Running the library on Linux

A fair chunk of the community runs Linux — and much of the library runs with them. Valve's Proton compatibility layer handles most Windows-only titles out of the box, and the Source-engine classics are either Linux-native or near-flawless under it. The dedicated servers for Project Zomboid, Satisfactory and 7 Days to Die are Linux-native anyway, which is why several members host from a headless box.

The short version

1. Install Steam for your distro (via your package manager or the official installer).
2. Enable Steam Play: Steam → Settings → Compatibility → enable Steam Play for all titles, and pick Proton (the latest stable).
3. Install the game and launch it once to create its prefix.
4. Check ProtonDB before installing anything — it reports how each title runs and the tweaks people used.
5. If a title misbehaves, fix its prefix with Protontricks rather than nuking everything.

Proton, Proton-GE and per-game prefixes

Proton is Valve's fork of Wine shipped inside Steam. It improves constantly, so the first fix for a broken game is often simply a newer Proton. Some members also use Proton-GE, the community build that bundles extra codecs and patches; it is the standard remedy for cutscenes that play as a black box.

Each game gets its own prefix — a private directory that holds that game's Wine configuration and installed Windows libraries. Keep fixes inside the game's own prefix; do not change the global one. Protontricks gives you a graphical way to do this per game:

protontricks <appid> --gui

or run a specific Windows tool inside a game's prefix:

protontricks -c 'vcrun2019' "Garry's Mod"

Multiplayer over the network

• Direct IP to a dedicated server works exactly as on Windows — join by address. If a member hosts on Linux, you are talking to a native binary, which is the cleanest possible case.
• The Hamachi mesh on Linux is slightly more involved: LogMeIn ships a headless Linux client, but it has no GUI. Members who need mesh-only titles on Linux typically run the client as a service, or let a Windows machine on the same local network bridge them into the mesh.

Useful tools

• ProtonDB — community compatibility reports and per-game tweaks for the whole Steam catalogue.
• SteamDB — store, depot and update history; handy for checking what a game's Linux support actually looks like before you buy.
• Protontricks — per-prefix tools (run installers, apply fixes, set compatibility) without touching other games.

Quick wins for common problems

• No audio in cutscenes — switch to Proton-GE.
• Multiplayer lobby shows nothing — the game is scanning the wrong adapter; confirm which network it sees and rejoin.
• Server refuses the connection — version mismatch between your client and the community server's build; ask before updating mid-week.