Proton

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Revision as of 13:44, 26 September 2021 by 108.162.249.36 (talk) (Overview)
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Proton
Developer(s) Valve
Latest version 8.0-5
Active Yes
Platform(s) Linux
Emulates Windows
Website Steam
Source code GitHub

Proton is an open-source compatibility layer developed by Valve for running modern Windows Steam games on Linux. As of Oct 2020, reportedly about 90% of all Steam games are playable on Linux[1].

Download

Windows Linux macOS Steam
Only the Linux version includes Proton.
Optionally you can opt-in the beta program for faster access to new features.

Linux GitHub releases

Overview

Announced on August 21st, 2018 as a rework of Steam Play, Proton is included in the Steam Linux client by default and Valve whitelists 100+ games known to work out-of-the-box.[2] However, by changing a switch in Steam's settings, Proton can be enabled for all Windows games even if they don't currently work.[N 1] Users began compiling test results into compatibility lists, and there is now a portal for checking which games work, linked below. As of the January 17th, 2019 Steam Client beta, Proton can be force-enabled in per-title properties, including for running the Windows version of games with a Linux port.[3]

Proton is based on Wine and includes additional components like DXVK (a library that translates Direct3D 9, 10 and 11 calls to Vulkan on-the-fly), vkd3d-proton (a library that translates Direct3D 12 to Vulkan) and FAudio (an XAudio reimplementation). As a Steam Play feature, it avoids having to set up an additional Steam installation for Wine, which used to be the only way to get Windows-only Steam games working on Linux.

In addition to the Linux client for Steam, Proton is also a standard feature of the Linux-based SteamOS operating system, which is designed to be run on dedicated gaming systems using standard PC hardware, such as Valve's upcoming Steam Deck.

As of mid-2021, the only games that still don't work with Proton are mostly multiplayer games, using third-party anti-cheat systems that are either unaware of Proton as a legitimate gameplay tool or deliberately flagging it as an unfair advantage for some weird reason. Thankfully, the advent of the Steam Deck seems to be changing this for the better.

Resources

  • ProtonDB - User reported compatibility list.

Notes

  1. To do this, click Steam > Settings > Steam Play > "Enable Steam Play for all titles".

References