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Steam Beta enables Proton on Linux by default

Valve seems to have made a silent change to its Steam client on Linux. The Beta version of the app enables Proton by default for games.

The Proton compatibility layer, based on Wine, was released nearly 7 years ago, and is used by millions of gamers. But there are still many people who don't know that Windows games can be played on Linux.

The change to make Proton enabled by default, was spotted by GamingOnLinux. For those unaware, you had to enable Proton in Steam manually by opening the Settings > Compatibility > and toggle an option that says "Enable Steam Play for all other titles".

A recent update for Steam Beta has removed this option, and instead enables Proton as the Default compatibility tool for games. Yes it is a minor change, but it could help gamers who didn't know how to enable the option. It's sort of hidden under multiple menus. Ever wondered why a game does not have an install button on Linux? Well, it would only be available if you had enabled Proton. Now it does, the setting is enabled by default, and that makes it more user-friendly.

That's why this is an important update. The Linux community has welcomed the change, with several users joking that they finally don't have to suffer with Linux-native games anymore. Proton delivers a better experience than titles which were released for Linux. Speaking of which, Steam's update doesn't override the option for native Linux games, they will run normally, but you can always configure to use Proton.

This change could help gamers who are considering switching to Linux, go check out Protondb to see if your favorite games are playable on Linux. With the end of Windows 10 looming around the corner, even a minor update like enabling Proton by default could make a difference.

Valve recently released a beta of Steam that runs natively on macOS. SteamOS is now available for non-Steam Deck devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S. Microsoft seems to be catching up by improving the performance of games on ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, but that's a different story.

Are you a Linux gamer? Share your experiences with us.

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