Linux has better Windows game compatibility at this stage than Windows does, and Proton is why

Published Aug 10, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT Richard is the PC Hardware Lead at XDA and has been covering the technology industry for almost two decades. He's been building PCs since young, and when not creating content, you can often find him inside a chassis somewhere. Windows has always been the operating system to play games on. Be it the latest MMORPG entry looking to knock World of Warcraft off its decades-long pedestal or a classic game no longer available. Linux and macOS were always viewed as an afterthought, if at all. That's changing, and more games support Linux natively, but there's still a long, winding path to go. That's where Proton comes in, and it has completely transformed gaming on Linux to the point where it's often the better choice than Windows for PC gaming. Linux runs more games than Windows Though there are still some outliers that require Microsoft's OS I know what you're typing in the comments already: "No, it doesn't!" I get it; anti-cheats are still a sore spot for Linux due to support. Current competitive titles are generally run on Windows boxes, so what on earth am I on about when writing that Linux runs more games than Windows? Competitive gaming is a small section of the community. The same goes for MMORPGs. Proton has matured to the point that it's sometimes running modern games better than Microsoft's operating system. That's how amazing the tool is. But it's all games where Proton and Linux can really hit some home runs. Many of us enjoy replaying old classic titles such as Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Morrowind, and even The Sims 2; all run better on Linux with Proton than Windows, at least with my own findings. It's something I'm fascinated by since I've always supported Linux as best I can through usage, though Windows would always have to be left on the boot drive for gaming. That's no longer the case, and I find myself without Windows on my primary system. In fact, I haven't had a Microsoft OS on this PC for years. In late 2019, as Proton started to mature and more games were quickly added to the list of supported titles, I was finally able to fully make the switch. And with each new version of Proton, there's not a question of "Which games have been removed?" but rather "Which games have been added?" Proton 11, for instance, added support for various classic titles, and I've yet to see the inverse occur. Windows has left older games behind Older games attempting to run on modern software Microsoft has slowly left older games in the dustbin of history. You can often find yourself running into issues when attempting to launch classic titles. DirectDraw, specific older Direct3D versions, 16-bit installers, and even low-color display modes. All of these have largely been lost on Windows, resulting in Linux becoming the better choice for enjoying games from the late 90s and early 2000s. Running Proton on Linux is no longer a simple alternative to Windows. It's becoming the better choice. It all comes down to the approach of Microsoft and Valve, the developer of Steam and Proton. Windows attempts to remain compatible with older games while replacing the systems that the software may require. Proton almost approaches from the inverse, preserving the behavior all games expect, translating it to hardware and APIs that still exist. Proton itself is a Steam compatibility tool built on Wine, relying on DXVK for handling modern Direct3D and utilizing Wine for older versions. Games developed prior to variable-DPI displays, modern desktop compositing, and feature-rich drivers don't handle too well within a Windows 11 environment. While specific APIs required may still be available within Windows itself, the exception environment is no longer present, which is why we have projects like DDrawCompat and dgVoodoo 2. These help bridge the gap between modern Windows systems and older games, allowing for rendering, performance, and compatibility problems to be addressed. Linux (Proton) handles it better But this is essentially having an older title believe it's developed and running in 2026. Proton works differently by allowing older games to run as intended. A Windows-like environment through Wine is created, translating all the game's calls. This alone allows Proton to lie to the game's underlying code that the system it's running on is from the same year it was released. The game doesn't see Windows 11 under the hood attempting to mask itself. It sees a version of Windows with everything it requires to run. Even GOG has started working on official Linux support for its GOG Galaxy storefront client. The platform offered Linux versions of games on the website, but the client never supported distros officially. Gamers would have to use third-party launchers, but this is all changing with an official client in the works. It's a big move from GOG and the wider Linux community, where not only will we have an expansive Steam library with Proton but also GOG with a focus on classic games. That's not to say no Proton update has broken game support, but every title is re-evaluated and often raised by the community through initiatives such as ProtonDB. More than 30,000 games are at least supported through Proton, with nearly 10,000 verified as completely playable on the Steam Deck. It's always growing and is great to see just how capable the compatibility layer is becoming with each passing iteration. Proton isn't perfect ... yet Nothing ever is, but Valve has been working miracles with Proton. Although it's not universally superior to Windows across all fronts, there are times Proton and Linux can surpass the performance of Microsoft's OS. For retro gaming, there's nothing better, thanks to the expansive emulation community that supports big names like Batocera. Whether you're looking to play some classics from the 90s or something more modern like Cyberpunk 2077, there's a very good chance Linux can run it well.