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Is the Heroic Games Launcher’s Change to Proton Selection a Problem or a Win for Linux Gamers?
The Heroic Games Launcher is a free app that helps you play games from Epic Games, GOG, and Amazon on Linux, Windows, and macOS. Many people use it because it’s simple and flexible. A recent update caused confusion, but the team listened to feedback and fixed it fast.
What Happened With Proton Versions?
Proton lets you play Windows games on Linux. It’s like a special tool that changes how games talk to your computer.
Valve makes the main Proton version, but there are many others. One popular option: GE-Proton. Some games work better with a certain version.
With Heroic Launcher, you can pick which Proton or Wine version to use for each game. This helps games run smoother.
The Update That Caused Issues
In version 2.18.0, Heroic Launcher started hiding all Proton versions except GE-Proton by default.
Players could only pick GE-Proton, Wine, or Wine Staging, unless they changed an advanced setting.
The reason: they wanted to avoid confusion and help most games run well.
Why Was This a Problem?
Some games need a specific Proton version — not just GE-Proton.
Hiding other options made it hard for players to find and choose the version their game needed.
Not everyone saw the small warning on the settings page.
The Fast Fix
Many players gave feedback because their games would not work right.
The developers quickly released version 2.18.1 (Hotfix #1), which fixed the issue.
- They reverted the change: now, all Proton versions show up again (except Valve’s own, but even those can be enabled easily in advanced settings).
- Hiding Valve’s Proton is now something you can turn on by choice, not forced.
What This Means for Users
You are in control. Pick the Proton version you want for each game.
No versions are hidden by surprise; everything is clear and easy to change in settings.
If you want the simplest experience, the default works. If your game is picky, all other versions are easy to find.
Simple Guide for Choosing Proton Versions
- Go to Settings in Heroic Launcher.
- Open Advanced Settings.
- You will see every installed Proton and Wine version.
- Pick the version that works best for your game. If a game won’t start, try switching to another version in the list.
- No need to tweak special settings unless you want to.
Listen to the community helps make software better. The Heroic Games Launcher team noticed the problem and improved quickly. Now, you get more choices and clear settings. This makes your gaming experience smoother, less frustrating, and much more fun on Linux.