Bug where Windows version of game is installed when Steam Play-Proton is disabled

[r2rX]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): March 14 2022
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Fedora 35 KDE
• Opted into Steam client beta?: Yes
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

I was recently playing through Feral Interactive's Linux port of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, I reached a particular spot where the game would consistently crash. To get around this, I uninstalled the game, enabled Steam Play-Proton, reinstalled the game and played beyond the troubled point. After that, I uninstalled the game, disabled Steam Play-Proton and reinstalled the game. However, I would get an error message on launch stating that the .sh launcher was missing. After checking the game folder, in steamapps/common, the Windows version of the game was downloaded instead of the Linux native version.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. Install a Linux supported title with Steam play off, then uninstall it after confirming if it is the Linux version or not.
2. Enable Steam Play and reinstall the game to confirm the version and then uninstall.
3. Disable Steam Play and reinstall the game to confirm the version.

Curious if this was specific to this title or not, I attempted to experiment with a few other games. Following the steps above, here are some results:

Amnesia: The Dark Descent Steam Play off: Linux version Steam Play on: Windows version Steam Play off: Linux version

Alien: Isolation Steam Play off: Linux version Steam Play on: Windows version SteamPlay off: Linux version

Dead Cells Steam Play off: Linux version Steam Play on: Windows version Steam Play off: Windows version

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Steam Play off: Linux version Steam Play on: Windows version Steam Play off: Windows version

I haven't tested the remaining Linux native supported titles in my library but, for some reason, some titles will only have the Windows version download if installed through Steam Play once. These results are reproducible with both the stable and beta versions of the Steam client. Please let me know if there is any further information I can help with. Cheers.

[asif-mahmud]

Same thing happened for me on outlast.

[sicallis]

I'm now getting this for Don't Starve Together on Arch Linux, having performed the same reproduction steps. It looks like once Proton is enabled for a game once, it will always will download and install the Windows version of that game even if "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" is unticked when Steam is restarted.

Workaround is to enable Proton for the game and then disable it again, then allow the game to update. However, this only lasts until Steam is restarted.

EDIT: Additional client information:

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1700160213
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Arch Linux
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes
• GPU: Nvidia

[MCazaly]

I'm experiencing this same issue for Garry's Mod.

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1700160213
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Nobara/Fedora 38 KDE
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

[MCazaly]

For what it's worth, I've found that this stops if you manually delete the compadata directory for the affected game, which serves as a workaround. I guess there's some behaviour on startup that checks if a game has compatdata and tries to pull the latest Windows version if that succeeds.

[aleksandar-stefanovic]

I think that this happened to me with XCOM 2:

1. I've downloaded the native version
2. Since it crashed, I went to Compatibility > Checked "Force the use of a specific Steam Play Compatibility tool"
3. Switched to Steam Linux Runtime 1.0
4. Since that crashed as well, I selected Proton 8.0-4
5. It downloaded the game again
6. I've successfully played the game with Proton
7. I wanted to switch to Native again, and unchecked "Force the use of a specific Steam Play Compatibility tool"
8. It downloaded the game again
9. Now it doesn't even proceed to the expansion picker (base XCOM 2 vs. War of the Chosen), which it did initially
10. Looking at the files and the Steam Console, it looks like it's trying to launch .exe files

[draeath]

I had this happen this evening with Midnight Protocol. I tested a Proton version while diagnosing a performance issue, and after switching the "Force the use of..." off, it reverted back to the native binary as expected. However, the next time Steam was launched it "updated" the game, deploying the Windows assets instead.

This is frustrated by or related to #9957, which I can also reproduce (you can't switch off SteamPlay in the global steam settings anymore, the toggle does nothing).

[kisak-valve]

Hello @draeath, per https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/9875#issuecomment-1853037408, please opt into Steam's client beta and retest.

[evertvorster]

Meee too, with Dirt4, and the downloads for the windows and linux versions are quite bulky. I'll go try the tip of removing the compdata ditectory.

[Individualised]

This still occurs. Team Fortress 2 continues to download the Windows version even when Proton is disabled. It can be fixed by enabling and disabling Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 but this is not ideal.

[mdsmendes94]

Can confirm this still occurs.

Steam Play off No force proton

And Steam keeps downloading for me the Windows version of Valheim instead of the native one every time I log-in on Steam

The workaround I found is uninstalling Steam through bauh and reinstalling Steam again

All I want is to switch between Proton/Native to see the difference between versions but once I enable the Proton it lingers until I reinstall or tick the force proton and untick again to get back the native(even though it was already unticked)

[Twig6943]

I have the exact same issue I'm just going to reinstall steam

[Wiwiweb]

I had the same issue with Stardew Valley.

Temporary fix is to go to the game properties -> Compatibility, then click "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" twitce, so it toggles on and then back off again. Then your game will download the native version. However the next time you launch Steam it will revert back to the compatibility version.

I tried @MCazaly's fix of deleting the compatdata folder for the game, but that did not fix the issue for me.

What fixed it permanently for me: 1) Steam settings -> Compatibility -> "Enable Steam Play for all other titles", toggle on 2) Restart Steam 3) Toggle the option off again 4) Restart Steam

[platyhelminth]

ok I solved it definitively but not with the method said above

Manualy copy you savefiles and put some game (not those you can't run in native) in other disks.

rm -rf ~/.local/share/Steam && rm -rf ~/.steam*

Then

steam It should work because distribution keep the installer

problem 100% solved.