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New Steam Play allows Linux gamers to play Windows titles via Proton and the Vulkan API

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Valve has released a new and improved beta version of Steam Play that allows Linux gamers to play Windows titles. In order to achieve this, Steam Play includes a modified distribution of Wine, called Proton, to provide compatibility with Windows game titles and uses the Vulkan API.

Going into more details, Windows games with no Linux version currently available can now be installed and run directly from the Linux Steam client, complete with native Steamworks and OpenVR support. DirectX 11 and 12 implementations are now based on Vulkan, resulting in improved game compatibility and reduced performance impact, and both fullscreen and gamepad support have been improved.

The initial set of supported games that Valve is enabling with this initial Beta release is the following one (Valve will enable more titles in the near future, however users can also try playing non-whitelisted games using an override switch in the Steam client):

  • Beat Saber
  • Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
  • Doki Doki Literature Club!
  • DOOM
  • DOOM II: Hell on Earth
  • DOOM VFR
  • Fallout Shelter
  • FATE
  • FINAL FANTASY VI
  • Geometry Dash
  • Google Earth VR
  • Into The Breach
  • Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
  • Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
  • Mount & Blade
  • Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword
  • NieR: Automata
  • PAYDAY: The Heist
  • QUAKE
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
  • Star Wars: Battlefront 2
  • Tekken 7
  • The Last Remnant
  • Tropico 4
  • Ultimate Doom
  • Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® – Dark Crusade
  • Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® – Soulstorm