PlayOnLinux is a graphical frontend for the Wine software compatibility layer which allows Linux users to install Windows-based video games, Microsoft Office (2000 to 2016), Microsoft Internet Explorer, as well as many other applications such as Apple iTunes and Safari.

[7][8] While initially developed for Linux-based systems, it is also used on macOS and FreeBSD under the names PlayOnMac and PlayOnBSD, respectively.

It used two separate source trees and was therefore called "POL" on Linux systems and "POM" on Mac.

The system provides wrapper shell scripts that specify the configuration of Wine needed in order to install and run a particular application.

PlayOnLinux includes advanced functions in Bash allowing the community to make scripts easily by controlling the installation process.