Proton

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Revision as of 13:53, 26 September 2021 by 108.162.250.95 (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 – for some stupid reason – deliberately flagging it as an unfair advantage. 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