Confused on Steam Play and Proton? Be sure to check out our guide.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Proton GE (GloriousEggroll) is a community-built version of the Proton compatibility layer for running Windows games on Linux through Steam Play. You could compare Proton GE to the Valve-official Proton Experimental, where lots of extra features and fixes go in that haven't seen as much testing - but both may get you into newer Windows games quicker on Linux.

If you're not clear on what Proton and Steam Play are, be sure to check out our constantly updated dedicated page. It's a special compatibility layer for running Windows games and apps from Steam on Linux.

Over the last month or two, Proton GE has seen multiple big new releases (the latest being Proton-6.8-GE-1) based on Wine 6.5 and it also sees big bumps in versions for the likes of DXVK, VKD3D, OpenXR patches, Media Foundation fixes for getting more games video working and the list of changes goes on for some time.

However, the progress also comes with some issues. As the developer mentions "Due to large changes in wine 6.5+, you will need to remove old/current prefixes for any games launched with this version. Old prefixes will not work." to the point that they made a video (below) to explain the steps and how to troubleshoot.

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

For those who prefer it in text form - to remove a Proton/Wine prefix for Windows builds installed on Linux through Steam Play follow these steps:

  1. Get the Steam App ID of the game, which is the number in the Steam store page URL like Resident Evil Village (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1196590/Resident_Evil_Village/) being 1196590.
  2. Right click the game on Steam, go to Properties and Installed Files and then Browse to open the data folder.
  3. Two directories backwards brings you to "steamapps" and inside there is a "compatdata" folder.
  4. Inside compatdata there will be a folder with the correct Steam App ID — simply delete the folder. However, before deleting, do note it may have saved games stored inside you need to backup. this is a per-game thing so be sure to check first and backup if needed. One of the easiest ways to find out where a game saves, even with Proton on Linux, is probably through our friends at PCGamingWiki.
  5. (see the below note first).
  6. Launch the game again, a new prefix will be created giving you a fresh setup of the Proton version for it.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
30 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
19 comments
Page: «2/2
  Go to:

Lofty May 14, 2021
Small niggle but the steam client used to show the physical URL including the appid on the old UI. Since they removed it, i have to go to the website and then find the game. You used to be able to look up the appid instantly in the actual client.
It's mentioned in the OP.


you can use this too..

https://steamdb.info/

type residentevil:

https://steamdb.info/search/?a=app&q=residentevil

much quicker and less data to load vs the steam page.

hope this helps


Last edited by Lofty on 14 May 2021 at 11:13 pm UTC
Liam Dawe May 14, 2021
Quoting: LoftySmall niggle but the steam client used to show the physical URL including the appid on the old UI. Since they removed it, i have to go to the website and then find the game. You used to be able to look up the appid instantly in the actual client.
The article mentions how to re-enable showing the URL in the Steam client.
F.Ultra May 14, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter
It's also possible to search using protontricks

 
f.ultra@ubuntu:~$ protontricks -s resident
Found the following games:
Resident Evil (304240)
Resident Evil 0 (339340)
Resident Evil 4 (254700)
Resident Evil 5 (21690)
Resident Evil 6 (221040)
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (418370)
Resident Evil Revelations (222480)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 (287290)
Resident Evil Village (1196590)

To run protontricks for the chosen game, run:
$ protontricks APPID COMMAND

NOTE: A game must be launched at least once before protontricks can find the game.
Lofty May 14, 2021
Quoting: Liam Dawe
Quoting: LoftySmall niggle but the steam client used to show the physical URL including the appid on the old UI. Since they removed it, i have to go to the website and then find the game. You used to be able to look up the appid instantly in the actual client.
The article mentions how to re-enable showing the URL in the Steam client.

This is what i get for skim reading with one eye whilst juggling a hot flask of tea.

my bad. thanks for the tip.


Last edited by Lofty on 14 May 2021 at 9:24 pm UTC
Kiwii May 15, 2021
Quoting: GuestYou can navigate to updates in the window where you already opened the local files from and read the number right from App-ID .-.
To illustrate this just in case it wasn't clear to everyone:




Last edited by Kiwii on 15 May 2021 at 3:42 am UTC
NoSt May 15, 2021
Great news! Proton GE is very important for many games.
Actually, I think the one thing that the Compatibility tab lacks is the ability to remove/reinstall prefix directly from Steam. Hopefully it will be added sometime in the future.
Termy May 15, 2021
To make a little advertisement: I've created a small gui helper to download and install different versions from GE and TKG - maybe some will find that usefull, as well :)

https://github.com/Termuellinator/Proton-Community-Updater
dpanter May 15, 2021
Quoting: TermyI've created a small gui helper to download and install different versions from GE and TKG
That's really nice, quite useful indeed. A small note, TkG builds the releases in Arch against a newer glibc version that many distros don't have, making the release useless and you'll have to build your own. I feel the script should check or at least warn about this. Cheers!
Termy May 16, 2021
Quoting: dpanterThat's really nice, quite useful indeed. A small note, TkG builds the releases in Arch against a newer glibc version that many distros don't have, making the release useless and you'll have to build your own. I feel the script should check or at least warn about this. Cheers!

Good note - i'll try to implement that. Thanks :)
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.