Best games
Best Linux games of 1999
The 9 best Linux games released in 1999, ranked from 3,646 critic and player ratings.
The best Linux game of 1999 is Unreal Tournament, with a critic score of 100/100 — updated September 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 80 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: 1999.
- 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,646 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 9
01
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was the second installment in the Unreal series. It is an arena first-person shooter, with head-to-head multiplayer deathmatches being the primary focus of the game. Other game modes include TDM. CTF, Assault, Domination, Last man Standing etc.
100
/100
02
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a turn-based strategy game and the third installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. The game's story is first referenced throughout Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven and takes place before Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor. The player can choose to play through six different campaigns telling the story, or play in a scenario against computer or human opponents.
91
/100
03
System Shock 2
A first-person cyberpunk exploratory horror RPG and sequel to System Shock (1994) in which a soldier wakes up in the starship Von Braun in the aftermath of a disaster and finds himself in the midst of a conflict between SHODAN, the artificial intelligence antagonist of System Shock seeking mastery over humanity, and The Many, a flesh-based psychic hive mind led by the ship's corrupted AI.
89
/100
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was the second installment in the Unreal series. It is an arena first-person shooter, with head-to-head multiplayer deathmatches being the primary focus of the game. Other game modes include TDM. CTF, Assault, Domination, Last man Standing etc.
100
/100
02
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a turn-based strategy game and the third installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. The game's story is first referenced throughout Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven and takes place before Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor. The player can choose to play through six different campaigns telling the story, or play in a scenario against computer or human opponents.
91
/100
03
System Shock 2
A first-person cyberpunk exploratory horror RPG and sequel to System Shock (1994) in which a soldier wakes up in the starship Von Braun in the aftermath of a disaster and finds himself in the midst of a conflict between SHODAN, the artificial intelligence antagonist of System Shock seeking mastery over humanity, and The Many, a flesh-based psychic hive mind led by the ship's corrupted AI.
89
/100
04
Quake III Arena
The greatest warriors of all time and space have been summoned to battle for the amusement of an ancient alien race. Wield a variety of guns and power-ups as you fight for glory against ruthless combatants in this fast-paced single-player and multiplayer FPS.
87
/100
05
Gorky 17
November 2008. NATO intelligence services report that, for reasons unknown, the Russian military has destroyed GORKY 17, one of the old Soviet "Secret Cities". A year later NATO takes over a former Russian secret base built on Polish soil. Diggers discover a laboratory complex in the completely demolished town. After examining the wreckage, NATO decides to leave the lab as it is. But shortly afterwards the town's previously deserted streets are suddenly teeming with hordes of grotesquely deformed creatures. Word soon gets out to the media, making it impossible for NATO to simply destroy the site. So troops are ordered to hermetically seal the area. Nobody is allowed in or out. A team of three NATO specialists under the leadership of the Canadian Cole Sullivan is sent in to examine the horrifying events on the ground. Will they discover the terrible secret of "Gorky 17"? And more important - will they live to tell about it? Be prepared for intrigue, betrayal and even some romance. A host of multiple-choice dialog scenes present you with constant choices - many of which can have some unpredictable effects ...FEATURES:The combination of adventure, RPG and strategy elements gives the game a uniquely original feel The best of three genres: (1) exploration and interaction with a challenging world (2) character development and (3) challenging high-level tactical combat. A thrilling Sci-Fi story with enthralling dialogs An easy-to-learn, intuitive, multi-faceted user interface A spooky soundtrack lends each location a special atmosphere Fully 3-dimensional real-time rendered characters with flexible skeleton animation and detailed textures A life-like environment with impressive 3D weather effects Spectacular 3D effects for weapons, including transparencies, particle-based explosions, colored lighting, texture and vertex animations
80
/100
06
Metal Slug X
Metal Slug X is upgraded version of Metal Slug 2 (Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/I), which was released in March 1999 for the Neo Geo MVS. It fixed slowdown problems from the original game, and increased the difficulty. Metal Slug X also introduced some new elements to the game system.
80
/100
07
Team Fortress Classic
One of the most popular online action games of all time, Team Fortress Classic features over nine character classes -- from Medic to Spy to Demolition Man -- enlisted in a unique style of online team warfare. Each character class possesses unique weapons, items, and abilities, as teams compete online in a variety of game play modes.
71
/100
08
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Return to the Black Mesa Research Facility as one of the military specialists assigned to eliminate Gordon Freeman. Experience an entirely new episode of single player action. Meet fierce alien opponents, and experiment with new weaponry. Named 'Game of the Year' by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
70
/100
09
Planescape: Torment
A CRPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Planescape in which The Nameless One, an immortal amnesiac, sets off on a quest across the infinite Planes and gathers a party of conflicted companions to find out who he is and reclaim his mortality. Throughout it, he faces the consequences of the horrors he committed in his past lives and tries to find the root of all the torment plaguing his companions and the Planes.
70
/100
Quake III Arena
The greatest warriors of all time and space have been summoned to battle for the amusement of an ancient alien race. Wield a variety of guns and power-ups as you fight for glory against ruthless combatants in this fast-paced single-player and multiplayer FPS.
87
/100
05
Gorky 17
November 2008. NATO intelligence services report that, for reasons unknown, the Russian military has destroyed GORKY 17, one of the old Soviet "Secret Cities". A year later NATO takes over a former Russian secret base built on Polish soil. Diggers discover a laboratory complex in the completely demolished town. After examining the wreckage, NATO decides to leave the lab as it is. But shortly afterwards the town's previously deserted streets are suddenly teeming with hordes of grotesquely deformed creatures. Word soon gets out to the media, making it impossible for NATO to simply destroy the site. So troops are ordered to hermetically seal the area. Nobody is allowed in or out. A team of three NATO specialists under the leadership of the Canadian Cole Sullivan is sent in to examine the horrifying events on the ground. Will they discover the terrible secret of "Gorky 17"? And more important - will they live to tell about it? Be prepared for intrigue, betrayal and even some romance. A host of multiple-choice dialog scenes present you with constant choices - many of which can have some unpredictable effects ...FEATURES:The combination of adventure, RPG and strategy elements gives the game a uniquely original feel The best of three genres: (1) exploration and interaction with a challenging world (2) character development and (3) challenging high-level tactical combat. A thrilling Sci-Fi story with enthralling dialogs An easy-to-learn, intuitive, multi-faceted user interface A spooky soundtrack lends each location a special atmosphere Fully 3-dimensional real-time rendered characters with flexible skeleton animation and detailed textures A life-like environment with impressive 3D weather effects Spectacular 3D effects for weapons, including transparencies, particle-based explosions, colored lighting, texture and vertex animations
80
/100
06
Metal Slug X
Metal Slug X is upgraded version of Metal Slug 2 (Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/I), which was released in March 1999 for the Neo Geo MVS. It fixed slowdown problems from the original game, and increased the difficulty. Metal Slug X also introduced some new elements to the game system.
80
/100
07
Team Fortress Classic
One of the most popular online action games of all time, Team Fortress Classic features over nine character classes -- from Medic to Spy to Demolition Man -- enlisted in a unique style of online team warfare. Each character class possesses unique weapons, items, and abilities, as teams compete online in a variety of game play modes.
71
/100
08
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Return to the Black Mesa Research Facility as one of the military specialists assigned to eliminate Gordon Freeman. Experience an entirely new episode of single player action. Meet fierce alien opponents, and experiment with new weaponry. Named 'Game of the Year' by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
70
/100
09
Planescape: Torment
A CRPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Planescape in which The Nameless One, an immortal amnesiac, sets off on a quest across the infinite Planes and gathers a party of conflicted companions to find out who he is and reclaim his mortality. Throughout it, he faces the consequences of the horrors he committed in his past lives and tries to find the root of all the torment plaguing his companions and the Planes.
70
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Linux game of 1999?
Unreal Tournament currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 279 ratings. Ranking updated September 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.