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 dedicated channel in 
our Discord.
our Discord.
Latest Steam Play articles- How to check game compatibility for Linux, SteamOS and Steam Deck by Liam Dawe
10 Jan 2025 at 6:31 pm UTC - Why are there so many different Proton versions? Proton 8, Proton 9, Experimental, GE-Proton by Liam Dawe
10 Jan 2025 at 3:22 pm UTC - How to update DXVK and VKD3D-Proton in Proton and GE-Proton by Liam Dawe
10 Jan 2025 at 3:04 pm UTC - VKD3D-Proton bug fix v2.14.1 released for Direct3D 12 to Vulkan translation by Liam Dawe
10 Jan 2025 at 2:58 pm UTC - Monster Hunter Wilds will have two more open Beta test dates in February by Liam Dawe
8 Jan 2025 at 11:40 am 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 Discord 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.