What GPU do you have?

Make sure kernel version is fully compatible with GPU.
Make sure Compatibility option is enabled in Steam.
ProtonGE and Protontricks are useful to have.

For getting specific games to run, look in ProtonDB for tips.
https://www.protondb.com/app/570940?device=any

Originally posted by Julian:

I thought at this point it was basically all taken care of automatically with perhaps a change in Proton version or the odd tweak for the odd game but I tried Dark Souls Remastered and Gris (supposedly good bets) and neither worked.
I've fiddled with computers for many years but don't know much about Linux.
I was surprised that I couldn't find any basic step by step guides online that seemed appropriate and current.
I'm using Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS and the current version of Steam (1759461205).
I just installed Linux today, woohoo!
Thanks for any help.

You need to make sure to have Nvidia drivers installed.
While Ubuntu is a great distro, the LTS (Long Term Support) version is not the best choice for modern games and newer hardware as it may lack some newest software and drivers. It's more for servers and office workstations. Try few different distros to check what works best for you. Especially gaming distros that offer easy Nvidia drivers installation or come with them preinstalled.

Originally posted by Omega:

What GPU do you have?

GTX 760

You said you’ve enabled proton?

Originally posted by Julian:

Originally posted by Omega:

What GPU do you have?

GTX 760

This GPU does not support the latest version of Vulkan, which Linux gaming heavily relies upon.

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

You said you’ve enabled proton?

As far as I know Proton is enabled by defult in the latest version of Steam, it certainly appears to be.

Originally posted by Omega:

Originally posted by Julian:

GTX 760

This GPU does not support the latest version of Vulkan, which Linux gaming heavily relies upon.

All flavours of Linux?
I just wiped out windows today and took the leap.

Originally posted by C1REX:

Originally posted by Julian:

I thought at this point it was basically all taken care of automatically with perhaps a change in Proton version or the odd tweak for the odd game but I tried Dark Souls Remastered and Gris (supposedly good bets) and neither worked.
I've fiddled with computers for many years but don't know much about Linux.
I was surprised that I couldn't find any basic step by step guides online that seemed appropriate and current.
I'm using Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS and the current version of Steam (1759461205).
I just installed Linux today, woohoo!
Thanks for any help.

You need to make sure to have Nvidia drivers installed.
While Ubuntu is a great distro, the LTS (Long Term Support) version is not the best choice for modern games and newer hardware as it may lack some newest software and drivers....

The guy has a 4th gen Core i5 and a GTX 760; pretty sure 24.04 LTS will work no different and they aren't going to be playing "modern games" on that hardware.

Proton works by taking the DirectX Windows calls and converting them into Vulkan calls. Your GTX 760 barely supports Vulkan, and I'm not sure it would really be supported for this purpose. Actually, I think the 700 series were the very first Nvidia cards to technically support Vulkan, but they required a special driver.

If you upgrade the card. Nothing crazy. I would get an AMD card since you're on Linux now. You can get something like an AMD RX 570 for about $50-$60. Drop that in, and it should just work since the Mesa drivers are built in to the Linux kernel. It would be a pretty huge upgrade for you too. Probably so big that your 4th gen CPU will probably hold it back somewhat.

Needs to be at least. GTX 10 series if I'm not mistaken

for some things I use PlayonLinux and just point it to the game install file and whalla it works.

Originally posted by Agenda 2025:

for some things I use PlayonLinux and just point it to the game install file and whalla it works.

What game install file?

Digital Games that are not compressed into an installer or physical media disc usually never have an "installer file"

hello, go to menu and look for "driver manager" and make sure the "newest" proprietary nvidia drivers are installed on ubuntu. type "glxinfo" (after a restart) in the terminal to make sure direct rendering is enabled ("direct rendering = yes") a few lines down. Steam proton is the easiest way to play games seamlessly without good linux knowledge.

To do this right click your game (before downloading) select properties then select compatibility then force compatibility then choose a newer version of stable proton.

However, as some have mentioned the gpu has limited abilities on linux as far as vulkan layer goes. you can still game, just not new games and it wont be as good as directx on windows. Haruspex has a good response in regards to that aspect especially the second paragraph

Idk, I had to enable proton manually when I started using Linux.

Might wanna check just to be sure. Try forcing a compatibility layer. See if that works.

The hardware is pretty dated though. Might have something to do with it.