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Best Linux games of 1997

The 8 best Linux games released in 1997, ranked from 1,492 critic and player ratings.

The best Linux game of 1997 is Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, with a critic score of 86/100 — updated October 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1997.
  • 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,492 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 8

01 Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game S Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game 1997 · 666 ratings · 1 Tier vote The Vault Dweller is tasked with exploring post-nuclear California in order to retrieve a water chip to replace the broken chip of Vault 13, their home, which they are the first person to ever leave. The player will engage in Western RPG character building and turn-based tactical combat while getting to know settlements and factions of people, mutants and ghouls through branching dialogue trees. 86 /100
02 Blade Runner Blade Runner 1997 · 82 ratings Blade Runner is an adventure game with an emphasis on detective work rather than on puzzles. There are very few "real" puzzles in the game, and the gameplay mainly consists of questioning suspects, gathering evidence, etc. There are also some action sequences, and throughout the game the protagonist has the ability to use his gun. The player's decisions can (and will) influence the outcome of the story, bringing the game to one of the six possible endings. 84 /100
03 Ignition Ignition 1997 · 42 ratings Ignition is an action packed racing game viewed from above and slightly behind the player. The cars on offer range from police car and VW Beetle to school bus and truck, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses - trying to win with the bus, which involves blocking everyone behind the hideously slow vehicle for 3 laps, is perhaps the ultimate challenge. Initially there are 5 tracks available, with practice and single race modes as well as full championship at 3 levels - winning each of the first 2 levels unlocks an extra track. They all have hazards running through them, and sections where you must make a split-second choice between the safer route and the risky but potentially rewarding one. Multiplayer can be done via network or by split-screen - in a break with convention the screen is split vertically rather than horizontally. 86 /100
04 Quake II Quake II 1997 · 332 ratings Quake II is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is not a direct sequel to Quake, id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark. 83 /100
05 Blood Blood 1997 · 105 ratings You carved your soul to shreds in servitude to a dark god, but false promises and betrayal were your only reward. Now you have a score to settle and it will be measured in blood! Experience the madness in one carnage-soaked package! All the gore, all the unholy war! Zombies, gargoyles, hellhounds and blood-crazed hordes of horrors await! Crush loathsome evil of the mighty Tchernobog! Or condemn yourself to eternal damnation in this leviathan of unhallowed gaming action! Visit a dark near-future world populated by hundreds of bloodthirsty enemies. You'll engage in a nightmarish battle against the minions of an ancient god bent on wiping humanity from the face of the earth. With cultists, gargoyles, zombies, hellhounds, and an unholy host of other terrors, Blood immerses you in a world of horror unlike any you've experienced before. 81 /100
06 Tibia Tibia 1997 · 83 ratings One of the earliest and most successful massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in history, Tibia is a two-dimensional tile-based game set in a fantasy world with pixel art graphics and a top-down perspective. There are currently 68 game servers online, of which 24 in Europe, 25 in North America, and 19 in South America. 79 /100
07 Shadow Warrior Shadow Warrior 1997 · 89 ratings Shadow Warrior is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms and released on May 13, 1997 by GT Interactive. Shadow Warrior was developed using Ken Silverman's Build engine and improved on 3D Realms' previous Build engine game, Duke Nukem 3D. Mark Adams ported Shadow Warrior to Mac OS in August 1997. The game's improvements included introduction of true room-over-room situations, the use of 3D voxels instead of 2D sprites for weapons and usable inventory items, transparent water, climbable ladders, and assorted vehicles to drive (some armed with weapons). Although ultra-violent, the game emphasized tongue-in-cheek humor and contained some sexual themes (although less blatantly than in Duke Nukem 3D). A combination of Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior was published by GT Interactive in March 1998, titled East Meets West. 78 /100
08 POSTAL POSTAL 1997 · 93 ratings Welcome to Paradise… Arizona. They’re out to get you. Or are they? It doesn’t matter. You don’t have time to think, only time to kill. Blast, maim and fire-bomb your way through 17 unsuspecting locales, from a small town to a heavily guarded military complex. Don’t get too crazy – this killing spree is anything but senseless. Out here, strategy is key and the locals are packin’ - so take advantage of the third-person "premeditated" perspective that lets you see exactly who's cold and who's still able to pull a trigger. 67 /100
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Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 1997Best PlayStation 1 games of 1997Best Mac games of 1997Best Arcade games of 1997Best Nintendo 64 games of 1997Best Sega Saturn games of 1997

Nearby rankings

Best Linux games of 1995Best Linux games of 1999

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Linux game of 1997?

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game currently tops the ranking with a score of 86/100 across 666 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.