Valve Updates Proton to Greatly Improve Windows Gaming on Linux
If you're a gamer who uses Linux and Steam, you'll be pleased to know the company has released a new version of Proton which is a big step forward for the platform.
With the release of Proton 8.0-4 a number of usability improvements have been added (along with the usual bug fixes and new features). This new release targets a vast collection of games designed for Windows and ensures they work out of the box on both Steam for Linux and on the Steamdeck.
This new update makes it possible to run games like EverQuest 2, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2, The Longest Journey, Arthurian Legends, Oddworld: Strangers's Wrath HD, and Songs for a Hero (Definitive Edition) out of the box. These games previously required users to run Proton Experimental but that is no longer true.
The new updates also fix the issue where Battle.net constantly attempted to update itself and fixes for the EA Desktop software, Baldur's Gate 3, and some Unreal Engine 4 games. Also, NVIDIA NVAPI is now enabled, which fixes some Ubisoft Connect issues.
The Proton 8.0-4 update also installs a few other updates (such as Wine Mono 8.0.1) to further improve the experience.
You can read the entire list of fixes here, where you can also download the source code for Proton 8.0-4.
