Nvidia's working with all the anti-cheat vendors to make competive games work on RTX Spark and WoA… just when gaming on Linux was looking good

Nvidia's working with all the anti-cheat vendors to make competitive games work on RTX Spark and WoA… just when gaming on Linux was looking good

One of the biggest hurdles for gaming on Linux is the lack of compatibility with popular titles, which is a major reason why Windows remains the dominant platform for gamers. Many games simply won’t run on SteamOS or other Linux-based distributions due to the absence of support for kernel-level anti-cheat systems. As a result, titles like Fortnite, Battlefield, Valorant, and FC26 are off-limits to Linux users — at least for now.

Nvidia has been actively addressing this issue, particularly with its new Arm-powered RTX Spark "superchip" designed for Windows on Arm (WoA). The company is collaborating closely with leading anti-cheat developers to ensure that their software works seamlessly on its new platform. According to Nvidia, major titles like Fortnite, VALORANT, League of Legends, and PUBG are already in the pipeline for RTX Spark, with more announcements expected in the coming months.

The challenge of native ARM anti-cheat

One of the biggest challenges in making competitive games work on RTX Spark is the need for native ARM anti-cheat solutions. Many online games rely on these systems to prevent cheating, and without proper support, they can’t run on Arm-based devices. Nvidia has been working with developers to bring compatibility for major anti-cheat platforms like Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, and Denuvo, among others.

Developers are also creating both Prism-optimised versions of their games and fully native versions tailored for RTX Spark and Windows on Arm. This dual approach ensures that gamers can enjoy their favorite titles, whether through emulation or native support.

Performance considerations and hardware details

RTX Spark is Nvidia’s new family of SoCs, aimed at creators, AI developers, and gamers. The top-tier chip boasts graphics performance comparable to an RTX 5070, although actual performance can vary depending on whether the game is running in an emulated or native environment. Nvidia has noted that GPU-bound games may be less affected by Microsoft's Prism emulation layer, which could be a promising sign for gamers.

While RTX Spark laptops and mini PCs are expected to launch in the autumn, the full version with a 20-core CPU, 6188 CUDA cores, and 128 GB of unified memory won’t be budget-friendly. However, Nvidia has hinted at smaller, potentially more gaming-focused variants of the chip, ranging from 16 GB up to the top-tier 128 GB version. Keep an eye on future updates for more details.