Denuvo will lock you out of games on Linux, SteamOS, Steam Deck if you keep changing Proton versions

Although for some of us this is a well-known problem, it has appeared again with the release of DOOM: The Dark Ages so it's worth a quick PSA to remind people about Denuvo activation limits with Proton on Linux, SteamOS / Steam Deck.

Here's the thing — Denuvo Anti-Tamper games do work on Linux systems when running a Windows game through Proton. However, Denuvo has a set limit on the amount of activations it allows per-game. This is five systems it detects within 24 hours.

The problem is on Linux systems with Proton, you might be trying to find the best version of Proton to run the game with, especially so for new releases. If you keep changing your Proton version this can trip up Denuvo and count each Proton swap as a new activation. What happens then? You get locked out for 24 hours.

An example shot below is Atomic Heart, which I intentionally tripped when swapping Proton versions just to show you what happens when you do:

So keep in mind for games that have Denuvo Anti-Tamper to limit the amount of times you swap the Proton version.

You shouldn't often need to actually change the Proton version though. For games on Steam that have been through Steam Deck Verified or have a SteamOS Compatibility rating, Valve will have picked the best version of Proton by default for it. However, some people like to use things like GE-Proton, or change to a newer version of Proton than what Valve verified a game against, to potentially at times get a better experience.

How to find games that have Denuvo? They are supposed to be noted on Steam, you can see in the side-bar on Atomic Heart for example:

Our friends at PCGamingWiki also have a list of Steam games with Denuvo.