• Psyonix's Rocket League now has Easy Anti-Cheat, but still works on SteamOS
• Multiplayer online games with anti-cheat often don't work on Linux, due to a lack of support
• Psyonix's Linux support is a step in the right direction to have other developers and publishers follow suit

SteamOS is continuously growing in popularity, and it is on the verge of expanding even further with the arrival of the Steam Machine, which is why game developers and publishers must act on one major factor.

As reported by GamingOnLinux, developer Psyonix has implemented Easy Anti-Cheat in Rocket League and maintained the game's support on Linux. Notably, the game is no longer available on Steam, but can still be played on SteamOS via Epic Games, which runs using Proton.

Psyonix has followed in the same footsteps as 1047 Games, the developer of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, which added support for Linux with its RedKard anti-cheat. Both cases are now rare occurrences that stand as a significant matter for Steam Deck and all SteamOS users on other devices.

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Most of the popular AAA multiplayer online games, such as Battlefield 6, Call of Duty, and EA Sports FC 26, don't work on SteamOS, as EA and Activision have failed to make their anti-cheat system compatible with Linux.

What that means is that Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go S, Lenovo Legion Go 2, and eventually, Steam Machine users cannot play any of those games. Since the Steam Machine is clearly competing within the gaming console space, there are likely non-PC gamers who will be looking to buy the mini-PC, which will likely result in a noticeable boost in SteamOS users.

If the Steam Machine is indeed successful, there will be a huge section of gamers who can't play the most popular live-service games, so long as game developers and publishers refuse to spend time on addressing compatibility.

Fortunately, there are growing cases of support made for Linux, such as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and Rocket League, and there may be more in the near future if consumers are vocal about incompatibility.

However, it's a tough ask, as publishers like Activision have been hellbent on preventing cheaters and are seemingly happy to sacrifice compatibility to ensure it — so gamers shouldn't hold their breath on the matter.

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Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He's spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren't a complete mess.