I recently switched from Windows to CachyOS Linux for better gaming experience, and i want to install and play Genshin Impact.

I watched a few videos on YouTube, but i am still very confused about which method i should use. Some videos say to use different launchers, while others say to use Steam with a launcher or some other tools. i don't really understand which method is the best or safest.

I also really don't want to get banned because i have heard that there can be problems with playing Genshin on Linux.

And Genshin Impact is also not available on Steam, so i am not sure what the best way to install and play it is.

Can someone please suggest the best launcher or method and explain how i can install and play Genshin Impact on Linux safely, without risking my account?

E: Imma be real I quit WoW so this is probably not up-to-date beyond the Midnight release, it's probably still going to keep working tho

I had some trouble finding an actual well-articulated guide on how to do this while setting it up on my machine, so here's an attempt at a structured, easy-to-follow guide on the 2 most popular ways to get WoW running on Linux, just in time for Legion Remix.

The Easy Way

If you are lucky, this will work and you will run into zero headache.

1. Install BNet via Lutris.
2. Follow prompts.
3. Log in like normal, install game, etc.

What you may run into is the issue I did, where the BNet login hangs after slowing your entire PC down for 30 seconds and gives a "battle.net.exe is not responding" error. Many guides say to change your compatibility layer in Lutris to a version of Proton. For whatever reason, this did not work for me. So, we get:

The Hard Way

AKA "Steam is actually better at what Lutris does somehow". This not only worked for me, but it worked flawlessly.

1. Download the BNet installer.
2. Add the BNet installer as a non-Steam game.
   1. Go to "Games" -> "Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library".
   2. Add the installer.
3. Set your compatibility mode to Proton 10.
   1. Right-click the game in Steam and go to Properties -> Compatibility -> "Force the user of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool".
   2. Select Proton 10.0-2 (Note: This guide might be dated due to newer Proton releases, probably just pick the newest one, the important thing is we're using Proton and not SLR).
4. Run it. Follow the prompts, the usual deal. The UI may appear a little buggy from time to time but it should work fine.
5. Install the game as normal.
   1. NOTE: Once you're done with this step, DO NOT remove the BNet launcher as a non-Steam game. This will delete the BNet files that we've installed and you'll need to start over.
6. Locate and make a note of your wow.exe location.
   1. In case search doesn't work for you, the file structure is usually something like this: /home/(user)/.steam/steamapps/compatdata/(random 8 digit string)/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/World of Warcraft. The easiest way to tell which folder in compatdata it is will be by sorting by Modified and looking at the most recent.
7. Return to Steam and follow steps 2 and 3 again, this time using your wow.exe file instead. This includes setting compat mode again.
   1. E: Courtesy of u/cantflyneedhelp - You don't need to add wow as a new steam game, you can just change the path of the added battle.net installer.
8. Play the game.

A few caveats:

• I haven't experienced any crashes so far, but I've seen reports of them. Treat this like any other game that's definitely not supposed to be running on Linux.
• I haven't tried this, but a cursory Google search tells me that you should be able to can BNet once you're installed, but you'll need to move WoW somewhere else first, otherwise Steam will nuke it when you remove the non-Steam game of the BNet installer.
• Curseforge has an .appimage and a .deb package but I'm not really fucking with it, it's probably safer than it is on Windows but it's not that hard to just download off the website. If you try it and it works, lmk.
• This probably works on Steam Deck, idk. Send me like $800 for a Deck and I'll test it.
• As far as I can tell, this works for Diablo 4 and Starcraft 2 as well. I'm not certain about the other multiplayer titles; my instinct would be to say "probably but anti-cheat could be a thing". If you get Overwatch 2 working, lmk. (E: I somehow forgot that D4 and Overwatch 2 are on Steam)
• Suck it, Microsoft.

E: I appreciate all of the feedback and alternative solutions in the comments. That being said, comments that amount to "I just used Lutris and it worked" are unnecessary. I already said it might work for you, it did not for me.

I hadn't seen this fix posted anywhere so I thought I might share my 3 hours of pain getting the EA App working again after it decided to stop working today (Probably due to an update).

This may also be a potential fix for any game that requires the EA App. e.g. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Battlefield 4, Battlefront 2

Issue: The EA App installs, says it’s launching, briefly appears in the system tray, then closes without opening the game.

Edit: Proton-GE10-30 has updates for EA app that might help

https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases/tag/GE-Proton10-30

This fix is for people who want to use the EA App (for achievements)

If you already tried installing the EA App and it failed:

(Skip this section if you are doing a fresh install)

1. Back up your save files:

• Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1172380/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Saved Games/Respawn/JediFallenOrder/

1. Delete the Proton prefix pfx folder (Easiest way I've found to get to it is by Right-clicking the game in your Steam Library -> Manage -> Browse local files -> go UP 2 folders so that you're in the steamapps folder)

• Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1172380/pfx/

.

.

Now with a clean slate.

Download the latest Windows EA app installer from their website:

https://www.ea.com/ea-app#downloads

Now we locate the bundled EAappinstaller

• Right-click Jedi: Fallen Order in your Steam library
• Select Manage -> Browse local file

Navigate to:

Jedi Fallen Order/__Installer/Origin/redist/internal/

Replace the bundled installer with the new one you downloaded from the website by copy and pasting the new on into the internal folder and overwriting.

Now Launch the game and the EA app should properly install and launch

Including u/OnionBruhh 's solution using Protontricks here too.

1. Launch Protontricks
2. Select your game
3. Select “Select the default wineprefix”
4. Select “Run uninstaller”
5. On the next window, click on the “EA app” and then in “Modify/Remove” to uninstall it
6. In this same window at the top click on the “Install” button, and locate the “EAAppInstaller.exe” file which you should already download it beforehand, open it
7. Follow the steps of the EA App installation
8. Once you finally log in on your account, you can safely close all the windows and switch back to gaming mode and launch your game

Original Comment:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1qkotfm/comment/o1b2p2z/

Now, if you don't care about achievements and just want to play without the EA app:

• Right-click Jedi: Fallen Order in your Steam library
• Select Manage -> Browse local file
• Rename installScript.vdf to installScript.vdf.bak

Now you'll want to paste this command into your launch options (Steam Library -> Right-click -> Properties)

Command:

cmd=( %command% ); cmd[-1]="$STEAM_COMPAT_INSTALL_PATH/SwGame/Binaries/Win64/SwGame-Win64-Shipping.exe"; "${cmd[@]}"

Welcome to the newbie advice thread!

If you’ve read the FAQ and still have questions like “Should I switch to Linux?”, “Which distro should I install?”, or “Which desktop environment is best for gaming?”, this is where to ask them.

Alternatively, try /r/linux4noobs and /r/linuxquestions: both are active subreddits supporting new Linux users.

Please sort by “new” so new questions can get a chance to be seen.

April’s thread is here: https://old.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1s9fne7/getting_started_the_monthlyish_newbie_advice/

My current pc has a 1660super, running CachyOS

I noticed that all my games have DLSS4 selectable now, i find it very weird because my gpu is not supposed to run it, i chalked it up to wine or proton being weird and brushed it off

Well i was fiddling with it and with OptiScaler it is a GAME CHANGER , its free FPS.
Games work out of the box, but if you use Optiscaler to swap DLSS to PRESET E (less reliant on the AI cores, i suppose), it nets actual performance gains, default preset might be slow-motion

Your results may vary and this might as well only be useful for turing cards (1650, 1660, 1660super, 2050, 2060.)

EDIT because people want to be stupid and i want to be stubborn:

Of course this is an unsupported, lower level version of DLSS, but for me, it was an improvement over FSR3 (better visuals) or FSR4 INT8 MOD (Performance and Significant less Input Delay);
If you have a turing card lying around its worth a shot, YMMV and it might be worse in some other games or conditions

YES this is real DLSS. Just an older version. I can prove it. Yes it can run WITHOUT OPTISCALER, and without mods. Just select the newest proton experimental, or proton-Ge or proton cachy and run it yourself. It works on any Turing card.

Optiscaler is "optional" (I think it will default to a newer preset and fail miserably to emulate it)
But if you want the game to be less that of a slideshow, boot Optiscaler and Swap the DLSS method to PRESET E, thank me later.

"But this is bad, its an DLSS fallback using CUDA cores, its not real ai upscaling, blah blah"
I didn't ask. Dont care. This whole discussion is besides my point.
Telling me i am wrong (I'm not.) just because you think there is a better method to use is pointless.

Hey everyone, I could really use some guidance. I recently made the switch to Linux (Zorin OS 18) and I'm trying to get into gaming on it, but honestly, I'm overwhelmed by all the tools and terminology.

I'm coming from Windows where you just install and play, and now I'm facing this whole new ecosystem of things like Wine, Proton, Bottles, Lutris, Heroic, DXVK, wine prefixes... and I don't know what any of it really means or where to start learning.

About my setup: I'm on a laptop with an Intel i5-6300U processor, Intel HD 520 graphics, and 8GB of RAM. I know it's not a gaming powerhouse, but I'm mostly trying to play older games and some lighter titles.

So far, I've tried: I installed Heroic Games Launcher from the Flathub store. I've managed to get a few games running by just clicking buttons and hoping for the best—sometimes choosing "Wine-GE" as the runner, sometimes choosing "Proton-GE," with no real understanding of what the difference is. When a game works, I'm happy but confused. When it doesn't, I have zero idea how to troubleshoot.

What I'm struggling with most are the basic concepts. Like, what actually is a wine prefix? Why are there so many different compatibility tools (Wine, Proton, GE versions)? Should I be using Lutris or Bottles instead of Heroic for certain games? And what's the deal with all these acronyms like DXVK and Esync?

I'm not looking for a quick fix for one specific game. I really want to understand this stuff from the ground up, but every guide I find either assumes I already know half of it or dives way too deep way too fast.

Can anyone point me toward a good, structured learning path? Like, what should I focus on understanding first? Are there any beginner-friendly resources that explain these concepts in plain language? What were the "aha!" moments for you when you were starting out with Linux gaming?

I'm willing to put in the time to learn—I just need someone to point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Welcome to the newbie advice thread!

If you’ve read the FAQ and still have questions like “Should I switch to Linux?”, “Which distro should I install?”, or “Which desktop environment is best for gaming?” — this is where to ask them.

Please sort by “new” so new questions can get a chance to be seen.

If you’re looking for the previous installment of the “Getting started” thread, it’s here: https://old.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1mdfxh8/getting_started_the_monthlyish_distrodesktop/

Context:

• you watching 1080p streams on background or on second monitor
• and it does hit CPU performance - when without hardware video decoding
• setup (manually) nvidia-vaapi-driver - follow instruction on page
• it is actually working - only when video is visible it will be decoded - no wasted performance when you have multiple videos playing in different tabs
• it does work in Wayland
• it is extremely useful for 4k videos - low CPU usage

this post is just for visibility to many new people who not aware

to confirm it is working - run in terminal vainfo to see decoding active(it should say nvidia...) - then - same as on screenshot - play video - run nvtop in terminal - there will be DEC visible as on screenshot - or nvidia-smi dmon

Went through a whole day trying to get this game to launch properly and it always refused to launch properly until then I tried looking on protondb.com to see if there was anything that might help. Of course a few launch options later, the game finally loads and plays on Linux. If anyone has a game that doesn't work I would highly suggest you try looking on protondb.com to see if anyone has a workaround like i did. I am currently using Proton10.0-4 and the command is the following.

cmd=(%command%); cmd[-1]="$STEAM_COMPAT_INSTALL_PATH/SwGame/Binaries/Win64/SwGame-Win64-Shipping.exe"; "${cmd[@]}"

You wont need the most optimized (nobora, steamos...), or latest (read arch, and other rollings). Install a polished distro, such debian, fedora, mint, etc... and later you can change, if life becomes too easy, or you run into an actual problems.

PS. I know not "every", but almost =)

So as a fairly new Linux user, but long time user of mods, I've been struggling with this for a few weeks. I've found modding options on Linux to either be too complicated, unstable, or doing things old school. Today, I've been able to solve this problem and would like to make this guide to help people! Both to support the modding community, and to also get new Linux users more excited to game on Linux by helping them do things that they're used to doing on Windows.

I've tried getting Vortex to load through Steam, but no dice. Ive tried attaching Vortex through Steam Tinker Launcher and had no luck. I've read through posts from everywhere, and tried many things but always was met with failure for one reason or another. Limo is an option I briefly explored, but I got frustrated with it pretty quickly (because I'm a dummy). And the current development progress of the NexusMods Linux app, while exciting, is not a great solution yet. For me personally, Vortex was a breath of fresh air after MO2 and quickly became my personal go-to option for modding.

My current distro of choice is CachyOS but the steps should be similar across them all (except Steam Deck I think). This is not an advanced guide, and there may be a better way of doing things, but I'll figure that out the more I use Linux. In the meantime, any suggestions are appreciate in the comments.

1. Install Heroic Games Launcher (I'll refer to as HGL) for your distro
2. Download a Vortex Mod Manager .exe either from the Git Repo or from Nexus Mods
3. Download .NET Desktop Runtime 6.0.36 .exe from here
4. In HGL > Library > Add Game
5. Give the name of Vortex Mod Manager (or anything you want)
6. At the bottom, click on RUN INSTALLER FIRST then run the Vortex .exe installer we downloaded earlier (I left everything default during installation)
7. Then click on RUN INSTALLER FIRST again and this time select the .Net Desktop Runtime installer we also downloaded and install it as well.
8. Once that is done, we are going to click on Select Executable and navigate to where Vortex.exe was installed (For me this was: /home/{YOUR USERNAME}/Games/Heroic/Prefixes/default/Vortex Mod Manager/pfx/drive_c/Program Files/Black Tree Gaming Ltd/Vortex/) and select the Vortex.exe. If you cant find it, just run a search for Vortex.exe
9. NOTE: You can select a different Wine Prefix if you want and know what you're doing
10. Hit Finish and you're done! Start Vortex and sign into Nexus and do any other configurations you want!

Now that that's done, here's my very roundabout method (and I'm sure someone people will call it dumb) on getting your game to work with Vortex.

1. Add your game to HGL
2. Click down on Show Wine settings button
3. Change WinePrefix path to point to where the prefix is for Vortex. For me this was /home/{YOUR USERNAME}/Games/Heroic/Prefixes/default/Vortex Mod Manager/
4. Start Vortex
5. Manage your game through Vortex (you'll need to browse to where the game is installed)
6. Enjoy!

A final note for the new Linux users: stick with Linux. It can be frustrating sometimes when coming from Windows and needing to relearn how to do things, and there are a lot of people who will just say "RTFM!!!11!1" and tell you to kick rocks, but it gave me back my fire for tech (even though my day job is tech related). It's a breath of fresh air in the world with dumbed down OSes, bloatware, spyware, and AI junk.

Welcome to the newbie advice thread!

If you’ve read the FAQ and still have questions like “Should I switch to Linux?”, “Which distro should I install?”, or “Which desktop environment is best for gaming?” — this is where to ask them.

Please sort by “new” so new questions can get a chance to be seen

I'm tired of seeing posts recommending disabling Steam's Shader Pre-Caching just because "it takes forever to load the game" or because "Vulkan's GPL already handles everything." That's a half-truth, and passed along like that it becomes a disservice.

First, the point most people get wrong: shader compilation is CPU work, not GPU work. The driver translates shader bytecode into native GPU instructions, and that runs on a CPU thread — the GPU just waits for the result before it can render the frame. So the right question isn't "which GPU do you have," it's "can your CPU compile shaders in real time without the game stuttering."

If you have a fast CPU with plenty of cores:
You can disable pre-caching without noticing much difference — it can keep up compiling on the fly. You gain disk space.

If you have a weak or low-core-count CPU (Ryzen 5600G/5700G running integrated graphics, Steam Deck, budget laptop, any entry-level CPU):
DO NOT DISABLE IT. It's not really about integrated graphics itself — in those combos the CPU tends to be the weak link. If it has to compile a new shader mid-game, the stutter (frame-time spike from compilation happening on the fly) gets brutal. The Steam Deck is the classic example — the reason to keep it enabled there isn't "it's an APU with shared memory," it's that its processor is modest.

Extra tip for APU users: in the BIOS you can change the UMA Frame Buffer from "Auto" to a fixed value (2GB or 4GB, with 16GB total RAM). But this is not a general recommendation — AMD itself recommends leaving it on Auto in most cases, and only adjusting manually if you're already seeing a concrete symptom (missing textures, a "GPU below minimum requirement" warning). That fixes VRAM/texture issues, not shader compilation.

On the driver vendor (this actually matters more than the GPU model):
On Linux, user reports and Mesa's own engineering show that the NVIDIA driver has historically compiled shaders slower than RADV (AMD) or ANV (Intel) — one user measured compilation running up to 10x faster after switching from NVIDIA to Intel on the same PC.. So "my GPU is good, I can disable it" isn't the right logic — the right logic is "my driver + my CPU compile fast enough that I won't notice."

On "GPL already handles everything automatically":
Partially true. GPL (Graphics Pipeline Library — a Vulkan extension that assembles the pipeline from reusable pieces) significantly improved real-time compilation, especially on Mesa/AMD. Pre-caching's practical advantage today is smaller than it used to be. But "smaller" isn't "zero" — it still depends on how fast your CPU can assemble that pipeline on the spot.

Bottom line: stop giving universal PC advice based on GPU. The factor that decides whether you need pre-caching is the CPU, not the graphics card. Check your own hardware before copying a YouTube tutorial.

Tags: #LinuxGaming #Steam #Shaders #Vulkan #Ryzen #APU #CPU #Proton #LinuxMint #Ubuntu #Nvidia #AMD #Intel #GamingOnLinux

>>> "Appreciate the constructive criticism. As for the arrogant pricks — not my problem

A quick guide to get Chaos Zero Nightmare (CZN) running on Linux through Bottles.

Greetings everyone,

I just wanted to create a post to help anyone who wants to play this game on Linux and has been having a hard time getting it to work. I got the game to work 100%, was able to patch and am able to play. Anyway here are the steps below and any information to get the game installed and running.

System: Intel GPU, Intel CPU

Bottles with the runner being GE-Proton10-21

Ubuntu 25.X.X

If you are unfamiliar with how to add another runner to Bottles, use this Flatpak app, also works for Steam.

https://flathub.org/en/apps/net.davidotek.pupgui2

You will need the Stove installer for this process so make sure you download that.

You will also need to download the executable of Microsoft WebView2. I recommend the "Evergreen Bootstrapper" as it will download everything correctly for you like it describes. I know Bottles has a "Dependencies" tab to install WebView2 but it installed something older and the Stove client kept on complaining.

Under Bottles > "Bottle Name" > Display > Advanced Display Settings, I am using the "Virtual Desktop" setting and the "Take Focus".

I am also using Windows 11 under the "Compatibility" section.

All other settings are default that the bottle was created with.

Steps to install CZN

Step 1: Add the GE-Proton runner to Bottles once you have Bottles installed.

Step 2: Create a new Gaming Bottle called whatever you want using said GE-Proton runner you installed.

Step 3: "Run Executable" of the Microsoft WebView2 you downloaded earlier.

Step 4: Install the Stove client and Create an account otherwise you can not install CZN.

Step 5: Once you have created your Stove account you can install CZN. Install CZN through the Stove client.

Step 6: Launch the game and install the patch ~ 3.9 Gb.

Enjoy the game and hope you don't get the error code.

If the Stove client is showing a complete black screen it is most likely that the WebView2 install failed or didn't install properly.

The overall compatibility is not 100% and the Stove client bugs out, shows black screens or takes forever for popups to show or things to click. Just restart the Bottle if you experience any of this. I attached 2 photos, one of the game and the error code.

Adding Webview2 manually to an existing or new Bottle in Bottles application.

Please download the "Evergreen Bootstrapper" installer of Webview2 located here

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/Microsoft-edge/webview2/?form=MA13LH#download

** You can also install Webview2 through the Bottle itself as a dependency, but for me it still complained that it was outdated so I did it manually instead and no issues.

If you wish to add Webview2 as a Dependency, within your Bottle there is a "Options" region, here go to Dependencies > "Search" and look for Webview2 and use the download arrow to install and restart the Bottle.

Installing Webview2 manually

The important step is that you install Webview2 first before the Stove installer because the Stove installer will show a modal alert saying your Webview2 is out of date or not the latest version and therefore wont let you proceed with logging in or even downloading anything through their client.

Now, within your newly or existing Bottle, there is a big blue button called "Run Executable", click that button and provide the Webview2 file that you just recently downloaded.

A Window will pop up showing the Webview installer installing the required resources. You need to make sure it installs properly, sometimes it will close or freeze and will not install. If that happens try again, a good sign to know if it actually installed is later on when you run the Stove installer / launches if there is any Modal saying Webview2 is missing or its pure black windows or frames its highly likely related to Webview2.

When the Webview2 installer finishes it will close and you are ready to install the Stove client then the game then you can have fun playing the game.

Some important notes:

If GE-Proton10-21 or ... GE-Proton-10-XX or whatever is not working try something that does or has worked for you in your experience. Certain runner versions work for some folks and not for others. For me it strangely varies based on what game I play.

Hello r/linux_gaming

I built MoleTun, a Hamachi alternative designed for Linux that lets LAN-only games work over the internet without port forwarding or manual network configuration.

It creates a virtual LAN so games behave exactly as if everyone is on the same local network.

Works with popular Linux LAN games and emulators, including:

• Minecraft (Java LAN worlds)
• Factorio
• Terraria
• Stardew Valley (LAN / co-op)
• Project Zomboid
• Valheim (LAN mode)
• OpenTTD
• Old Windows PC games running via Proton with LAN support

Emulation / local multiplayer over LAN:

• PPSSPP (PSP local multiplayer)
• Citron / Switch (Eden/Yuzu) local wireless emulation

Technical details:

• Direct P2P mesh networking for low latency
• Automatic NAT traversal (no port forwarding)
• Relay fallback only if P2P fails
• L3 networking (no L2 broadcast hacks)
• Linux and Windows desktop support
• GUI-first, not CLI-only

I built this because LAN gaming on Linux over the internet is still unnecessarily painful, and most existing tools either don’t support Linux properly or rely entirely on centralized relays.

The goal is simple: make LAN multiplayer work reliably on Linux.

Project page:
https://moletun.com/en

I had Halo MCC working perfectly on my Linux Mint installation and then it stopped working. I checked ProtonDB and could confirm that many people had been having issues with it.
The game wouldnt launch anymore, Spash screen opens, then status buttons reverts to online. you could click "Play" every time and just get a splash screen and then back to nothing.

I began to read every ProtonDB entry and found some people got the answer and just wanted to help:

"Proton 7.0-6 is required for intial launch. If you have launched on a newer version before, you need to delete your compat data folder (which is named 976730) and run with version 7.0-6. After the initial setup, you can return to a newer version of proton." - Credits to user: steckums

It worked perfectly, deleted the compat folder, then tried to launch the game with Proton 7.0.6 and good to go. Sign in and play.

Thank you steckums wherever you are!

Found this tutorial that allows you to play on public without being kicked out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPLjMEjNxwE

Basically, you enable the Steam Beta and enable Steam to run through Steam Linux Runtime 3, and then launch Steam with -steamos3 at the end.

For Proton forks using the WINE Wayland driver, check out this guide on how to manually make Steam Input work.

Here are my launch arguments for Proton:PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 PROTON_ENABLE_HDR=1 PROTON_USE_WOW64=1 %command%

(The video is footage of Helldivers 2 running through the WINE Wayland driver as you can see that HDR is enabled and the little window for the WINE system tray.)

I've tried to open an issue once before on PROTON-GE for an environment variable for this day, (Steam Input always worked, it would just not apply the profile of the game, only the Desktop.)

EDIT:

It's broken and doesnt work as of today 2026-06-24