Proton GE, the community-built version of the Windows compatibility layer Proton has a new release available and there's quite a lot of fixes included.
If you're not clear on what Proton and Steam Play are, be sure to check out our constantly updated dedicated page. It's a special compatibility layer for running Windows games and apps from Steam on Linux. Proton GE is not affiliated with Valve/Steam, it also has less quality assurance versus the official Proton but often ends up with special game-specific fixes quicker.
Proton-6.15-GE-1 and shortly after Proton-6.15-GE-2 with a few extra fixes are live now. A fair bit of it is pulling in fixes from the official upstream Proton like the cloud save fixes, multiple font fixes, Project Cars III window focus fixes and Tokyo Xanadu Xe+ ASF fixes. There's also a workaround for FFXIV having a broken login button, there's a FFXIV frame timing configuration for DXVK to resolve some stuttering, a fix for some Unity games that had broken Microsoft's Media Foundation Platform in 6.14, a patch to help Riftbreaker and other game-specific fixes.
Other updates include Wine / Wine Staging at version 6.15, DXVK added the latest git fixes to help Endless Legend and Borderlands 2, VKD3D added the latest git code and the same for FAudio. Interestingly VKD3D has a patch added for Diablo II Resurrected, which the Proton GE developer notes it was added "in case it fixes other games" as non-Steam games are not supported with Proton.
The quick follow-up release with GE-2 added a fix for TemTem, Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and has a workaround to skip Call of Duty Black Ops III videos making it playable.
If you do use this version, you may want to make save backups for the Steam Cloud fixes so you don't lose them - just in case. Proton GE's developer also notes you will want to "remove your old game prefixes so that they are properly regenerated with new symlinks". More on how to do that in our previous article.
How to install Proton GE? Here's a quick how-to:
- Download the Proton-6.15-GE-2.tar.gz file from the release notes.
- If this folder does not exist, create it:
~/.steam/root/compatibilitytools.d/ - Extract the archive downloaded in Step 1, and place the contents into the above directory.
- Restart Steam if it's open which refreshes the Steam Play list for Proton-6.15-GE-2 to show up.
- Right click on your game, go to Properties, Compatibility and ensure the box is ticked named "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" then select it from the dropdown box that appears.
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
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14 comments
herrorange Aug 17, 2021
If it helps anyone, here is a basic script I use to get latest version of Proton-GE: https://pastebin.com/x5SCV2sN
4 Likes, Who?
Proton-GE has to be one of the most wildly unreliable pieces of software that I use regularly anyway.
If/How it works changes radically for me per game. Some games won't work with it at all that work just fine with normal Proton, some games work, but with abysmal performance compared to normal Proton.
Or the other way around.
Or anything in-between.
If/How it works changes radically for me per game. Some games won't work with it at all that work just fine with normal Proton, some games work, but with abysmal performance compared to normal Proton.
Or the other way around.
Or anything in-between.
5 Likes, Who?
SystemShock Aug 17, 2021
Proton-GE has to be one of the most wildly unreliable pieces of software that I use regularly anyway.Did you always delete the wineprefix when you change from normal Proton to Proton-GE or the other way round. ?
If/How it works changes radically for me per game. Some games won't work with it at all that work just fine with normal Proton, some games work, but with abysmal performance compared to normal Proton.
Or the other way around.
Or anything in-between.
Its the first thing i do when i have Problems with Proton.
1 Likes, Who?
I have an Acer Nitro powered by Endless OS, I use to play America's Army "normally", but in a few weeks later it is not working correctly, some maps doesn't works, the laptop crash when I try to play "Hospital" for example, and many others maps. To play various maps I had to move back to an old version of Proton about 5.10 I guess, and my FPS had a huge drop back from 130FPS to 90FPS...
I wish it could go back to what it used to be...
Independent of this little problems, I need to say thank you all for doing Proton and make Linux community happier. I really appreciate it!
I wish it could go back to what it used to be...
Independent of this little problems, I need to say thank you all for doing Proton and make Linux community happier. I really appreciate it!
0 Likes
Proton-GE has to be one of the most wildly unreliable pieces of software that I use regularly anyway.This must be expected. There's a reason all those patches haven't been mainlined yet.
If/How it works changes radically for me per game. Some games won't work with it at all that work just fine with normal Proton, some games work, but with abysmal performance compared to normal Proton.
Or the other way around.
Or anything in-between.
2 Likes, Who?
SystemShock Aug 17, 2021
I have an Acer Nitro powered by Endless OS, I use to play America's Army "normally", but in a few weeks later it is not working correctly, some maps doesn't works, the laptop crash when I try to play "Hospital" for example, and many others maps. To play various maps I had to move back to an old version of Proton about 5.10 I guess, and my FPS had a huge drop back from 130FPS to 90FPS...
I wish it could go back to what it used to be...
Independent of this little problems, I need to say thank you all for doing Proton and make Linux community happier. I really appreciate it!
Hi drmoreira13 and welcome on Board !
I assume you are trying to get "America's Army proving Grounds" to work ?
Did you try to run this game with PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command% as a Start-Option in Steam ?
I just did a quick Search in Protondb.com for this Game and there this Tip was provided.
1 Likes, Who?
No, I don't bother.Proton-GE has to be one of the most wildly unreliable pieces of software that I use regularly anyway.Did you always delete the wineprefix when you change from normal Proton to Proton-GE or the other way round. ?
If/How it works changes radically for me per game. Some games won't work with it at all that work just fine with normal Proton, some games work, but with abysmal performance compared to normal Proton.
Or the other way around.
Or anything in-between.
Its the first thing i do when i have Problems with Proton.
So far, I have (almost) always found a version of Proton that works for me, be it normal Proton or -GE.
If I need to start digging deeper than the config in Steam, I'm more likely to just refund the game and play something else. Unless it's a title that I REAAALLLLY have to play.
1 Likes, Who?
Schattenspiegel Aug 17, 2021
Does anyone happen to know which was the last version of proton-GE that Endless Space 2 worked with? With the two latest ones I get a crash on starting it.
0 Likes
I'm by now back on stable proton 6.3, GE and experimental ruined my steam config and steamuser dirs of games so nothing at all would start anymore in compatibility mode, if you selected a default it wouldn't even save and it created backups of my applications and stuff, not creating new ones, keeping the symlink and making proton not start the games due to not finding folders.
I am loath to fix my dirs up all the time, so I will stay with 6.3 and only select experimental if I need it somewhere.
I am loath to fix my dirs up all the time, so I will stay with 6.3 and only select experimental if I need it somewhere.
0 Likes
Did you always delete the wineprefix when you change from normal Proton to Proton-GE or the other way round?
Hooh - that question alone is enough for me to steer clear of GE. I want the "out of the box" experience, add a startup parameterer at worst, I do not want to start fiddling with Wine stuff again. Oh no, no thanks.
3 Likes, Who?
To be fair, I never had to do anything like that. Even when GE doesn't work, you just switch to a different one in the Steam settings for the game and that's it.Did you always delete the wineprefix when you change from normal Proton to Proton-GE or the other way round?
Hooh - that question alone is enough for me to steer clear of GE. I want the "out of the box" experience, add a startup parameterer at worst, I do not want to start fiddling with Wine stuff again. Oh no, no thanks.
2 Likes, Who?
To be fair, I never had to do anything like that. Even when GE doesn't work, you just switch to a different one in the Steam settings for the game and that's it.
Ok, thanks TheSHEEP, that's good to know!
There was a time when a couple of games I wanted to play only seemed to work properly under GE, but since then Steam's Proton has come a very long way. As of today there's not really any games I can't play via the official Proton.
There's of course always the curious side of me wondering if GE would improve performance in a given game, but thus far it's been good enough for me to not bother checking.
0 Likes
Vasya Sovari Aug 18, 2021
Proton-GE has to be one of the most wildly unreliable pieces of software that I use regularly anyway.
If/How it works changes radically for me per game. Some games won't work with it at all that work just fine with normal Proton, some games work, but with abysmal performance compared to normal Proton.
Or the other way around.
Or anything in-between.
True.
I always try the latest mainline Proton first, then check GE if that outright doesn't work.
There are also a great many cases where a given game will work with one very specific release and no other.
However, It's currently somewhat safe to assume Valve & GE are painfully aware of this and working on a more comprehensive solution - since the SteamDeck will fail if gamers are constantly faced with 'Proton hunts' rather than OOTB play.
I, for one, have no objection to effectively beta-testing releases if it helps reach that point. I already report to ProtonDB regularly and mention specific Proton compatibility in Steam reviews
2 Likes, Who?
InhaleOblivion Aug 21, 2021
Great program. Definitely worth it if you want bleeding edge features and functionality. Especially if you don't mind switching proton versions if things just don't work at times. Thankfully most of the game I play already have a Linux version as a late. The few that don't I pick up through Lutris if not available through Steam.
0 Likes
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