🛠️ How to Compile and Install Protontricks in 2026 (For Linux Gaming Beginners)

Author: Kiba Snowpaw
Updated: January 2026

Whether you’re just getting into Linux gaming or you’re a seasoned tinkerer, Protontricks is one tool you’ll want in your kit. It helps fix Steam Play (Proton) games by letting you install extra components like DLLs (Windows libraries) using Winetricks.

This step-by-step guide walks you through installing Protontricks from source. Everything is explained clearly, so even if you’re new to the Linux terminal, you’ll be able to follow along!

🎯 What Is Protontricks, and Why Use It?

Protontricks is a command-line tool that works alongside Steam Play (Proton). If you’ve ever had a Windows game on Linux that crashes or doesn’t launch, Protontricks can help fix that by:

• Installing missing libraries like vcrun, dotnet, or dxvk
• Applying compatibility tweaks
• Helping you run configuration tools inside a game prefix

It’s like giving Proton superpowers!

📦 Step 1: Install Required Packages

We’ll need to install some basic tools: Git, Python 3, and pip. These allow us to download Protontricks and install it.

For Ubuntu/Debian-based systems:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install git python3-pip python3-setuptools

For Fedora-based systems:

sudo dnf install git python3-pip python3-setuptools

For Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S git python-pip

✅ Why are we doing this? Protontricks is written in Python, so we need Python and pip to install it. Git helps us download the source code.

⬇️ Step 2: Download Protontricks Source Code

We’ll now clone the official Protontricks repository using Git. Open your terminal and run:

git clone https://github.com/Matoking/protontricks.git
cd protontricks

✅ What this does:

• git clone downloads all the source files for Protontricks.
• cd protontricks moves you into that folder.

⚙️ Step 3: Install Protontricks Using pip

To install Protontricks for your user only (no admin rights needed), run:

pip3 install --user .

💡 If you’re planning to make changes or update it often, use this instead:

pip3 install --user -e .

✅ What this does: It installs Protontricks into your user account, so you can run it from anywhere.

🧪 Step 4: Test Protontricks

Let’s make sure it works. Try running:

protontricks --gui

This will open a simple graphical interface listing your Steam games.

Or to list installed games directly:

protontricks --list-steam

✅ What this does: It checks if Protontricks can find your installed Steam games and works with Proton prefixes.

🚀 Step 5: Use Protontricks to Fix a Game

Every Steam game has an App ID. You can find it using --list-steam. For example, Valheim’s App ID is 892970.

To install missing libraries for it, like vcrun2019, run:

protontricks 892970 vcrun2019

This will install the Visual C++ 2019 redistributable into that game’s Proton environment.

🧼 Optional: Add Protontricks to PATH

If Protontricks isn’t found, you may need to add pip’s install folder to your PATH variable.

Add this line to your .bashrc or .zshrc file:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Then reload it:

source ~/.bashrc

✅ What this does: It makes sure your system knows where to find the protontricks command.

✅ You’re Done!

Protontricks is now installed and ready to help you get more Steam games running on Linux.

If a game doesn’t work, check ProtonDB (a community database of compatibility reports), and try using Protontricks to apply fixes mentioned there.

💬 Need Help?

If something doesn’t work, don’t give up! Join Linux gaming forums or Discord communities and ask for help. Mention what distro you’re using and what error you’re seeing people are usually very helpful!

🐾 About the Author

Kiba Snowpaw is a Linux gamer and open-source enthusiast who loves helping others get the most out of their systems. Follow for more guides on Linux, Wine, and game performance tweaks!