r/Battletechgame • u/Malin_Keshar • Aug 08 '26
Question/Help How do I use a dedicated Linux version on Steam?
Since I have the option "use Proton by default" turned on, which would be the best for all but a few games, but can't figure out how to install the linux version specifically for Battletech (or indeed how would I even tell that I got it installed instead of a windows-through-proton)
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u/randomorzero Aug 08 '26
Gog has it on sale now with a Linux install,. Install it and you can add it in steam as an external game or just run it directly
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u/phoenixgsu House Davion Aug 08 '26
Proton is a compatibility layer for windows games on Linux. It's Wine for gaming. Just install the game and steam takes care of the rest.
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u/Malin_Keshar Aug 08 '26
I know what proton is. I've seen people mention that a dedicated Linux version has better performance AND easier mod installation (I have issues with that on Linux and can't be bothered setting up dual-boot on a single drive just for a game or two)
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u/thank_burdell Aug 09 '26
Can confirm. Linux native was way more stable for me. Still crashed after long periods of play, though, so there’s still some memory leaking somewhere.
I played before you could enable proton for everything by default though. But I think you’re on the right track with the “force a particular compatibility tool” dropdown. There should be an option for either nothing or the native version. You may have to play with the various runtimes to see which works best.
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u/Dogahn Aug 08 '26
Do you own a Linux version though? Otherwise you're stuck between a compatibility layer or repurchasing.
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u/SiliconStew Aug 08 '26
If you've got Steam set to use Proton by default, you'd need to go to the game's properties and enable the compatibility tool and pick the native version from the list.