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Wine and Proton manager for Windows games on Linux

Heronite downloads GE-Proton, Proton-CachyOS and other Proton builds, and gives each game its own prefix. Most Windows games then start with one click.

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Updated November 4, 20263 min read

Game settings for Control on the Compatibility tab: the Proton version set to GE-Proton-latest with a ProtonDB Platinum rating, the Wine prefix and its folder, Winecfg and Winetricks buttons, and the umu ID field.

Heronite runs Windows games from every store, and programs you add by hand, through Wine or Proton.

Change any option per game in Game settings, or for all games in Settings. Reset this tab restores a tab’s defaults.

Which Proton and Wine builds can Heronite download?

The Wine Manager (Ctrl 3) downloads and updates these builds:

  • Proton-CachyOS
  • GE-Proton
  • DW-Proton
  • UMU-Proton
  • Proton-EM
  • Proton-Sarek

Builds go to Heronite’s data folder, or to Steam’s compatibilitytools.d if you turn that on, so Steam can use them too. Heronite finds Proton builds in your Steam libraries and Lutris’s Wine runners, so you do not download them twice.

The Wine Manager with a list of Proton builds on the left, Proton-CachyOS selected, and its versions on the right with release dates, sizes and Install buttons.

Pick a build family, then install or remove any version.

For a step-by-step install, see install GE-Proton.

What is a Wine prefix?

A Wine prefix is a separate Windows folder for a game. Games install to ~/Games/Heronite by default, and each game gets its own prefix in ~/Games/Heronite/Prefixes, though several games can share one. The Wine Manager lists your prefixes, and Game settings → Compatibility has Winecfg and Winetricks buttons.

Which options can I set per game?

Everything below can be set for one game, and saved as a launch preset to reuse in others. The full list is in the docs.

  • Wine or Proton version and prefix
  • DXVK, VKD3D-Proton and DXVK-NVAPI
  • Esync and Fsync
  • gamescope (needs gamescope installed, see Installation)
  • FPS limit
  • GPU choice on PCs with more than one
  • DLSS, FSR and XeSS upgrades
  • Winetricks
  • umu and its protonfixes, which are game fixes from the umu database
  • Wayland instead of X11 (needs a Wine build with Wayland support)
  • Scripts to run before and after the game, and programs to run alongside it, like trainers

How do I turn on Lossless Scaling frame generation?

  1. Install lsfg-vk, from your distribution’s package or the guide on lsfg-vk.dev.
  2. In Steam, turn on Steam Play for all other titles in Steam → Settings → Compatibility.
  3. Install Lossless Scaling from Steam. It never has to run.
  4. Open the game’s Game settings → Performance.
  5. Under Frame generation, turn on Lossless Scaling frame generation.

It works with Vulkan, DXVK and VKD3D games, not OpenGL.

Can I sandbox a Windows game?

Yes. In Game settings → Sandbox, Heronite runs a game you do not trust through bubblewrap, with no network and no access to your home folder. You can let one thing through, such as a folder or the network. It needs bwrap installed; see the sandbox docs.

A Windows game does not start on Linux

Heronite reads the launch log and suggests a fix when it recognises one of these problems:

  • A missing DLL or .NET
  • A DirectX 12 game without VKD3D-Proton
  • A missing 32-bit Vulkan driver
  • A low vm.max_map_count
  • Another wineserver still running
  • Anti-cheat that is not supported

If no fix appears, choose another Proton version in Game settings → Compatibility, such as GE-Proton or Proton-CachyOS, or try a fresh prefix. Then check the game’s page on ProtonDB. Logs are in Settings → Logs. The troubleshooting page has the full table.

How do I check a game’s anti-cheat status?

Single-player games rarely have anti-cheat problems. For other games, the game’s details show its status from Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?, so you can check before you buy or install. Heronite can provide the EAC and BattlEye runtimes. A game whose developer does not allow Linux will not run.

Does it work on the Steam Deck?

Yes. Heronite runs on SteamOS desktop mode as an AppImage, and its console mode is built for controllers. See the Steam Deck guide.

Next: compare Heronite vs Lutris and vs Heroic.

Questions

How do I run Windows games on Linux?

Add the game, then press Play. For a store game, log in to its store first. Change settings in Game settings → Compatibility.

What is the best Proton version for my game?

There is no single best one. Proton-CachyOS and GE-Proton often get fixes first, so start there. A game's page shows its ProtonDB rating.

Is there a Proton manager for non-Steam games?

Yes. The Wine Manager (Ctrl+3) downloads and updates Proton builds for any game in your Collection.

Do games with anti-cheat work on Linux?

It depends on the game. A game whose developer does not allow Linux will not run. See the anti-cheat docs.