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Proton (software)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Proton
DevelopersValve
CodeWeavers
Release21 August 2018; 8 years ago (21 August 2018)
Stable release
11.0-2[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 21 August 2026; 34 days ago (21 August 2026)
Operating systemLinux
Available inEnglish
TypeCompatibility layer
License
RepositoryProton on GitHub

Proton is a compatibility layer that allows Windows software (primarily video games) to run on Linux-based operating systems.[2] Proton is developed by Valve in cooperation with developers from CodeWeavers.[3] It is a collection of software and libraries combined with a patched version of Wine to improve performance and compatibility with Windows games. Proton is designed for integration into the Steam client as "Steam Play".[4] It is officially distributed through the client, although third-party forks can be manually installed.

Overview

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Proton was initially released on 21 August 2018.[5] Upon release, Valve announced a list of 27 games that were tested and certified to perform like their native Windows counterparts without requiring end-user tweaking. These include Doom (2016), Quake, and Final Fantasy VI.[4][5][6][self-published source]

Proton incorporates several libraries that improve 3D performance. These include Direct3D-to-Vulkan translation layers, namely DXVK for Direct3D 8, 9, 10 and 11, and VKD3D-Proton for Direct3D 12. A separate library known as D9VK handled Direct3D 9 support until it was merged into DXVK in December 2019.[7]

Compatibility

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Proton generally has better compatibility with Windows games than upstream Wine due to additional patches and components intended specifically for gaming. These include synchronization technologies such as esync and fsync, as well as components such as VKD3D-Proton for translating Direct3D 12 to Vulkan.[8][9]

Proton also incorporates DXVK, which translates Direct3D 8, 9, 10 and 11 calls to Vulkan.[10] These components, together with Proton's modifications to Wine and its integration with Steam, are intended to improve the performance and compatibility of Windows games on Linux.[8]

Many Windows games beyond those officially tested or verified by Valve can work with Proton. Community-maintained compatibility databases such as ProtonDB collect user reports describing how individual games perform with Proton and which configurations or Proton versions may be required.[11]

Compatibility varies between games and Proton versions. Games may depend on Windows-specific functionality, graphics APIs, digital rights management, or anti-cheat and anti-tamper systems that can affect their operation under Proton. Valve's Proton changelog documents compatibility fixes and improvements for individual games across different releases.[12]

Users can select Proton as a compatibility tool for individual games through Steam. Proton may also be used for games that have native Linux versions, allowing users to run the Windows version when they prefer it or when the native version has compatibility or performance problems.[13]

ProtonDB

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ProtonDB is an unofficial community website that collects and displays crowdsourced data describing the compatibility of a given title with Proton, on a rating scale from "Borked" (doesn't work) to "Platinum" (works perfectly).[14][15] The site is inspired by the WineHQ AppDB, which also collects and displays crowdsourced compatibility reports and uses a similar rating system.

GE-Proton

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GE-Proton (also known as Proton-GE) is a community-maintained custom build of Proton developed by Thomas Crider, known online as GloriusEggroll[16]. It incorporates additional patches and components intended to improve compatibility with some Windows games on Linux and is not affiliated with Valve.[17]

GE-Proton includes additional Wine and Wine Staging patches, media foundation patches, support for NVIDIA CUDA and NVAPI, raw input support, and the protonfixes system for applying game-specific compatibility fixes.[17] It has also been integrated into third-party Linux gaming software, including Lutris.[18] Phoronix has described GloriousEggroll as the developer of Proton-GE in its coverage of the Nobara Linux distribution.[19]

Release history

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Valve has released ten major versions of Proton.[20] The versioning scheme refers to the upstream Wine version it is based on, with an appended patch number.[2] Proton generally lags behind its upstream Wine base by several releases. Unofficial forks, such as Proton GE,[21] have been created to rebase Proton on recent Wine versions, which may improve or worsen compatibility with games compared to the official release.[22] In December 2020, Valve released Proton Experimental, a perpetual beta branch of Proton that incorporates new features and bug fixes quicker than regular releases,[23] which are eventually included in a regular release.[24]

The Steam Deck uses Proton to increase software title compatibility.[25]

Major Software Versions

[edit]
VersionRelease dateDetails
3.7August 2018First official release. Integrated DXVK for Direct3D 10/11 via Vulkan. 27 supported games
4.2April 2019Updated to a newer version of Wine. Features enhanced support for fullscreen mode and controllers
5.0February 2020Based on Wine 5.0. Added support for some games with anti-cheat systems.
5.13October 2020Added enhanced media playback and networking features
6.3April 2021Based on Wine 6.0. Improved Direct3D 12 support via VKD3D-Proton
7.0February 2022Based on Wine 7.0
8.0April 2023
9.0May 2024improved support for newer games and technologies
10.0November 2025updated DXVK, VKD3D, and Wine. Unlike Wine 10, it does not provide a method to access the native Wayland driver.
11.0July 2026

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Release 11.0-2". August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "ValveSoftware/Proton". GitHub. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  3. ↑ "CodeWeavers' Proton Software Sauce Powers Steam Deck". CodeWeavers (Press release). February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Steam for Linux :: Introducing a new version of Steam Play". Steam. August 21, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. 1 2 Dawe, Liam (August 21, 2018). "Valve officially confirm a new version of 'Steam Play' which includes a modified version of Wine". GamingOnLinux.
  6. ↑ Dingman, Hayden (August 21, 2018). "Steam adds Proton, making Windows games playable on Linux (at least in theory)". PCWorld. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ "doitsujin/dxvk". GitHub. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Proton". Valve. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ "vkd3d-proton". Hans-Kristian Arntzen. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ "DXVK". doitsujin. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  11. ↑ "ProtonDB". ProtonDB. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Changelog". Valve. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Steam for Linux :: Introducing a new version of Steam Play". Valve. August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Steam Proton has opened the gaming floodgates for Linux users". SlashGear. April 22, 2020. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  15. ↑ Dawe, Liam (August 5, 2019). "A look at how Steam Play is doing, based on the ProtonDB reports from July". GamingOnLinux. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  16. ↑ Crider, Thomas. "How Steam Play/Proton makes Gaming on Linux awesome". Ubuntu Summit. Canonical. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  17. 1 2 "proton-ge-custom". GitHub. GloriousEggroll. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Lutris 0.5.18 Linux Game Manager Brings Many Improvements". Phoronix. December 1, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Nobara 39 Released - Customized Version Of Fedora Catering To Gamers/Enthusiasts". Phoronix. December 26, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Releases · ValveSoftware/Proton". GitHub. Retrieved August 15, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ Dawe, Liam (September 2, 2019). "Want a more up to date Proton for Steam Play? Proton GE has a big new release out". GamingOnLinux. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Releases · GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom". GitHub. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  23. ↑ Dawe, Liam (December 15, 2020). "Valve continues tweaking the new 'Proton Experimental' for Cyberpunk 2077". GamingOnLinux. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  24. ↑ Dawe, Liam (January 15, 2021). "Proton 5.13-5 is now up bringing in some of the experimental changes". GamingOnLinux. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ Duckett, Chris (July 16, 2021). "Steam Deck is an AMD-powered handheld PC from Valve that runs KDE on Arch Linux". ZDNet. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
[edit]
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Proton (software) at Wikimedia Commons
  • ProtonDB – community database for game compatibility data
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