I primarily use my pc for gaming, and want to avoid upgrading to Windows 11. Beginning the journey of looking into alternatives.
I am ignorant, trying to be less so. I have a hard time understanding what exactly makes a game not work just because of OS.
Very accurate comment, and to expand on this, things like media codecs, windows dependencies, etc also cause problems. Luckily Proton can play just about any game on Steam.
For example, Marvel Rivals is a new game that just came out and its anti-cheat works with Linux. I play it with ProtonGE, which installs extra codecs that regular proton versions don’t include and it works awesome.
Check out protondb.com to search what specific games work for others on linux.
Does Steam ever deliver Linux-native builds instead of running games through Proton?
https://store.steampowered.com/search/?os=linux
Yes, I’ve run several games native. ProtonDB will indicate if it runs natively (though some people will report using proton on natively supported games out of habit)
EDIT: some games are supported natively, but should use proton for mods. For example, Mount and Blade Warband runs just fine without proton, but if using mods it should be run with proton. This will also be indicated on ProtonDB in my experience
When you see the Windows and Apple icons on a game, that indicates native Windows and MacOS support. The Steam logo is native SteamOS/Linux. You’ll also see a “SteamOS/Linux” section on the system requirements.