I recently switched to Linux and I'm trying to understand what Wine actually does. I'd like to use it to play a Windows game, so I'm wondering how it works and whether there are better options for gaming.
3 Answers
Wine can work for games, but Proton is generally more convenient and better optimized for gaming. Proton is also based on Wine, so it uses the same basic approach while adding patches and tools aimed at running Windows games.
Wine is a compatibility layer that translates Windows system calls into equivalents Linux can understand. In practical terms, it lets many Windows programs and .exe files run on Linux without installing Windows itself.
For games, Proton is usually the easier choice. It’s built on Wine but includes gaming-focused improvements, and you can often add a non-Steam game to Steam and enable Proton in the game’s compatibility settings.
Thanks, that’s exactly the kind of explanation I was looking for!