--- title: Proton got so good I keep forgetting which of my games... description: Valve's Proton compatibility layer has become so capable that distinguishing between native Linux games and Windows games running through Proton is nearly... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Proton got so good I keep forgetting which of my games were even built for Windows | daily.dev og:description: Valve's Proton compatibility layer has become so capable that distinguishing between native Linux games and Windows games running through Proton is nearly... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/2hNiCVYmf.png og:image:alt: Proton got so good I keep forgetting which of my games were even built for Windows og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Proton got so good I keep forgetting which of my games were even built for Windows **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 3 upvotes · 1 comments ## Summary Valve's Proton compatibility layer has become so capable that distinguishing between native Linux games and Windows games running through Proton is nearly impossible in practice. Personal experience and benchmark data from devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S show that Windows games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered can actually run faster on Linux via Proton than on Windows natively — in some cases with up to 75% higher frame rates. Native Linux ports sometimes perform worse than their Proton-translated counterparts, and Steam itself defaults to Proton even for games with native Linux builds. The main remaining barrier is competitive online games where developers block Linux due to anti-cheat concerns, but outside that niche, Linux gaming is effectively seamless. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Do I need a native Linux version of a game to play it well on Steam Deck or SteamOS? No, most games run fine on Linux without a native version, using Valve's Proton compatibility layer to translate Windows game calls. Testing across titles like Elden Ring, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, and Grip XR showed no noticeable issues, and Steam often defaults to Proton even when a native Linux build exists, as with Serious Sam 3. _Explore daily.dev for ongoing coverage of Proton and Linux gaming compatibility as more titles get tested._ ### Can games actually run faster on SteamOS than on Windows using Proton? Yes, benchmark testing on the Lenovo Legion Go S found several Proton-run games performing better on SteamOS than on the native Windows build. Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, Returnal, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy all ran faster on Linux, with Horizon showing up to 75% higher frame rates despite lacking a dedicated Linux version. _Gamers weighing SteamOS versus Windows performance can follow real-world benchmark comparisons on daily.dev._ ### Are there games that Proton cannot make work on Linux? Yes, some developers deliberately block their games from running on Proton, most commonly due to anti-cheat systems in competitive online titles. Outside of that category, there are very few remaining barriers to playing Windows games on Linux, though occasional exceptions exist, such as Grow Home's native Linux release failing to launch while its Windows version worked fine through Proton. _Track which titles remain incompatible with Proton on daily.dev before committing to a Linux gaming setup._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@herob** · 0 upvotes > I recall I couldn't launch native linux build of Witcher 2, but proton worked great ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Linux has better Windows game compatibility at this stage than Windows does, and Proton is why](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-has-better-windows-game-compatibility-at-this-stage-than-windows-does-and-proton-is-why-xkz1zgddw) · XDA Developers · 25 upvotes · 4 comments - [I tested every game in my Steam library on Linux, and the results shocked me](https://daily.dev/posts/i-tested-every-game-in-my-steam-library-on-linux-and-the-results-shocked-me-oghv3krgs) · XDA Developers · 32 upvotes · 10 comments - [Linux is finally ready for gamers, but gamers are still not ready for Linux](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-is-finally-ready-for-gamers-but-gamers-are-still-not-ready-for-linux-udyvnyzhz) · XDA Developers · 64 upvotes · 5 comments - [Linux gamers spent a decade asking for native ports, but Valve gave them something better](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-gamers-spent-a-decade-asking-for-native-ports-but-valve-gave-them-something-better-hzzjxgsxs) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#gaming](https://daily.dev/tags/gaming), [#steam-deck](https://daily.dev/tags/steam-deck), [#steamos](https://daily.dev/tags/steamos) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Proton got so good I keep forgetting which of my games were even built for Windows","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf"},"datePublished":"2026-07-19T13:02:25.756Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:13:08.332Z","description":"Valve's Proton compatibility layer has become so capable that distinguishing between native Linux games and Windows games running through Proton is nearly...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/346c086c634f040da2421e0f33682574?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/346c086c634f040da2421e0f33682574?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":1,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":3},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}],"keywords":"gaming,steam-deck,steamos","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Proton got so good I keep forgetting which of my games were even built for Windows"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"I recall I couldn’t launch native linux build of Witcher 2, but proton worked great","datePublished":"2026-08-12T08:53:12.729Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/2hNiCVYmf#c-MyIBOG0IU","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Herob","url":"https://daily.dev/herob","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocJlpO717SD8qhLLeJ5BVinourR043wcCMUzPb-9l_E-E5HXug=s96-c"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/proton-got-so-good-i-keep-forgetting-which-of-my-games-were-even-built-for-windows-2hnicvymf#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I need a native Linux version of a game to play it well on Steam Deck or SteamOS?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, most games run fine on Linux without a native version, using Valve's Proton compatibility layer to translate Windows game calls. Testing across titles like Elden Ring, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, and Grip XR showed no noticeable issues, and Steam often defaults to Proton even when a native Linux build exists, as with Serious Sam 3. Explore daily.dev for ongoing coverage of Proton and Linux gaming compatibility as more titles get tested."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can games actually run faster on SteamOS than on Windows using Proton?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, benchmark testing on the Lenovo Legion Go S found several Proton-run games performing better on SteamOS than on the native Windows build. Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, Returnal, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy all ran faster on Linux, with Horizon showing up to 75% higher frame rates despite lacking a dedicated Linux version. Gamers weighing SteamOS versus Windows performance can follow real-world benchmark comparisons on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Are there games that Proton cannot make work on Linux?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, some developers deliberately block their games from running on Proton, most commonly due to anti-cheat systems in competitive online titles. Outside of that category, there are very few remaining barriers to playing Windows games on Linux, though occasional exceptions exist, such as Grow Home's native Linux release failing to launch while its Windows version worked fine through Proton. Track which titles remain incompatible with Proton on daily.dev before committing to a Linux gaming setup."}}]} ```