Proton
Overview
Proton is a compatibility layer developed by Valve in collaboration with CodeWeavers that enables Windows games to run on Linux and SteamOS. Built upon Wine, DXVK, VKD3D-Proton, and additional community components, Proton translates Windows DirectX calls into Vulkan, allowing thousands of Windows-only games to run natively on Linux without requiring a Windows licence or dual-boot setup.
Integrated directly into Steam’s Steam Play feature, Proton works transparently — Linux users simply enable Steam Play in settings, and Steam automatically downloads and configures the optimal Proton version for each game. Valve releases stable and experimental branches, with the open-source community contributing compatibility reports through ProtonDB. With each major Proton release, the library of playable games expands significantly. As of version 10.0, Proton supports an overwhelming majority of the Steam catalogue on Linux.
Key Features
- DirectX-to-Vulkan Translation: Converts DirectX 9/10/11/12 to Vulkan via DXVK and VKD3D-Proton for near-native performance.
- Seamless Steam Integration: No manual configuration — enable Steam Play and Proton handles the rest automatically.
- Multiple Proton Versions: Choose from Stable, Experimental, Hotfix, or specific older releases for maximum compatibility.
- ProtonDB Community Database: Vast user-contributed compatibility reports grading games from Borked to Platinum.
- Anti-Cheat & DRM Support: Growing compatibility with Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, and other anti-cheat systems.
- Steam Deck Native: Pre-installed and optimised for SteamOS on the Steam Deck handheld.
- Open Source Foundation: Licensed under BSD and LGPL, with active community and CodeWeaver contributions.
- Regular Updates: Valve ships frequent stable and experimental builds with game-specific fixes.
Use Cases
- Running Windows-only Steam games on desktop Linux distributions.
- Gaming on the Steam Deck where Proton is the default compatibility layer.
- Testing game compatibility with different Proton versions for optimal performance.
- Moving from Windows to Linux without losing access to a purchased game library.
Platforms
Linux, SteamOS (also available for ChromeOS and some BSD variants)
Licence
BSD, LGPL, MIT (open source)