It appears as though a new way to test major updates to the stable Proton branch is on the way! A tweet from Pierre-Loup Griffais, a Steam Deck developer with Valve, showed off a new Proton layer that can be downloaded now!

Proton Next seems to be an in-between from Experimental to Stable, but focuses more on containing the next stable update rather than a constant experimental testing ground. In the tweet, Pierre linked to the github with what looks like a new section that will show the version that is in Proton Next as well.

You can download the layer for yourself by searching "Proton" at the top. If you scroll down, you will find the "Proton Next" option and you can install it like a regular game. Immediately after, you will be able to see the option for Proton Next if you check your compatibility tab.

As of right now, Proton Next contains Proton 7.0-5, which is the next stable update. This update will feature a multitude of fixes and make new games playable:

  • The following games are now playable: Rift, Unravel 2, Airborne Kingdom, Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull, Re-Volt, Aspire: Ina's Tale, Battle Realms: Zen Edition, Deathsmiles II, Primal Carnage: Extinction, Pico Park Classic Edition, Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind, Darkstar One, Indiana Jones and the Emperor Tomb, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition
  • Fix Batman: Arkham City GOTY launching in the background on Steam Deck when set to fullscreen.
  • Fix Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered displaying dialog about outdated drivers on AMD systems.
  • Fix Final Fantasy IV (3D Remake) having no audio.
  • Fix Return to Monkey Island not reacting to mouse clicks after a recent game update.
  • Fix upsidedown videos in VRChat and many other games.
  • Fix Call of Duty Black Ops II Zombies and Multiplayer hanging on exit.
  • Fix Bail or Jail crashing when opening the Terms of Serivce.
  • Improve GTA V situation with not loading textures.
  • Fix Red Dead Redemption 2 crashing after a recent game update.
  • Fix Final Fantasy XIV Online launcher functionality after game update.
  • Fix cutscene stutter in Disgaea 5.
  • Fix Thrustmaster HOTAS having non-functional dial in Elite Dangerous.
  • Fix Planet Zoo randomly crashing.
  • Fix SCP: Secret Labratory not being playable after a recent game update (again).
  • Fix Tekken 7 crashing at launch.
  • Fix Armello hanging on exit.
  • Fix Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization freezing after the tutorial.
  • Fix Space Engineers intro video not playing correctly.
  • Fix Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen videos not playing correctly.
  • Implement network video support for VRChat.
  • Update dxvk to v1.10.3-28-ge3daa699.

It is great having an easier way to test out the next stable branch and check it out for ourselves! Good going on the Valve team, looking forward to more!

Noah Kupetsky
A lover of gaming since 4, Noah has grown up with a love and passion for the industry. From there, he started to travel a lot and develop a joy for handheld and PC gaming. When the Steam Deck released, it just all clicked.
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