Steam

Valve just launched their latest upgrade for Proton Experimental to get as many Windows games as possible running on Linux / SteamOS. This update rolled out on December 9th and in case you missed it Valve also recently release the huge Proton 10 update.

It turns out that not only are Valve using the open source FEX for the Steam Frame but they have been funding FEX since the beginning of it.

What exactly is FEX? FEX allows you to run x86 applications on ARM64 Linux devices, similar to qemu-user and box64. It offers broad compatibility with both 32-bit and 64-bit binaries, and it can be used alongside Wine/Proton to play Windows games.

One problem with a lot of modern games is just how big they're getting, but HELLDIVERS 2 is about to massively shrink thanks to work behind the scenes. In a news post on Steam the developers at Arrowhead Game Studios noted they pulled in Nixxes to help get it sorted.

They were making small changes across a few patches, but now the big stuff is here and you can try it out in a Steam Beta via the "prod_slim" branch. Right click the game, go to Properties -> Beta and select "prod_slim" from the drop-down box. The result should be a reduction in installation size from "~154GB to ~23GB". What an insane difference.

The Steam Survey results are out for November 2025 and continue to be very positive for the growing adoption of Linux gaming thanks to the success of the Steam Deck, the underlying Steam Play (Proton) software, and now further excitement thanks to the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame.

A decade ago in the early Steam days the initial use was around 3% and back then the Steam user-base in absolute terms was much smaller than it is today. Back in October Steam on Linux finally re-crossed that 3% threshold after for years being stuck in a 1~2% rut. Now the Steam Survey results were published minutes ago for November and they continue an upward trend for Linux.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney opposes Steam's "Made with AI" label for games, arguing AI involvement is inevitable in future development and such tags are unnecessary outside art and licensing contexts. He emphasizes that mandatory AI disclosures for games are impractical and not meaningful for consumers.

Following on from a bigger Proton Experimental update for Linux / SteamOS last week, a smaller bug-fix update has rolled out for the Windows compatibility tool. This is just to clear up a few pesky issues people have encountered.

Here's the changes for the November 26th update:

• Fixed Xalia not interacting correctly with dialogs produced by ARC Raiders.
• Fixed Proton Experimental regression that caused games like Uno and Far Cry 4 to not start.
• Fixed voice line playback in Rigid Force Alpha.

It's not officially out yet, but you can now jump in early to Soulframe, the in-development action RPG from the developers of the popular Warframe. A Steam page is also now live that you can follow it on, for whenever it actually releases properly. Considering it's from the Warframe developers, I expect it to be another big one.

Not heard of it? An open world fantasy RPG adventure with themes influenced by nature and restoration. With a hand-crafted world you will explore an "ancient, broken land and inherit the courage, spirit, and grace of Ancestors to mend earthly flesh and heal its land from Ode’n reign".

Announced on the official forum, founder packs for it are also now live so you can purchase it to get into it early. Until now, you had to sign up for a chance to be invited via email, so you can skip all that if you really want to get in on it during development. It's not cheap though, as getting all three of the characters appears to be £84.99 with them £24.99 individually and you get an assortment of extras with them too. At release much like Warframe, it will be free to play.

Reus 2 from Abbey Games recently had a big upgrade, and now it's Steam Deck Verified / SteamOS Compatible with full support from the developer.

What is it? It's all about shaping worlds as one of 6 powerful giants each with their own unique abilities. Your choices will determine the fate of the planet and its inhabitants. And as you progress, you'll unlock more new skills for your giants too. Humanity does its own thing though, and may even turn against you.

It's Black Friday Monday, because nowadays it's a whole week thing and thanks to Valve you can grab a great deal on the Steam Deck too!

Valve have once again given the Steam Deck LCD 256GB a 20% discount, marking it down from £349 to £279.20. While there's numerous other handhelds that are more powerful, this is an absolute bargain for the support you actually get for the Steam Deck directly which only continues to improve with huge updates like the recent screen-off downloads. You can grab the deal direct from Steam.

While it's not quite Verified for Steam Deck just yet, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault should be a reasonably good experience. It's rated Playable by Valve, with a note that some text is a bit too small. The developer has confirmed they plan to solve that as soon as possible too.

So what is it? From the Steam page: "Dive deep into Action-RPG with roguelike elements and a tale about new beginnings. With no coin to your name, you and the other townsfolk find yourselves stranded in the distant village of Tresna. Now, it’s up to you to get back on your feet and turn your humble shop into the beating heart of the village’s wealth. Explore dangerous dungeons, gather relics, sell them, and reinvest in your friends’ establishments. Unlock new weapons, armor, shop decorations, and—more importantly—restore hope that things can one day turn around."

A fresh Proton Experimental update from Valve for the weekend with various game fixes for SteamOS / Linux. If you missed it, Valve also released Proton 10 recently.

It will show up in your Steam Downloads as an update for Proton Experimental if you have it installed. Otherwise, it will automatically download if you go to play a game that Valve has set for Proton Experimental by default. Or, you can manually search for Proton Experimental in your Steam Library to install it and try it on some games. See all the details on the different Proton versions in the GamingOnLinux Guide. Listed below is all the changes for the November 21st update.

SteamOS 3.7.18 Beta "Old Enough to Vote" was released by Valve today, bringing in a few more fixes for some annoying sounding issues. In case you live under a rock we're also getting some new SteamOS systems with the Steam Frame and Steam Machine you should go and read up on.

As it's a Beta you'll need to change your system updates channel to test it, or just wait for Valve to roll it out for the next stable SteamOS Linux release. You can change it via Settings > System > System Update Channel. The most recent stable update is SteamOS 3.7.17 from early November.

To ensure games run well on Linux either via Native Linux builds or Windows games with Proton, part of the magic is in the Steam Linux Runtime. A new version of it, the Steam Linux Runtime 4.0 was recently put up with some pretty big changes.

What's the point of it? It ensures Steam and games run through Steam on Linux work properly across all the many different Linux distributions. Another secret Valve sauce for Linux. Well, not secret at all but you get my meaning I'm sure.

As we get closer to the launch of the new Steam Machine and Steam Frame, Valve put out a new Steamworks SDK that brings in libraries for linuxarm64 and android.

This is of course work more specifically for the Steam Frame, since it's using an ARM64 processor and it will support running Android APKs to hopefully get developers from other VR kits to work with it. And, as confirmed previously by The Verge, Steam itself is getting Android games to go with it.

A popular YouTube channel has attempted to recreate the Steam Machine’s expected behaviour by building a compact PC configured to mimic Valve’s leaked CPU, GPU and power limits. Their goal is to test claims such as 4K 60 FPS gaming and higher-end emulation support.

Valve’s Steam Machine is still months away from launch, but that has not stopped the enthusiast community from trying to approximate the device’s real-world performance. The YouTube channel The Phawx has taken that idea to the extreme by building a compact PC designed to behave almost exactly like Valve’s upcoming hybrid console. Rather than simply using similar parts, the channel attempts to replicate the Steam Machine’s CPU behaviour, GPU constraints, power limits and overall system architecture as closely as possible.

Valve has rolled out a new Steam client update dated November 17, and it’s already being automatically distributed to users.

The changes begin with new chat safety features. Users can now report suspicious or harassing one-on-one messages directly from the chat window by right-clicking any message. A new warning banner appears when Steam detects potentially malicious content, and links remain disabled until the user dismisses the alert.

Steam also resolves a series of client-side issues. Certain game collections that became unavailable after reinstalling Steam are now handled correctly, DLC is no longer removed during user switching, and Steam Play misconfiguration after immediate post-purchase installs has been fixed.

Valve unveiled the new Steam Machine earlier this week, and it's cute (if you're into cubes, anyway). But it's not exactly a powerhouse machine: PC Gamer hardware editor Jacob Ridley, who understands this stuff far better than I ever will, called it "fairly underpowered," noting that it rocks just a 200 watt power supply—a fraction of the PSUs in most gaming rigs. A good friend of mine, a longtime PC gamer, asked me, "Why the hell would I ever want something like this?" My answer, simply, was, "You wouldn't."

But that, according to Larian director of publishing Michael Douse (and I agree wholeheartedly on this) is entirely the point. Valve isn't coming for committed PC gamers who know what they're doing and want the lights to dim when they fire up their tabletop fusion reactors. It's gunning for people who want Steam games on the TV without any dicking around.

"Valve are probably betting on the fact that anyone who wants more demanding PC hardware on their TV is part of the audience who know how to turn any PC into a Steam Machine," Douse, always quick with a well-considered opinion, wrote on X. "Genuinely no point making a high-spec Steam Machine

https://www.theverge.com/news/821177/fortnite-xbox-on-pc-app-store-epic-games-play-anywhere-crew-game-pass

TL;DR: Valve launched the Steam Frame VR headset with an Arm-based Snapdragon chip, aiming to run Half-Life: Alyx natively and streamed from PC. The new hardware features a "Frame Verified" status for optimized games, while rumors suggest two upcoming Half-Life titles supporting PC and VR cooperative play.

Steam Machine’s upcoming release means more people will be playing games on Linux, specifically SteamOS. The idea of ditching Windows for gaming is becoming more attractive, as the Steam Machine is first-party desktop-level hardware that’s optimized for Linux-based SteamOS. The biggest hurdle for Linux gamers right now is a lack of support for many anti-cheats – particular those that require kernel-level access. But with the release of the Machine, Valve hopes game devs take notice.

Steam Machine seems to getting the most attention out of Valve’s latest hardware launches. The Steam creators announced the new console-like mini PC alongside the Steam Frame VR headset and new Steam Controller. Even the Frame runs on SteamOS, which means Valve now has a trio of first-party hardware on Linux (including the Steam Deck handheld).

Valve has released Proton 10.0, a specialized version of Wine designed and tuned for gaming that allows you to play Windows titles on Linux through Steam, delivering one of the most substantial compatibility updates in recent months.

The update introduces a large batch of newly playable titles, expanding Proton’s coverage across various genres. Highlights include Mary Skelter: Nightmares, Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force, Far Horizon, The Crew Motorfest, Viking Rise: Valhalla, Starlight Re: Volver, Ninja Reflex: Steamworks Edition, Arken Age, and The Riftbreaker: Multiplayer Playtest.