A guide to getting S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - G.A.M.M.A. running on GNU/Linux.

(Henceforth referred to as Linux, cope.)

If you are looking for a Steam Deck guide, check this guide out.

DISCLAIMER:

This guide is a compilation of info that I have gathered together from others in the GAMMA and Linux community.
This guide may not work for you, everybody has a different set-up.
This guide assumes you have pre-requisite knowledge to use tools like Lutris, Wine, Proton, or whatever you choose.
If you do not know how to use these tools, there are other resources out there.
If you need help or have a problem; make an issue.
If you have any info to add to the guide; feel free to make a PR.

Avoid asking GAMMA support for help with Linux, they do not currently support Linux, and can only do so much to help anyway.

As of May 1, 2023, the GAMMA installer uses powershell; As far as I know, there is not a way to run the installer on Linux.
A few people have tried it with powershell for Linux, it has not worked so far.
Grok has plans to rebuild the installer without powershell eventually.

However, Mord3rca built a Linux compatible python-based launcher here.
You should go and get that installed and ready to go before you continue.
If you don't want to go that route, or difficulties crop up, your other option is using Grok's launcher on a Windows VM/dual boot, check this old branch.
I very highly recommend using Mord3rca's launcher, it already works wonderfully, and he's continuing to improve it.
Everything will be setup as close as the official installer as possible.

Okay, you have Mord3rca's launcher set up and ready to go, now what?

When it tells you to run Anomaly for the set-up, use your preferred method, I recommend Lutris with Wine 8.0+ since it now supports ReShade.

Quick rundown for Lutris:

1. Install the newest stable Wine runner that your system can run. ^{_{(Recommend using your system package manager, the Lutris built in version manager, or ProtonUp-Qt.)}}
2. Disable Lutris Runtime if your system ones are better for games/if there are issues.
3. Wineprefix DLLs to install:
    - cmd
    - d3dcompiler_47
    - d3dx10
    - d3dx11_43
    - d3dx9
    - dx8vb
    - dxvk _{^{(Major performance boost, but you need a DXVK-marked driver, if you are unsure, install this seperately from the other DLLs so they don't fail.)}}
    - quartz
    - vcrun2019
4. Make sure DXVK and VKD3D are enabled, Esync may cause issues, disable it if unsure, Fsync may or may not work on some Wine versions.

Then you can run the installer with: gamma-launcher full-install --anomaly <anomaly path> --gamma <GAMMA path> [--cache-directory <Path>]

Optional: If you want to speedup initial setup for anomaly install & first gamma setup you can pre-download the following files and use --cache-directory option to point to the cache folder containing files:

• Anomaly-1.5.1.2.7z
• Anomaly-1.5.1-to-1.5.2-Update.7z
• Mod.Organizer-2.4.4.7z
• gamma_setup-main.zip

After that, add Mod Organizer (\<GAMMA path>/ModOrganizer.exe) to Lutris, you can use the same wineprefix and settings as before.
Launch Mod Organizer and create a new Portable instance. Browse and select your Anomaly folder; an easy way to find it is clicking "My Computer" and going to the "Z" drive.
You will notice it represents your native Linux filesystem. After you select your Anomaly folder, another error may appear saying "The selected profile 'Default' does not exist...", you can ignore this since it will automatically switch to G.A.M.M.A. profile.

If you did it right, you should have the proper number of mods, this number can be found in the GAMMA discord.
If this number is 0, you didn't give it the correct path to your game, you can change it in the settings (Ctrl+S).
If it's another number, you are going to have to do some troubleshooting.
In settings(Ctrl+S), go to the General tab and untick "Check for updates".
Optional: Go to the Theme tab and choose 1809 Dark Mode.
All done with settings.

At this point, you should be able to run the game through MO2, if AnomalyLauncher doesn't work try running DX# from the drop down instead. Some issues you may or may not encounter:

1. The game window might not properly size to your screen (especially if you alt tab), or may appear as a small black window, if this is the case:

• Edit the user.ltx file found in \<Anomaly path>/appdata/
• Change rs__screenmode (fullscreen|borderless|windowed), different options work for different set-ups.
• Double check that vid_mode is set correctly according to your display, e.g. vid_mode 1920x1080

2. The FPS limiter present in the graphics settings may lead to choppiness and sharp screen tearing.

• Mangohud is a good choice for an FPS limiter, for example: Setting MANGOHUD_CONFIG=no_display,fps_limit=60 mangohud as the launch options for the game executable you'd like to use (such as DX10.exe) in MO2 would limit it to 60 FPS. It doesn't do anything if set for the Anomaly launcher rather than the game .exes themselves.
  
• Consider using VSync without the FPS limiter enabled instead.

3. Stuttering when you move and look around, this is because you're using ReShade but aren't running the game with Wine 8.0+ or an equivalent fork, you can fix this by:

• Running the game with Wine 8.0+ or an equivalent fork.

  If that doesn't work, or if you insist on using old versions:

• Removing Reshade: gamma-launcher remove-reshade --anomaly <Anomaly path>

• Then purging the shader cache gamma-launcher purge-shader-cache --anomaly <Anomaly path>

• Then removing these mods:

  • 188- Enhanced Shaders - KennShade
  • 189- Beef's NVG - theRealBeef
  • 190- Screen Space Shaders - Ascii1457
  • 290- Atmospherics Shaders Weathers and Reshade - Hippobot
    

    By now, you should have a playable S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - G.A.M.M.A. on Linux.

    
    

    Thanks to:

All the Contributors

no.#3094 (LafreSita) - Groundwork for the wineprefix.

yeyande#9033 (yeyande) - Helping me solve key repeat stutter.

Special thanks:

maxastyler for his Steam Deck Guide.

Mord3rca for his launcher.