Best games
Best Linux games of 2009
The 21 best Linux games released in 2009, ranked from 8,940 critic and player ratings.
The best Linux game of 2009 is Empire: Total War, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated August 2026.
01
Empire: Total War
90
/100
02
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter video game, the sequel to Valve Corporation's Left 4 Dead. The Game builds upon cooperatively focused gameplay and Valve's proprietary Source engine, the same game engine used in the original Left 4 Dead. Set during the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic, Left 4 Dead 2 focuses on four new Survivors, fighting against hordes of the Infected, who develop severe psychosis and exhibit zombie-like tendencies. The Survivors must fight their way through five campaigns, interspersed with safe houses that act as checkpoints, with the goal of escape at each campaign's finale.
89
/100
03
Machinarium
Machinarium is award-winning independent adventure game developed by the makers of Samorost and Botanicula. A little robot who’s been thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city must return and confront the Black Cap Brotherhood and save his robot-girl friend.
88
/100
Empire: Total War
90
/100
02
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter video game, the sequel to Valve Corporation's Left 4 Dead. The Game builds upon cooperatively focused gameplay and Valve's proprietary Source engine, the same game engine used in the original Left 4 Dead. Set during the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic, Left 4 Dead 2 focuses on four new Survivors, fighting against hordes of the Infected, who develop severe psychosis and exhibit zombie-like tendencies. The Survivors must fight their way through five campaigns, interspersed with safe houses that act as checkpoints, with the goal of escape at each campaign's finale.
89
/100
03
Machinarium
Machinarium is award-winning independent adventure game developed by the makers of Samorost and Botanicula. A little robot who’s been thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city must return and confront the Black Cap Brotherhood and save his robot-girl friend.
88
/100
04
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
85
/100
05
Torchlight
In this ARPG you control a hero who explores a series of randomized dungeons, fightinghordes of enemies and collecting equipment, gold, and loot while doing so. The game also features a town , to which the hero can return to sell and buy gear and items and pick up quests. As you progress into the dungeon, you get to battle unique bosses that advance the main storyline by completing quests revolving around them. Optionally, the player may take on side quests, random quests or visit branching dungeon areas to further develop their character.
83
/100
06
A
Minecraft
Minecraft focuses on allowing the player to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations, and artwork on various multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called the End, and defeat the ender dragon.
83
/100
07
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut is an enhanced remake and director's cut of the classic 1996 point-and-click adventure game Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. Unlike in the original game, where George Stobbart is the only playable character, Nicole Collard is controllable for selected game sections. While certain puzzles from the original segments were simplified, new first-person puzzles were also added. Hotspots are highlighted, and a hint system is added, along with a diary in which the player character takes notes. Some of the original game's dialogue and cutscenes were removed, with the blood edited out of retained cutscenes.
83
/100
08
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend is an action-adventure that marries visceral action combat with open-world freedom. Set in a universe somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Spinal Tap, it’s a fresh take on the action/driving genre, which in this case is full of imitation cover bands, demons intent on enslaving humanity and Heavy metal tunes. Featuring the talents of comedian, actor and musician, Jack Black as super roadie Eddie Riggs, as well as cameos by some of the biggest names in metal music it's a wild ride in the belly of the beast that is not to be missed by gamers and Metalheads alike.
80
/100
09
Trine Enchanted Edition
80
/100
10
Osmos
80
/100
11
AI War: Fleet Command
80
/100
12
Overlord II
79
/100
13
Altitude
79
/100
14
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition
78
/100
15
And Yet It Moves
75
/100
16
Cogs
73
/100
17
PixelJunk Shooter
73
/100
18
Killing Floor
72
/100
19
Gratuitous Space Battles
72
/100
20
Two Worlds Epic Edition
65
/100
21
The Book of Unwritten Tales
50
/100
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
85
/100
05
Torchlight
In this ARPG you control a hero who explores a series of randomized dungeons, fightinghordes of enemies and collecting equipment, gold, and loot while doing so. The game also features a town , to which the hero can return to sell and buy gear and items and pick up quests. As you progress into the dungeon, you get to battle unique bosses that advance the main storyline by completing quests revolving around them. Optionally, the player may take on side quests, random quests or visit branching dungeon areas to further develop their character.
83
/100
06
A
Minecraft
Minecraft focuses on allowing the player to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations, and artwork on various multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called the End, and defeat the ender dragon.
83
/100
07
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut is an enhanced remake and director's cut of the classic 1996 point-and-click adventure game Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. Unlike in the original game, where George Stobbart is the only playable character, Nicole Collard is controllable for selected game sections. While certain puzzles from the original segments were simplified, new first-person puzzles were also added. Hotspots are highlighted, and a hint system is added, along with a diary in which the player character takes notes. Some of the original game's dialogue and cutscenes were removed, with the blood edited out of retained cutscenes.
83
/100
08
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend is an action-adventure that marries visceral action combat with open-world freedom. Set in a universe somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Spinal Tap, it’s a fresh take on the action/driving genre, which in this case is full of imitation cover bands, demons intent on enslaving humanity and Heavy metal tunes. Featuring the talents of comedian, actor and musician, Jack Black as super roadie Eddie Riggs, as well as cameos by some of the biggest names in metal music it's a wild ride in the belly of the beast that is not to be missed by gamers and Metalheads alike.
80
/100
09
Trine Enchanted Edition
80
/100
10
Osmos
80
/100
11
AI War: Fleet Command
80
/100
12
Overlord II
79
/100
13
Altitude
79
/100
14
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition
78
/100
15
And Yet It Moves
75
/100
16
Cogs
73
/100
17
PixelJunk Shooter
73
/100
18
Killing Floor
72
/100
19
Gratuitous Space Battles
72
/100
20
Two Worlds Epic Edition
65
/100
21
The Book of Unwritten Tales
50
/100
FAQ
What is the best Linux game of 2009?
Empire: Total War currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 276 ratings. Ranking updated August 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.