Here is Adobe Photoshop 2024 running on Arch Linux through Wine 8.20. This isn’t a future scenario. It’s working right now.

To be precise: vendors like Adobe aren’t shipping native Linux versions—but the Windows compatibility ecosystem has progressed so far that heavyweight applications (like games) are becoming practical to run. Years of improvements driven by Proton, DXVK, VKD3D, Wine, Bottles, and Lutris have made both gaming and professional Windows software increasingly viable on Linux.

So the question isn’t “Will Windows apps ever follow Windows games onto Linux?”

The reality is that app compatibility is already happening, and the pace is accelerating as the underlying technology keeps improving.