Steam Play - what is it?
Steam Play is a feature that allows you to run compatibility layers in the Linux version of the Steam client. Proton being one of them, based upon another called Wine, allowing you to play thousands of Windows-only games on Linux. Be sure to check out our constantly updated beginner's guide here. It's what the Steam Deck also uses to run Windows games on SteamOS.
Need help? We have a Steam Play forum and a dedicated channel in our Discord.
- Escape Simulator 2 the 'ultimate first person escape room experience' announced by Pine Studio by Liam Dawe
10 December 2024 at 1:22 pm UTC - Space Marine 2 adds DLSS3, FSR3 and Frame Generation - more playable on Steam Deck, needs launch option for Desktop Linux by Liam Dawe
10 December 2024 at 12:45 pm UTC - Proton Experimental adds initial speech synthesis support, lots of game fixes for Steam Deck / Linux and easier modding by Liam Dawe
10 December 2024 at 10:26 am UTC - Path of Exile 2 now in Early Access and it works on Steam Deck / Linux by Liam Dawe
6 December 2024 at 11:59 pm UTC - Windows compatibility layer Wine 10.0 gets a first Release Candidate by Liam Dawe
6 December 2024 at 8:51 pm UTC - + View more Steam Play articles
FAQ
What is the status of Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye with Proton?
Epic Games announced that Easy Anti-Cheat now fully supports Linux as of September 2021 but developers need to opt-in. In January 2022, Valve announced Easy Anti-Cheat is now simpler.
BattlEye is easier, as developers just need to email them to hook it up.
What about Denuvo Anti-Cheat?
Read the full details of that in this linked article.
Can I use Proton outside of Steam?
Yes. Lutris can help with this but it's a bit complicated. Lutris has its own special Wine builds that are easier to use.
Where do I report bugs in Proton and broken games?
Onto Valve's GitHub page but try asking in our forum first.
Want even more info?
Steam Tracker - historical data on the Linux market-share on Steam.
User Statistics - see what systems our users are running.
User Statistics - see what systems our users are running.