Best games
Best Linux games of 2006
The 10 best Linux games released in 2006, ranked from 3,913 critic and player ratings.
The best Linux game of 2006 is Dwarf Fortress, with a critic score of 93/100 — 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 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: 2006.
- 10 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,913 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 10
01
Dwarf Fortress
93
/100
02
Medieval II: Total War
Take command of your armies and expand your reign. Conquer, destroy, rebuild and improve the cities of the greatest medieval nations of the Western and Middle Eastern world. Employ diplomacy to manipulate your allies and enemies and direct epic and visceral real time battles with up to 10,000 meticulously detailed troops shedding blood on lush 3D landscapes complete with dynamic weather effects in order to re-write history and rule the world. Spanning four and a half centuries of Western history’s most bloody and turbulent era, Medieval 2 encompasses the golden age of chivalry, the Crusades, the creation and propagation of gunpowder, the rise of the professional army and the discovery and conquest of the Americas. The indirect sequel to 2002’s Medieval: Total War, Medieval 2 is set between years 1080 and 1530 and focuses on medieval warfare, religion and politics in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
90
/100
03
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a planned trilogy of expansion packs/episodes for the 2004 first-person shooter game, Half-Life 2. The episode takes place immediately after the end of Half-Life 2, in the war-torn setting of City 17. The player is forced to deal with the effects of their actions during the main game. The episode is a stand-alone game; while a continuation of Half-Life 2, it does not require the original game to be installed or registered to a user's Steam account to play. It takes advantage of several major upgrades to the Source engine since the release of Half-Life 2, primarily its high dynamic range rendering capabilities and the upgraded facial animation system. Episode One was released together with Half-Life Deathmatch: Source, a port of the original Half-Life's multiplayer, which doubles as Episode One's multiplayer component. The retail copies of Episode One also come with Half-Life 2 Deathmatch for those who have not previously purchased the later title.
87
/100
Dwarf Fortress
93
/100
02
Medieval II: Total War
Take command of your armies and expand your reign. Conquer, destroy, rebuild and improve the cities of the greatest medieval nations of the Western and Middle Eastern world. Employ diplomacy to manipulate your allies and enemies and direct epic and visceral real time battles with up to 10,000 meticulously detailed troops shedding blood on lush 3D landscapes complete with dynamic weather effects in order to re-write history and rule the world. Spanning four and a half centuries of Western history’s most bloody and turbulent era, Medieval 2 encompasses the golden age of chivalry, the Crusades, the creation and propagation of gunpowder, the rise of the professional army and the discovery and conquest of the Americas. The indirect sequel to 2002’s Medieval: Total War, Medieval 2 is set between years 1080 and 1530 and focuses on medieval warfare, religion and politics in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
90
/100
03
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a planned trilogy of expansion packs/episodes for the 2004 first-person shooter game, Half-Life 2. The episode takes place immediately after the end of Half-Life 2, in the war-torn setting of City 17. The player is forced to deal with the effects of their actions during the main game. The episode is a stand-alone game; while a continuation of Half-Life 2, it does not require the original game to be installed or registered to a user's Steam account to play. It takes advantage of several major upgrades to the Source engine since the release of Half-Life 2, primarily its high dynamic range rendering capabilities and the upgraded facial animation system. Episode One was released together with Half-Life Deathmatch: Source, a port of the original Half-Life's multiplayer, which doubles as Episode One's multiplayer component. The retail copies of Episode One also come with Half-Life 2 Deathmatch for those who have not previously purchased the later title.
87
/100
04
Prey (2006)
Prey tells the story of Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic stuck on a reservation going nowhere. Abducted along with his people to a menacing mothership orbiting Earth, he sets out to save himself and his girlfriend and eventually his planet.
83
/100
05
FlatOut 2
Experience the drive of your life as you throw yourself around on and off the track causing fences to shatter, tyre walls explode, water tanks and barrels fly across the track into other cars. And if anyone, including you, gets caught up in a big smash sit back and watch as the driver gets catapulted through the windscreen in spectacular effect. With over 5000 destructible objects on each track and 40 deformable pieces on every car sparks are guaranteed to fly increasing the mayhem with every lap! Featuring an enhanced version of the original's lauded physics engine and even faster driving track designs, FlatOut 2 also boasts a plethora of improvements, enhancements and additions to make this the definitive FlatOut experience. Twice as many vehicles, a more sophisticated career mode, additional race environments, double the number of tracks; twice as many mini-games along with many multiplayer modes (via LAN only) are just some of the exhaustive features that are included in FlatOut 2. - 34 vehicles to wreck, 12 rag-doll mini games, 60 track combinations, and thousands and thousands of destructible objects. - Enjoy the mayhem while listening to a slamming soundtrack from artists including Rob Zombie, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, Nickelback, Wolfmother and more! - Race hard and collide with up to 6 of your friends online in the souped up car of your dreams.
82
/100
06
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is a single-player fantasy game. You can control a dwarven outpost or an adventurer in a randomly generated, persistent world.
84
/100
07
DEFCON
You play the role of a military commander hidden deep within an underground bunker. Your mission - to successfully exterminate your enemy's civilian population whilst disabling their ability to attack your own. Start by launching your battleships, submarines, and bombers in order to decimate your opponent's defences. Scramble together your alliances, but remember only one can stand victorious. Prepare your pre-emptive strike before one of your supposed allies get the same idea. Choose the perfect moment for betrayal, obliterating your opponents with an apocalyptic thermonuclear barrage, but get it wrong and their devastating counter attack will bring you to your knees!
85
/100
08
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Fight in the theatre of war that changed the world forever. Battle alongside your compatriots on some of the most inhospitable environments of the Eastern Front in Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45. Red Orchestra places you in the most realistic WWII first-person multi-player combat to date on the PC, allowing the player to fight through...
81
/100
09
The Blackwell Legacy
When Rosa Blackwell's only relative dies after twenty years in a coma, she thinks the worst is over. This all changes when Joey Mallone, a sardonic ghost from the 1930s, blows into her life and tells her that she is a medium. Whether they like it or not, it is up to them to cure the supernatural ills of New York in this critically-acclaimed series of point-and-click adventure games. When three NYU students kill themselves one after the other, nobody thinks that a sinister force is at work. Nobody but fledgling medium Rosa Blackwell and her new spirit guide Joey Mallone. It's trial by fire as they set these troubled spirits to rest.
70
/100
10
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source is a recreation of the first multiplayer game set in the Half-Life universe. Features all the classic weapons and most-played maps, now running on the Source engine.
69
/100
Prey (2006)
Prey tells the story of Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic stuck on a reservation going nowhere. Abducted along with his people to a menacing mothership orbiting Earth, he sets out to save himself and his girlfriend and eventually his planet.
83
/100
05
FlatOut 2
Experience the drive of your life as you throw yourself around on and off the track causing fences to shatter, tyre walls explode, water tanks and barrels fly across the track into other cars. And if anyone, including you, gets caught up in a big smash sit back and watch as the driver gets catapulted through the windscreen in spectacular effect. With over 5000 destructible objects on each track and 40 deformable pieces on every car sparks are guaranteed to fly increasing the mayhem with every lap! Featuring an enhanced version of the original's lauded physics engine and even faster driving track designs, FlatOut 2 also boasts a plethora of improvements, enhancements and additions to make this the definitive FlatOut experience. Twice as many vehicles, a more sophisticated career mode, additional race environments, double the number of tracks; twice as many mini-games along with many multiplayer modes (via LAN only) are just some of the exhaustive features that are included in FlatOut 2. - 34 vehicles to wreck, 12 rag-doll mini games, 60 track combinations, and thousands and thousands of destructible objects. - Enjoy the mayhem while listening to a slamming soundtrack from artists including Rob Zombie, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, Nickelback, Wolfmother and more! - Race hard and collide with up to 6 of your friends online in the souped up car of your dreams.
82
/100
06
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is a single-player fantasy game. You can control a dwarven outpost or an adventurer in a randomly generated, persistent world.
84
/100
07
DEFCON
You play the role of a military commander hidden deep within an underground bunker. Your mission - to successfully exterminate your enemy's civilian population whilst disabling their ability to attack your own. Start by launching your battleships, submarines, and bombers in order to decimate your opponent's defences. Scramble together your alliances, but remember only one can stand victorious. Prepare your pre-emptive strike before one of your supposed allies get the same idea. Choose the perfect moment for betrayal, obliterating your opponents with an apocalyptic thermonuclear barrage, but get it wrong and their devastating counter attack will bring you to your knees!
85
/100
08
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Fight in the theatre of war that changed the world forever. Battle alongside your compatriots on some of the most inhospitable environments of the Eastern Front in Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45. Red Orchestra places you in the most realistic WWII first-person multi-player combat to date on the PC, allowing the player to fight through...
81
/100
09
The Blackwell Legacy
When Rosa Blackwell's only relative dies after twenty years in a coma, she thinks the worst is over. This all changes when Joey Mallone, a sardonic ghost from the 1930s, blows into her life and tells her that she is a medium. Whether they like it or not, it is up to them to cure the supernatural ills of New York in this critically-acclaimed series of point-and-click adventure games. When three NYU students kill themselves one after the other, nobody thinks that a sinister force is at work. Nobody but fledgling medium Rosa Blackwell and her new spirit guide Joey Mallone. It's trial by fire as they set these troubled spirits to rest.
70
/100
10
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source is a recreation of the first multiplayer game set in the Half-Life universe. Features all the classic weapons and most-played maps, now running on the Source engine.
69
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Linux game of 2006?
Dwarf Fortress currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 94 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.