Steam Play Proton To Improve Game Support For Linux Users

Valve announced this week that they are releasing a beta version of Steam Play Proton, an improved version of Steam Play that uses a modified version of Wine, that makes Windows games with no Linux compatibility now able to be installed and run via the Linux Steam Client.

Valve’s goal for releasing Proton is to let Linux Steam users enjoy access to a larger back catalog, and also allow future developers to easily leverage their work from other platforms to target Linux. Here are the list of major improvements it brings:

• Windows games with no Linux version currently available can now be installed and run directly from the Linux Steam client, complete with native Steamworks and OpenVR support.
• DirectX 11 and 12 implementations are now based on Vulkan, resulting in improved game compatibility and reduced performance impact.
• Fullscreen support has been improved: fullscreen games will be seamlessly stretched to the desired display without interfering with the native monitor resolution or requiring the use of a virtual desktop.
• Improved game controller support: games will automatically recognize all controllers supported by Steam. Expect more out-of-the-box controller compatibility than even the original version of the game.
• Performance for multi-threaded games has been greatly improved compared to vanilla Wine.

You can find the list of supported games and the instructions to join the Beta on the Steam Community page here. Steam Play Proton is now in beta for Linux computers.