What Distro and version are you using?

You can paste the output of: uname -a from terminal.

This is incorrect. The latest demo is 64-bit only, but the latest full-version build still works on 32-bit Linux. However, GOG does not distribute 32-bit Linux builds. So you will have to use one of the other game distribution providers if you wish to purchase that version. (The game is still ocassionally tested on 32-bit Mageia with an i915 GPU. So yes, the game does run on 32-bit Linux.)

If you are a GOG only buyer, the 32-bit Windows Build works perfectly fine in all versions of Wine released in the last 8 years. I even go as far as to have 32-bit OSX builds of the game, even though that's been a dead platform for a long long time. Sadly, GOG doesn't distribute 32-bit OSX builds either.

Unfortunately, I have not discovered how to add miscellaneous packages like artwork, wallpapers, etc. Let alone how to keep them updated. As far as I can tell, this is the only way for me to distribute 32-bit Linux and OSX files on GOG. When I get around to the next update, I will check again to see if I can find a way to zip up the files and distribute them that way. (I may have to contact a rep to add them, which would be a major pain to keep updated.)

Alternatively, the 32-bit Windows version should work fine in WINE, dating back to the version shipped with Slackware 14.1. And maybe it will work on even older versions of WINE. You may want to give the old demos a shot to confirm that.

I sent an email to GOG to get the 32-bit builds for Linux and OSX up on the Extras system. We'll see how that goes.

Version 2.0.0.10 32-bit Linux and OS X builds have been uploaded! You can find them in the "Extras."

The 32-bit Linux build works for Glibc 2.17 to Glibc 2.33. There are no plans to change those glib requirements. New distros will have trouble with Berkelium (Chromium 12) anyway.

I have a free DLC coming out in the next couple years that will likely require glibc 2.31+. So, for folks running the handful of newer 32-bit distros, you'll need to wait for that.

The 32-bit OS X build should work for OS X 10.7+, but I have not tested it on anything older than 10.10. The main advantage is that the 32-bit build uses Carbon, which is more stable with OpenGL than modern Cocoa, in my opinion.

It's difficult to update these builds via GOG. (I have to contact folks at GOG to push the update when they're likely busy with other releases. It took almost a month for us to do it.) So, I will periodically distribute patches for these two builds via my official website. I'll make a note of it when I do so here.

I started GearCity in 2010. It was released in Steam Early Access in 2014. And I kept it in Early Access while the game was in active development. When I started working on a different game, GearCity left Early Access. That was in 2022.

The 32-bit Linux build is built in Slackware 14.1. That uses glibc 2.17.

The 64-bit Linux build is built on Valve's Ubuntu 14 runtime. That uses glibc 2.19.

GOG, who maintains the store page copied the system requirements from my Steam page. However, GOG does not distribute 32-bit Linux builds. GOG's internal distribution systems are 64-bit Linux only. So I had to get the 32-bit build uploaded to the "Extras" system, as recommended by other users.

That is done now.

So the 64-bit Linux requirement is glibc 2.19+. The 32-bit Linux requirements are glibc 2.17 to glibc 2.33. Newer versions of glibc have removed functions which the 32-bit build is built against. There are no plans to update the 32-bit Engine or build environments for the base game. There is a community funded Free DLC in the works. It will take several years to complete, but it will likely have a 32-bit Linux build built against more modern glibc.

Well, using WINE to play the Windows version should be moot now. The 32-bit Linux build is uploaded to GOG. It is built on the same platform and uses the same libraries as the 1.16 Linux Demo you tried before.

Translations are community-made, and version 1.23 is 6 years old. There has been a lot of progress since then, but it won't be perfect. I don't speak German. There are over 600 pages of text in GearCity, and I can't afford to have it professionally translated. So it's only as good as the fans of the game can do in their spare time.

These all sound like issues with WINE on your system more so than anything.

The game is single-threaded. For full 300 AI, with a player managing 100+ different vehicle models, even a
Intel Core i9-14900K will have 30-second turn times later in the game.

But if you're playing 300 AI, and keep yourself at a modest 10-20 models, you should be able to do 30-60s late-game turn times with your Dual Core.

And if that's too much, you use fewer AI. So, it's all about expectations.

The game was mostly written on a Phenom 9550, which is only about 10% faster than your Dual Core. I played the game for years on that machine using full AI with no problems.

Please remember that many of these reviews were written years ago. The game was in constant development for 12 years. A commercially released for 8 of those in-development years. So a lot of it will be out of date. If turn-times are too slow for you, use fewer AI. If the text is too small, increase the font size or resolution scaling in the game. There are also many people who don't take the time to learn the UI/System, watch the videos, follow the tutorials, read the manual, etc. So, they find the game confusing or lacking feedback.

Ultimately, it's your choice if you want to buy the game or not. Your original posts were about the availability of the 32-bit Linux build. I went through the process to get it and the 32-bit OSX ports up on GOG via the Extras system. I don't maintain the 32-bit Demos on my website, but the engine is the same as the 1.16 Demo you played. So if the v1.16 32-bit Linux build worked, the v2.0.0.10 32-bit Linux build should work. As for trying out newer versions of the game, if you don't have access to a 64-bit machine, perhaps watch a few playthrough videos on Youtube. While I do plan on maintaining 32-bit builds for the base game, there are no plans to update the demos for 32-bit builds.