- Steam Play and Proton allow you to run a large part of the game catalog of Windows en Linux directly from the Steam client.
- WinePlayOnLinux and CrossOver expand compatibility and configuration options for more demanding games and applications.
- Tools like Lutris, virtual machines, and cloud gaming complete an ecosystem that makes it possible to play games on Linux without giving up Windows titles.
If you use Linux daily but are still tied to Windows only for your favorite games, you're in luck: today it's entirely possible Play Windows games on Linux legally and quite comfortablyWhat a few years ago required struggling with a thousand configurations, today has been greatly simplified thanks to Steam, Proton and several tools designed so that you don't have to give up your library.
For a long time, run video games made for Windows on systems like Ubuntu or Arch era a headache reserved for advanced usersBetween Wine, scripts, strange configurations, and graphical glitches, many gave up. Now the landscape is very different: you can install Windows games directly from Steam on Linux, rely on Proton, and combine it with solutions like Wine, PlayOnLinux, CrossOver, or Lutris to cover almost any scenario.
Why Windows games don't work natively on Linux
Before getting into the mess with Steam, Proton and company, it's worth understanding why Most games are developed with Windows in mind.The PC gaming industry has historically revolved around Microsoft's system, so many companies never even considered porting their titles to other platforms.
The direct consequence is that A large part of graphics engines, DRM, and anti-cheat systems are deeply tied to Windows., to its APIs and how it manages the hardwareThis means that if you try to run these executables on Linux without any extra help, the game either won't open or will open with very serious errors.
Furthermore, many productions are based on DirectX as the main graphics API, whereas in Linux it is common to use Vulkan or OpenGL through drivers like Mesa. That technical difference is key: if the game is written to speak “DirectX”, you need something that translates that language into Vulkan or OpenGL in real time.
That's where compatibility layers come into play: tools that act as translators between the Windows world and the Linux worldSome work at the system level (Wine, CrossOver), others integrate with platforms like Steam (Proton on Steam), and others serve as a “manager of everything” (PlayOnLinux, Lutris).
Steam Play and Proton: the rule-changing way to play on Linux
The real turning point for Linux gamers was Steam Play with Proton. Valve decided that if it wanted to take Linux gaming seriously, it had to to offer a direct way to run Windows games from within the Steam client itselfwithout forcing users to struggle with external configurations.
Steam Play integrates Proton, which is basically An adapted and improved version of Wine designed for video gamesIt includes components such as DXVK or VKD3D to translate DirectX calls to Vulkan, and Valve's own patches to deal with protections, bugs and peculiarities of each title.
Thanks to that set of tools, Thousands of Windows games can run on Linux almost as if they were natives. Titles such as Age of Empires II HD, Age of Empires III, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Path of Exile, The Witcher 3, GTA V Games like Dark Souls III have shown that performance can be very solid, provided the hardware is up to par.
However, it's important to be clear that Steam Play continues to be an evolving technologyAlthough it's becoming increasingly stable, there are still games that don't work or that run with graphical glitches, unexpected crashes, or performance issues. That's why consulting ProtonDB is so useful—a collaborative database where users report how well each game performs under Proton.
For now, Valve officially marks only a portion of its catalog as fully compatible with Proton, but The list grows little by little as they review and polish each titleEven so, you can force execution with Proton even in unverified games and, in many cases, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
How to activate the beta version of the Steam client on Linux
To enjoy the latest Steam Play releases before anyone else, it's often a good idea Activate the beta version of the Steam clientThis edition includes features in testing (such as improvements to Proton), but in return it may be somewhat less stable than the normal version.
The first thing is to make sure that You have the Steam client installed on your Linux distributionYou can download it from the official Steam website or directly from your system's software store (for example, on Ubuntu from the Software Center, or via terminal with the corresponding package).
Once installed and after logging into your account, open the menu in the upper left corner and access the Steam Preferences or SettingsWithin that window, go to the "Account" section, which is where you control your beta participation settings.
In that section you'll see a field dedicated to trial versions. Click the button that allows you to change your participation in beta processes Then, in the drop-down menu, select the “Steam Beta Update” option. Confirm the changes and close the dialog box.
To apply the channel change, Steam will ask you completely restart the clientLet it close and restart; when it opens again, you'll be using the beta version, which usually receives improvements related to Proton and Steam Play sooner.
Enable Steam Play and Proton for all Windows games
Once you have the client ready, the next key step is Enable Steam Play so it can handle your Windows games on LinuxBy default, Steam only uses Proton on a relatively short list of titles that Valve has reviewed and marked as compatible.
That conservative behavior does not mean that The rest of the Windows games cannot be run on LinuxThis simply indicates that Valve hasn't thoroughly tested them yet or that they may have bugs. If you want to take the risk and try it yourself, you can force the use of Proton on all titles.
To do this, it reopens the Steam Preferences and go to the “Steam Play” sectionInside, you'll find a checkbox to allow Steam Play only for officially supported games and another to enable compatibility for all titles. Select the "Enable Steam Play for all titles" option, choose your preferred Proton version, and save the changes.
From that moment on, when you browse your library or the store, Steam will try to Use Proton whenever it detects that a game is Windows only.You will no longer see the typical "this title is not compatible with your operating system" warning, but in many cases the install button will appear directly.
Some titles may interest you force a specific version of Proton instead of the global one. To do this, go to the game's Properties (right-click on the library), go to the "Compatibility" tab, and check the option that allows you to manually select a specific version of Proton from the drop-down menu.
Install and run Windows games from your Steam library
Once Steam Play is activated for all titles, the most rewarding part begins: Install and test your Windows games directly on Linux, without having to resort to external installers or other additional layers.
Open the Steam Library tab and check your games. Where you previously saw messages that The game was not compatible with your system.You should now find the same "Install" button you would have on Windows. Simply choose the path, accept, and wait for it to download.
During the first run of many titles, Steam and Proton take advantage of this to Install additional components such as the appropriate version of DirectX, Visual C++, or .NETThis process may take a few extra seconds before the game window appears on your desktop.
The actual experience will depend largely on your components: graphics card, drivers, CPU, memory, and the quality of your Vulkan configurationTwo computers with the same operating system can behave very differently with Proton simply because they use different GPUs or have poorly configured proprietary drivers.
If a game won't start or is having problems, there's a little trick that sometimes works. Open the game's Properties in Steam, go to "Local Files," and click "Explore." Inside the game's folder, locate the main executable file (.exe) and Rename it to “launcher.exe” after saving a backup copyIn some cases, Proton only works when the executable is named exactly like that.
It's worth bearing in mind that, although in many titles the experience is practically perfect, Others may exhibit graphical errors, minor stutters, or specific glitches.That's why it's so highly recommended to check out ProtonDB, where other users often share launch parameters, recommended Proton versions, and graphical settings that make a real difference.
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