Why Fedora’s Decision to Drop 32‑Bit Support Could Disrupt Linux Gaming

Fedora’s Plan to End i686 Support

Fedora developers have proposed a two‑stage change to completely drop support for the i686 (32‑bit) architecture. The first stage will stop providing i686 packages in the x86_64 repository, removing multilib support, and the second stage will cease all i686 builds.

The proposal has caused a stir, especially in the gaming community, because many older games and Steam applications still rely on 32‑bit libraries. Bazzite, a Fedora‑based gaming distribution, warned that losing i686 support could force the project to halt.

Historically, Fedora stopped distributing i686 kernels and installation media in Fedora 31, but retained multilib packages for running 32‑bit applications on 64‑bit systems. Since Fedora 37, maintainers can drop i686 builds for packages that are no longer required by other components.

Fedora now intends to take the final step: fully ending i686 support. The change will be implemented in two phases to allow a buffer period for testing and potential rollback before the second, irreversible phase.

Phase 1: Remove i686 packages from the x86_64 repository, ending multilib support.

Phase 2: Stop building any i686 packages entirely.

Maintainers argue that this reduces workload for package maintainers, release engineers, infrastructure, and end users. It will shrink repository metadata, speeding up dnf operations and freeing build‑server resources for x86_64 packages.

However, concerns remain about the impact on gaming. Steam’s Linux client is still a 32‑bit application, making it the biggest obstacle to dropping 32‑bit support. While Wine’s new WoW64 mode and Flatpak can run 32‑bit Windows games without system‑wide 32‑bit libraries, native Linux games and graphics drivers (e.g., Mesa) still require 32‑bit components.

Critics, including Bazzite founder Kyle Gospodnetich, fear that the change could cripple Linux gaming on Fedora and related distributions, possibly forcing Bazzite to discontinue. Some blame Valve for not migrating Steam to 64‑bit, while others note that key dependencies like Mesa also need 32‑bit versions.

Fedora’s FESCo and community members suggest a more measured approach: identify which 32‑bit libraries are essential and which can be dropped, potentially extending i686 support until at least Fedora 65 (around 2036) to give projects time to adapt.

The proposal is currently under public discussion on Fedora’s mailing list and requires a vote from the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee before it can be adopted.