Linux

Hi, game developer here.

If you're just starting out, Unity is a bit more mature and established - and it works fine on Linux. There are also quite a few resources for getting started that apply to the current version out there (E.g. It isn't rapidly changing too much at the moment for someone just starting out). It also has the best mobile support of any engine out there, so if you want to test your game on a phone that's your best bet.

Godot is popular among hobbyists, and could be a fun start, but I don't know of any serious games being made in it yet (having said that, I know quite a few folk who are currently evaluating it, so maybe in a few years).

But, really, my recommendation is to focus on learning a programming language first. Figure out the ins and outs of basic C#, then start learning about an engine that utilizes it.

I'm only saying this because it sounds like you're looking into how to build games, not just one specific role of the process: if that's the case, starting with some basic C# tutorials/classes would help a lot.

Once you know the be basics it will be much simpler to work with an established Engine, and jumping from one to another will also have less friction.

Finally, remember that scratch is a good tool to learn about how to program. If you're feeling like you've mastered it, now is a great time to move on to a proper programming language.

Godot. Its the perfect time to pick a popular open source one that is very robust. Pick Godot. I truly believe it is more intuitive than Unity and sometimes even Unreal Engine. Just follow the official tutorials on the website to get started and once you understand how it works you can get pretty crazy with it.

Godot is fantastic, supports linux natively, and it's FOSS; highly recommend it.

All the game engines work on Linux. Movie studios use Unreal, Blender, and Epic for the big budget stuff now, and (unless someone has new info) everything is rendered on Linux farms.

That being said, I would suggest Godot to just get a simple project going. Lots of HUGE games came off Godot in the past couple years. Balatro was made in Love2D as well. Both are about as simple to learn and portable as you can get.

I'll pick Godot as well. Started using it recently and its been a pretty smooth learning experience.

Godot or if you like Lua, Love2D (engine used for balatro) are solid options to get started with.

Scratch /s

Ive tried Godot and discovered I cant code at all, everything was hanging together by a thread.

Ive since started GDevelop and am loving it, they even have an official flatpak.

Honestly try whatever you want, from Godot to bash on the command line (I'm not even joking) then while doing so, write down what you learn and, as importantly, what is missing. If something is missing and it's a very VERY big deal for you to re-implement (say 3D engine, or VR support, or cross platform support) then and ONLY THEN do look at other engines. See which ones out there do have both what you needed so far AND what is missing. Do NOT think ahead of all the "cool" things you "might need one day" because you would then look for the "perfect" engine for a project that does not even exist in your mind.

TL;DR: it does not matter, pick any, build, share, iterate and pick another one whenever you want to.

Everyone says Godot, but I disagree. Godot is too high level and it won't teach you much about how it all works. Godot is good if you have already mastered languages and common gaming algorithms (e.g. collisions), and you just want to get going. But as a first foray, I'd say, go with SDL. After you done something simple in SDL and learned some hands on knowledge on how things work under the hood, go with Godot or Love. That knowledge will help you troubleshoot godot better then.

If you're looking at collaborating in game jams, you'll find it handy to have some Unity, Unreal Engine and Godot under your belt. Don't worry about becoming an "expert" at any of them, just do a few intro tutorials and read the starter docs on each.

I've heard good things about GameMaker (the engine Hotline Miami 1 and 2 use) for beginner devs. It's hard to recommend an engine without knowing how familiar you are with scripting. GameMaker is 2D-only ~~and isn't free~~ though.

Godot can be very confusing if you aren't much of a coder or have trouble with complex workflows. But one thing it does very well is allow you to get a barebones structure up and running quickly, and that really helps with setting up scenes and iterating on them. So if that sounds like your thing, Godot is free and can do 3D as well as 2D.

Solarus