The day Proton Experimental got updated, was also the day Proton 7.0-6 graduated from release candidate to Proton Next.

The changes are almost exactly the same as the release candidate. As a reminder, playable titles include:

Bug fixes are as follows:

  • fix Microsoft Flight Simulator:
    • crashing during longer flights
    • not displaying live traffic
    • not starting after a recent game update
    • crashing when starting next to big cities
  • fix being unable to log in to Xbox Live from Main Menu in As Dusk Falls
  • fix Septerra Core hanging on redistributables installation
  • fix Super House of Dead Ninjas, Enemy Mind, and Out There Somewhere frame hitching every few seconds
  • fix on-screen keyboard popping up every time when starting A Plague Tale: Requiem on the Steam Deck
  • fix Zeepkist freezing when using controller
  • fix Overcooked! All You Can Eat being unable to add a second controller-using player
  • fix Quake III: Arena and Quake III: Team Arena displaying weird texture over the menu
  • fix the new EA launcher displaying a blank window
  • fix Marvel Snap not being able connect to online services
  • fix Sackboy: A Big Adventure failing to start the first time it’s launched
  • fix Spyro Reignited Trilogy playing intro video in a wrong language
  • fix Jurassic World Evolution 2 bad performance with recent Proton versions
  • fix multiple monitor support in Project Cars 2
  • fix Korean not being rendered correctly in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII launcher
  • fix multiple languages not rendering correctly in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
  • fix Lost Lands: Dark Overlord, Lost Lands: Dark Lord, Lost Lands: Redemption, and Haunted Hotel: Silent Waters Collector’s Edition crashing when trying to set a wallpaper

Wine-mono has been updated to 7.4.0, and DXVK-NVAPI to 0.6. The latter update reports the Ada architecture for NVIDIA 4000 series, fixes DLSS from failing on Ada and later cards, prevents startup crashes with Monster Hunter World on Turing and later cards, internal optimzations, and some other features.

The only differences I’m seeing with the Proton Next release is:

  • fix video playback regression with Chronos: Before the Ashes
  • improve video playback with OUTRIDERS and ToGather: Island

To use Proton Next, right-click the game you want to use it with -> Properties -> Compatibility. Check off “Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool” if it’s not already checked. From the dropdown menu, select “Proton Next”. Steam will automatically download Proton Next if it’s not installed on your system.

Alternatively, if you wish to use it across all of your games, go to Steam -> Settings -> Steam Play. Check off “Enable Steam Play for all other titles” if it’s not already checked, then select “Proton Next” from the dropdown menu. Restart Steam for the changes to take effect.

Setting Proton Next across all Steam games

See the patch notes on GitHub.

Cover image credit: Gunfire Games/THQ Nordic