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Proton (software)

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Proton
DevelopersValve
CodeWeavers
Initial release21 August 2018; 7 years ago (21 August 2018)
Stable release
10.0-3[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 13 November 2025; 28 days ago (13 November 2025)
RepositoryProton on GitHub
Operating systemLinux
Available inEnglish
TypeCompatibility layer
License

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 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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Being a fork of Wine, Proton maintains very similar compatibility with Windows applications as its upstream counterpart. In addition to the official list of compatible games, many other Windows games are compatible,[8] albeit unofficially, with Proton. The user can optionally force use of Proton for a specific game, even if a Linux version already exists.[9] This may be done when a game's native Linux support is lacking or unstable.

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).[10][11] The site is inspired by the WineHQ AppDB, which also collects and displays crowdsourced compatibility reports and uses a similar rating system.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Proton 10.0-3". November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  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. ^ a b "Steam for Linux :: Introducing a new version of Steam Play". Steam Community. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ Dawe, Liam (July 1, 2019). "A look over the ProtonDB reports for June 2019, over 5.5K games reported to work with Steam Play". GamingOnLinux. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "Steam Client Beta". Steam Community. January 17, 2019. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
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  • Media related to Proton (software) at Wikimedia Commons
  • ProtonDB – community database for game compatibility data
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