You've probably heard of Opera GX, a specialized version of the Opera browser built from the ground up for PC gamers. It has a distinct design featuring all the gamer-y aesthetics like neon accents, RGB hardware sync, and a dark, angular interface. The browser launched for Windows way back in June 2019, with a macOS version following a couple of months later.
But for the longest time, Opera GX was unavailable on Linux. That wait ends today, as you can finally install and run GX natively on the popular Linux distros, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and OpenSUSE, with Flatpak support on the way.
Opera GX on Linux ships with GX Mods, which let you completely overhaul the browser's look and feel. You can install packages that alter the UI theme, live wallpapers, keyboard typing sounds, and even the background music.
There's also GX Control, the browser's flagship feature, which gives you a control panel with hard limiters. You can cap exactly how much of your CPU the browser is allowed to use. A RAM limiter lets you set a memory ceiling, and a network limiter can throttle the browser's bandwidth.
Other nice-to-haves include Split View, Tab Islands, and a panic button. That last one might come in handy if a family member walks in while you are looking at something private. You can slam the F12 button, and Opera GX will instantly hide your current tabs and open a new emergency window displaying totally "boring" websites like Wikipedia, which you can pre-select. Once the coast is clear, hitting F12 again brings all your old tabs back.
The Opera GX team promises the Linux community it is "here for the long term," with a dedicated group to handle the usual stuff like bug fixes and regular updates. Linux users are often privacy-conscious, so the GX team is trying to sell its browser to them on that argument. The company claims Opera GX does not track your data, and the browser has a built-in ad blocker and a zero-log VPN.
Opera GX for Linux is available for download here.