Valve just released Proton 11 with fixes for Helldivers 2 and classic Resident Evil

Valve has released Proton 11.0-1. The update brings a massive wave of game compatibility improvements and bug fixes to Linux and Steam Deck users. I cannot overstate how big of a release this is for PC gamers who rely on Linux. When Valve first introduced Proton in 2018, playing Windows games on an alternative operating system required manual Wine configuration and a lot of patience. Now, a major version bump like Proton 11 means hundreds of underlying translation improvements for DirectX and Windows media foundations. It is the invisible scaffolding that makes the Steam Deck viable as a mainstream console.

Classic Capcom survival horror works now

A large portion of the update focuses on moving older titles from the Proton Experimental branch into the stable release. The original 1996 Resident Evil and the 1998 Resident Evil 2 are now fully playable. Dino Crisis and Dino Crisis 2 also made the cut.

The late-90s PC ports of Capcom games relied on early DirectX and DirectDraw implementations that break easily on modern operating systems. Getting them running smoothly through Proton means Linux users often have an easier time playing these classics than Windows 11 users do. Other games graduating to fully playable include Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Metal Gear Survive, and Shogun: Total War. The update also adds newly playable status to Breath of Fire IV, Gothic 1 Classic, and Deadly Premonition.

No more crashing on high difficulties

The Proton 11.0-1 update includes dozens of bug fixes for modern titles. Helldivers 2 players get a fix for a crash that happened during high enemy-count missions. The game engine would buckle under the sheer volume of terminids on screen when running through older Proton builds. This patch solves the problem of the game dying right as the dropships arrive.

Electronic Arts games also received a major rescue. A recent EA Desktop update broke compatibility for a huge swath of the publisher's catalog. Proton 11 fixes that issue and gets the Steam Overlay working correctly with those titles again. The Rockstar Launcher and CD Projekt Red's REDLauncher received tweaks as well. Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 will no longer take an eternity to close when you exit the game.

Other narrow fixes include restoring video playback in She Sees Red and fixing Ukrainian language symbol rendering in Chambers. Phasmophobia players on desktop Linux can finally use voice chat in the game lobby again. Call of Duty 2 received a patch for erratic mouse movement behavior, and Rei and the Floating City is now playable with gamescope.

Steam Deck button mapping and controller hotplugs

Hardware compatibility gets a nod in this version. Hollow Knight had a bizarre bug where the Steam Deck's physical Steam button registered as a left trigger pull after a recent game update. Hitting the system menu to check the battery life would suddenly trigger an in-game action. That is now fixed. The patch also resolves controller hotplug issues for 8BitDo Ultimate controllers.