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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Proton 10.0-4 was released by Valve on January 26, 2026, moving 19 games from “previously worked with Proton Experimental” to the stable Proton branch. The update also repairs a wide range of launch, graphics, audio, video, controller, VR, and Proton 10 regression problems. It is not the newest Proton line in 2026, but it remains a useful fallback when a newer version breaks a game.
Proton is Valve’s Wine-based compatibility layer for running Windows games through Steam on Linux and SteamOS. Proton 10.0-4 is therefore a compatibility update—not a new operating system, emulator, or native Linux port.
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19 games moved to Proton Stable
Valve’s official Proton release notes identify these titles as newly playable on Proton 10.0-4 after previously working with Proton Experimental:
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- Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality
- Changeling VR
- Summoners War: RUSH
- Quantum Threshold
- REACH
- Fellowship
- Metal Slug: Awakening
- The Obsessive Shadow
- Drop Dead: The Cabin
- Zero Caliber 2 Remastered
- Lost Memories 3 Side Stories
- Death by Scrolling
- Stellar Reach
- Girls’ Frontline
- Modules
- Distant Worlds 2
- 懒人修仙传2
- Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages
- Chronology
That wording matters. These games were not necessarily released for the first time on Linux, nor were all of them newly supported by Proton code in this update. Valve is saying that they had already worked with Proton Experimental and were now considered compatible with the stable 10.0-4 branch.
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The biggest fixes beyond the new compatibility list
The release is broader than its 19-game headline. Valve’s detailed Proton 10.0-4 changelog includes fixes for dozens of title-specific problems.
Launch and startup problems
- Reduced the long wait that occurred on every launch in several Xbox Game Studios titles, including Avowed, Grounded 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and The Outer Worlds 2.
- Restored operation in Assassin’s Creed Shadows after a recent game update.
- Fixed startup on non-Steam Deck systems for For Honor.
- Addressed launch failures and unplayable states reported with Rocket Jockey.
- Fixed crashes in Crystal of Atlan and gamescope account-switching problems associated with it.
Graphics, HDR, and display
- Corrected incorrect old-driver warnings in Far Cry 5 on AMD GPUs.
- Fixed the GPU warning in Age of Empires IV Anniversary Edition on Intel GPUs.
- Improved HDR behavior in Far Cry 5 on OLED Steam Deck models.
- Fixed stutter in Arc Raiders on non-Nvidia GPUs caused by repeated NVAPI loading attempts.
- Addressed several monitor-resolution and fullscreen problems.
- Fixed black blocks in launcher and dialog windows affecting ARC Raiders and The Finals.
These fixes are conditional rather than universal. A problem involving AMD, Intel, OLED Steam Deck hardware, gamescope, a particular compositor, or multiple monitors may not apply to another setup.
Audio, video, and language support
- Fixed video playback in games including Okayunyumu!, AQUARIUM, Conquer the World, King of Bones, and Indivisible.
- Restored audio playback in Rocket Jockey.
- Fixed 7.1-channel audio mapping in Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and potentially other titles.
- Added or repaired language and font rendering for games including Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun, Black Squad, and Trainatic.
- Improved language and font behavior in the Warframe launcher.
Controllers, input, and VR
- Improved Sony controller support in Tekken 8.
- Fixed DualSense haptics in most games that support the feature.
- Corrected horizontal mouse-scroll behavior.
- Added speech-recognition support in Phasmophobia.
- Fixed VR-related problems involving Figmin XR, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and other VR scenarios.
- Resolved Steam Input controller-mapping problems in LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures.
Proton 10 regressions repaired
Proton 10.0-4 also serves as a repair release for issues introduced earlier in the Proton 10 series. Notable fixes include:
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- RAGE focus problems after Alt-Tabbing under KDE Wayland were addressed.
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition no longer minimizes incorrectly after Alt-Tab.
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition received a fix for keyboard registration after refocusing.
- Resident Evil 2 received a resolution-change fix under GNOME.
- Call of Duty: WWII received a fullscreen-rendering fix on dual-monitor systems.
- CHRONO TRIGGER no longer suffers from the affected fullscreen flicker.
- Killer Instinct received a fix for crashing at the end of a match.
- Lost Planet: Extreme Condition was repaired after becoming unplayable.
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure received a fix for errors on a fresh Proton prefix.
This regression work may be more valuable to existing Steam Deck and Linux users than the newly added games, particularly if a title worked before Proton 10 and failed after switching branches.
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Technical changes in Proton 10.0-4
The release incorporates several important underlying component updates, including:
- Steamworks SDK 1.63: can improve compatibility with games that rely on newer Steamworks behavior.
- Wine Mono 10.4.x: supports Windows applications and games that depend on .NET-style runtime components.
- VKD3D-Proton 3.0b: is relevant to translating DirectX 12 workloads through Vulkan.
- VKD3D 1.18: updates Direct3D 12 support components.
Valve’s final release notes should take precedence where secondary reports differ on component subversions. These updates do not establish a blanket frame-rate increase. The documented benefits are primarily compatibility fixes, corrected behavior, and support for specific games and configurations.
How to select Proton 10.0-4
If a game is listed above or has a known Proton 10.0-4 fix, you can select it manually:
- Open Steam.
- Open the game’s Properties.
- Select Compatibility.
- Enable Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.
- Choose Proton 10.0-4.
- Launch the game and test it from a clean start.
The exact menu presentation can vary between the Steam desktop client, Steam Deck Game Mode, and Steam Deck Desktop Mode. If Proton 10.0-4 is not listed, make sure Steam has downloaded the compatibility tool and check whether your client is up to date.
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Which Proton branch should you use?
Use the branch that solves the specific game’s problem rather than assuming that the highest version number is best.
- Default Proton selection: start here if the game already works. Steam’s automatic choice may select a suitable stable version.
- Proton Experimental: try it when a game has a recent compatibility fix that has not yet reached stable. It receives changes earlier and can be less predictable.
- Proton 10.0-4: use it when a newer branch introduces a regression, when the game is among the 19 newly listed titles, or when reports identify the 10.0 series as reliable.
- GE-Proton: use the community-maintained build when its additional patches or codecs address a known, specific issue. It is not automatically better than Valve’s build.
Community reports on ProtonDB can help identify per-game patterns, but results still vary by GPU driver, SteamOS or Linux distribution, hardware, launcher, game update, and configuration.
What “playable” does—and does not—mean
Valve’s “now playable” label means the title worked on the relevant Proton branch in the context of its compatibility testing. It does not guarantee flawless performance on every PC or Steam Deck, nor does it equal a Steam Deck Verified rating.
Single-player rendering can work while multiplayer fails because of anti-cheat, authentication, launcher, or server requirements. VR is especially dependent on the headset, runtime, compositor, controller setup, GPU driver, and distribution. Game updates can also invalidate a previously working Proton configuration.
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A Proton change may affect shader caches, prefixes, launchers, input, video playback, or codecs. Treat each fix as title- and configuration-specific rather than as a universal compatibility promise.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A safe troubleshooting sequence
If the game does not start
- Test the default Proton version and Proton Experimental.
- Remove unnecessary launch options.
- Verify the game files through Steam.
- Check whether the launcher or authentication service is failing independently of Proton.
- Try Proton 10.0-4 only when the changelog or reliable per-game reports suggest it addresses the title.
If you see a black screen
Test fullscreen and windowed modes, and determine whether the problem affects only video playback or all 3D rendering. Then compare another Proton branch. Do not assume that every black screen is a codec problem.
If performance gets worse
Compare identical resolution and graphics settings, allow shader processing to complete, and check for GPU-driver or kernel changes. If Proton 10.0-4 performs worse, return to the previously working version. Valve’s release notes do not claim a general performance uplift.
If multiplayer fails
Check anti-cheat and launcher requirements separately from single-player operation. Do not attempt unsupported anti-cheat bypasses.
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If an existing prefix becomes unstable
Switch back to the prior Proton version first. Back up saves before removing or recreating a prefix. Deleting a game’s compatdata directory is not a harmless reset: it removes Proton-specific files and can affect locally stored data when saves are not synchronized or backed up.
Is Proton 10.0-4 still the best version in 2026?
No single Proton version is best for every game. As of August 2026, Valve’s release page contains later Proton 11-based development and release material, so Proton 10.0-4 should not be described as the latest Proton branch. It remains useful as a stable compatibility fallback, especially for games affected by regressions in newer releases.
The practical rule is simple: keep Steam’s default selection when the game works, test Experimental for newer fixes, and pin Proton 10.0-4 when it specifically resolves a launch, display, input, media, or regression problem.
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