Portal now available on Linux via Steam

Linux users rejoice! Valve’s popular interactive puzzle title, Portal, is now available on Linux via the Steam client. Although the Steam Store doesn’t show the game as available for Linux yet, you can install a beta version via your Steam Library if you already own the game on any of the other platforms. Phoronix is also stating that Portal 2 will also be publicly available on Steam for Linux soon.

This comes as very good news for gaming on Linux, as both the Portal games were very popular and were received positively by critics. The two titles are first-person shooter-like games that have, surprisingly, nothing to do with action. Instead, the games focus on platforming and puzzles revolving around physics and a gun that lets you shoot portals that you can pass through. 

Portal makes it to Linux!

The first game was released in 2007 in The Orange Box as an extra game and was only around three hours long if you didn’t know what to do. The first game was a critical hit because of the tight gameplay, great pacing and witty dialogue. The sequel took it up a notch by being a fully-featured eight hour long game. Though not as well received as the first one, Portal 2 still got enough acclaim to be counted as one of the best games of 2011.

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We haven’t yet spotted Portal 2 on Steam for Linux, but we’re sure the game will eventually make its way to Linux as Valve seems determined on getting almost every Source Engine game to run on Linux.

You can buy Portal via the Steam Store for $9.99 (around Rs 538) and the sequel for $19.99 (around Rs 1,076).