves to the cloud, and backup, export or restore of games or their settings.
- 5 Four or more counted features, including cloud saves, backup or export
- 4 Four or more counted features, without cloud saves, backup or export
- 3 Two or three counted features
- 2 One counted feature
- 1 None of the counted features
Release activity ×2
How recent the latest release on GitHub was on 5 November 2026, from the GitHub releases API.
- 5 Less than 2 months old
- 4 2 to 6 months old
- 3 6 to 18 months old
- 2 18 months to 3 years old
- 1 More than 3 years old
Heroic scores highest because it covers the whole job for three stores. You log in with an existing Epic Games, GOG or Amazon account, then install, update, repair or move games, or import ones you already installed. Downloads line up in a queue, saves sync to the cloud, and a full-screen, controller-friendly mode is made for the TV and the Steam Deck. It also runs on Windows and macOS.
On Linux it plays games through Wine or Proton and downloads the versions it needs, such as Wine-GE and Proton-GE, and it picks settings automatically for most games. Its latest release, v2.22.4, came out on 15 October 2026.
- Signs in to Epic Games, GOG and Amazon accounts
- Downloads and manages Wine-GE, Wine-Lutris and Proton-GE
- Cloud save sync, a download queue and your own categories
- No ads; analytics are anonymous and off by default
- No Steam or Humble Bundle library support listed
- Its documentation does not mention managing DXVK versions
Skip it if: Anyone whose library lives mostly on Steam or Humble Bundle.
Lutris has the widest reach. It gives direct access to Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG and Humble Bundle libraries, and integrates with other launchers such as Battle.net, EA App and Ubisoft Connect. Installs are automated through scripts written in JSON or YAML, and you can export a game and import it again later. The project is “100% community supported” and asks for donations to keep development going.
The trade-off is upkeep. Lutris provides its own runners, but its setup guide still recommends installing Wine from your package manager, and the captured documentation does not mention Proton. Its latest release, v0.5.22, is from 25 February 2026, about eight months before we checked.
- Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG and Humble Bundle libraries in one place
- Install scripts automate game downloads and installations
- Export and import games from the command line
- An account is optional
- Proton versions are not mentioned in the captured documentation
- The project still recommends installing Wine from your package manager
- Latest release is from February 2026
Skip it if: Anyone who wants the launcher to handle Proton versions for them.
Bottles is a manager for Windows environments, which it calls bottles, rather than a store launcher. Inside each bottle you choose a Wine or Proton runner, download new runners with one click, and change the DXVK version. The Gaming environment comes preconfigured, with DXVK enabled. Backups can be exported and imported, and version control lets you restore an earlier state of a bottle.
It scores low on stores because it has none: its documentation lists no store sign-in. It can manage Steam’s Proton prefixes if you enable that setting. Its latest release, 67.6, came out on 4 November 2026.
- Download Wine and Proton runners and switch them per bottle
- Pick the DXVK version for each bottle
- Full backups with export and import, plus version control to restore an earlier state
- A ready-made Gaming environment
- No store sign-in or library sync
- Officially distributed only as a Flatpak
Skip it if: Anyone who wants their store library to appear automatically.
Minigalaxy is a simple GOG client. You log in with your GOG account, download the Linux games you own, and launch them. It can update games and DLC, change where games are installed, search your GOG Linux library, and install Windows games using Wine.
Its reliance on one store has a cost. The README says GOG changed some of its API responses around May to July 2026, and versions before 1.4.2 cannot show and install all games correctly. Version 1.4.2, released on 5 July 2026, is the first that works with the new API.
- Downloads, updates and launches the Linux games you own on GOG
- Installs and updates DLC
- Can use your system's ScummVM or DOSBox
- GOG only
- Versions before 1.4.2 cannot show and install all games after GOG's API change
- No way to download or switch Wine versions is documented
Skip it if: Anyone with games outside GOG.
Questions
Which of these can show my Steam games?
Lutris lists access to Steam libraries alongside Epic Games Store, GOG and Humble Bundle. Heroic Games Launcher covers Epic Games, GOG and Amazon, and lets you add games and applications from outside those stores. Bottles can manage Steam’s Proton prefixes but does not sync a library, and Minigalaxy works with GOG only.
Do I need to install Wine myself?
Heroic Games Launcher and Bottles both download Wine and Proton versions for you. Lutris provides its own runners but still recommends installing Wine from your package manager. Minigalaxy installs Windows games using Wine without documenting a way to download versions.
Do any of them work outside Linux?
Heroic Games Launcher runs on Linux, Windows and macOS. The other three describe themselves as tools for Linux.
Method
Each launcher was scored 1–5 on four weighted criteria, each against a published scale: store libraries supported (×3), Wine and Proton management (×3), library and backup tools (×2) and release activity (×2). The total is the weighted average. Every score cites quotes from each project’s own documentation, website and GitHub data, captured on 5 November 2026.
We did not install or benchmark the launchers, so the scores reflect what each project documents. How our rankings work