Steam Deck and Linux: Proton Experimental adds support for Tekken 8 and The Finals

Proton is Valve's compatibility layer for running Windows games on Linux and the Steam Deck. In addition to the stable version of Proton, currently version 8.0-5, there is Proton Experimental, a pre-release version with faster updates but potentially less stability. On 7 February this year, Valve released a new version of Proton Experimental with extended game support and bug fixes.

Support for The Finals, Tekken 8, Black Desert (Online) and more

The online multiplayer hit The Finals and the fighting game Tekken 8, which previously only ran on Proton Hotfix, an interim version of Proton used to support new games more quickly, are now also supported on Proton Experimental. In addition, the sandbox MMORPG Black Desert (Online), Lord of the Rings: Gollum and Burnout Paradise Remastered, among others, are now playable with the experimental version of Valve's Windows compatibility layer.

Valve has also fixed connection and display issues in Diablo 4, Resident Evil 2 and Space Engineers in the Proton Experimental update of 7 February. Disgaea 5 also no longer crashes under certain conditions during the intro video.

The latest update also offers improved support for input devices with more than 8 controller movement axes. Proton Experimental, released on 7 February 2024, also fixes a number of minor issues in games including Bayonetta, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Biomutant, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater: Master Collection, and Sea of Thieves.

The full changelog for the current Proton Experimental release can be found on Valve's GitHub page. The default version of Proton can be selected in Steam on Linux and from the Steam Deck in the "Compatibility" section of the Steam preferences.