Many users may find the array of Valve’s Proton versions confusing. Proton is the compatibility layer that enables Windows games to run on Linux, SteamOS, and Steam Deck. This guide clarifies the purpose and differences of each version.
Valve Official Versions
Several official Proton versions exist, each serving a distinct purpose:
- Proton Experimental: This version receives regular updates, introducing features and fixes not yet stable for general release. It may contain breaking changes and could require newer GPU drivers. It functions as a testing ground for features Valve intends to release broadly.
- Proton Experimental Bleeding Edge: An opt-in Beta for Proton Experimental, this version is constantly updated with changes as they occur, making it highly unstable. Access involves navigating to the Properties of Proton Experimental, then the Betas tab, and selecting “bleeding-edge” before updating. Activating this will impact all games utilizing Proton Experimental.
- Proton Hotfix: Provides specific fixes for particular games as required.
In addition to the experimental versions, numbered Proton releases constitute the “stable” series. Typically, the newest stable release supersedes its predecessor:
- Proton 10.0-x: The current stable series, initially released November, 2025.
- Proton 9.0-x: The preceding stable series, released May, 2024.
- Older versions include the Proton 8, Proton 7, Proton 6.3 series, Proton 5.0 series, Proton 4.2, and others.
The existence of multiple Proton versions is due to each major release incorporating numerous upgrades, many derived from Wine (the foundation of Proton). These updates could potentially cause compatibility issues, break games, or introduce performance problems.
Annually, a new major Wine release emerges, which Valve eventually integrates into Proton to create the next numbered Proton version. Older numbered versions are retained because they may offer better compatibility for certain games. Games that have undergone verification are typically assigned to a specific numbered Proton version to ensure continued functionality even after newer Proton versions are released.
It is generally advisable to use the numbered Proton versions, unless specific game fixes available in Proton Experimental are required.
Official Valve Proton versions are available for direct download within the Steam Library on Linux systems (Steam Deck, SteamOS, or Linux desktop). Information on how to change the Proton version can be found in a separate guide.
Community Builds
Community-developed versions of Proton also exist, providing functionalities that Valve does not (or legally cannot) offer. These builds are not officially supported by Valve.
GE-Proton, developed by Thomas “GloriousEggroll” Crider, frequently receives updates faster than official Proton releases. It includes additional fixes and features, such as those listed on its GitHub page:
- Additional media foundation patches for enhanced video playback support.
- AMD FSR patches integrated into the fullscreen hack, activatable with WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1.
- Details on the FSR Fake resolution patch are available here.
- Nvidia CUDA support for PhysX and NVAPI.
- Raw input mouse support.
- A ‘protonfixes’ system, an automated mechanism for applying per-game fixes (e.g., winetricks, environment variables, EAC workarounds, overrides).
- Various upstream WINE patches backported.
- Various wine-staging patches applied as necessary.
Initially known as Proton-GE, the name changed to GE-Proton in February 2022, though many users still refer to it as Proton-GE.
A comprehensive guide on installing and using GE-Proton is also available.
Proton-Sarek is a custom Proton build incorporating DXVK-Sarek. It is designed for GPUs supporting Vulkan 1.1+ but not Vulkan 1.3, or for systems lacking Vulkan support that seek a plug-and-play solution with personalized patches. This version can offer improved compatibility for older GPUs.
