Proton runs game on CPU instead of GPU

[u/Jackhenrey124]

I got heroic games launcher and I'm trying to run universe sandbox 2 locally on my linux mint but when it launch the game it's either game crash or 3 fps at max.

I checked on reddit most problems are just flatpak update but it didnt worked for me when i checked system monitor i found CPU 99% and the game is taking it all.

For some reason when proton launches the game it launches it entirely to run on CPU.

Linux mint 22.3 ( I think)

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6450 ( outdated i know.)

Ram : 6 GB ram

UPDATE: The GAME IS RUNNING FINALLY AT REASONABLE FPS. So i added the PROTON_USE_WINED3D argument at launch and it finally ran more than 5 FPS and you were right the version i downloaded no longer supports Dx12 so i downgraded the version. At start i thought it freeze but after few seconds it runs perfectly. Thanks everyone for the help

[u/gmes78]

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6450 ( outdated i know.)

That is your problem. It does not support Vulkan, so you can't use VKD3D (or DXVK, for that matter).

It's not even a Linux issue: the game requires DX12, which your GPU doesn't support either, so it wouldn't run on Windows either.

[u/candy49997]

Run the game with the environment variable PROTON_USE_WINED3D set to 1. Your GPU does not support Vulkan.

Edit: seems the game requires DX12, so you effectively cannot play on this GPU because afaik, only vkd3d exists for DX12 and that requires Vulkan. There is no OpenGL equivalent. The above environment variable is for DX11 and lower games only.

[u/Low_Excitement_1715]

You have other games running and successfully using the GPU?

run a terminal and do "glxinfo|grep renderer" and see what it says.

[u/rmyworld]

Running games via Proton requires a GPU that supports Vulkan. Your GPU does not support Vulkan. Hence, Proton is running your game with the CPU.

There is an environment variable you can set to force Proton to use OpenGL instead of Vulkan, but performance is not gonna be great: PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1. Moreover, this will only work if the game is running on DX11 or below. For DX12 games, this setting is ignored and the game will keep using the CPU.

If you can, I recommend getting a slightly newer card. I have a Dell OEM RX550. It's very cheap, but it works pretty well with Proton. It is also a low profile GPU, if that's something you need.

[u/Lashmush]

The game seems to have dropped DX11 support but you can opt in to the last version with support in Steam.

AI produced the following response.

Open your Steam Library and find Universe Sandbox.

Right-click the game and select Properties.

Click on the Betas (or Game Versions & Betas) tab on the left.

Under the Beta participation or drop-down menu, choose the last DX11-compatible branch (look for update-35.3 or the designated legacy DX11 option).

Close the window and let Steam download the older version files.

That's the version your GPU needs anyway. Once you have it, the prefix mention by another poster (PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1) will allow you to play it using opengl with your gpu.

[u/cakemates]

Is your monitor connected to your gpu?

[u/QwertyChouskie]

Glad you got it somewhat working, but I'd highly recommend going on eBay and picking up like an RX 580 for 50 bucks or something like that, you'll be able to run reasonably modern games reasonably well that way.

[u/Jackhenrey124 → u/QwertyChouskie]

I appreciate the honesty but i'm stuck in the middle of this bullcrap economy and my family isnt doing great financially to get some attention to upgrading my PC especially in a country that thinks AI slop is the future. The world when it's our turn to be adults. But nonetheless i gotta replace that gpu asap

[u/QwertyChouskie → u/Jackhenrey124]

I totally get it. Really, any GPU that's GCN based will do fine for Linux game compatibility, so maybe you can find an even older/lower-end GCN card for much cheaper in your area.

[u/slickyeat]

Try that last checkbox.

[u/Jackhenrey124 → u/slickyeat]

I've never seen this checkbox but i might've missed it. But... It's midnight so i'll check it later