Install Windows games from Linux to play in Windows

[Bismuth]

Hello,
Does Windows games installed from Steam Linux can run under Windows? In case of dual-boot Linux-Windows, steam installed on Linux, if I install a game for Windows from Steam on Linux, then does the game (for Windows) will run on my Windows session (after reboot on Windows) where steam is not installed? My Windows session is always offline, only my Linux session is connected to Internet.

[#4o4__Sk1LL_NoT_FoUnD]

I don't think so.

[Zyro]

You can try to force the game to Proton, it should download the Windows version then.

[[GNU] Debian ☭]

wine/proton tries to "emulate" windows binaries n DLLs; i dont think windows has something to "emulate" linux binaries/libraries

[[GNU] Debian ☭]

and, i dont know if windows has support for EXT4 or XFS

[Marlock]

All files from the windows version of the game will be download and you'll probably be able to run them on windows normally... IF you can access the steam library folder where these files get placed

You should be aware though, that while Linux developers did every effort to enable Linux to read and write to Microsoft's NTFS disk partition format (even though it is Microsoft's proprietary format), MS has not lifted a finger to implement a way for Windows to easily read EXT4 and other partition formats typically used on Linux (even though these are much easier to implement since they are open and well documented formats, perform faster, are less prone to data loss, etc)

So you'll need to install some 3rd-party software on windows just to be able to access the folder if it is on a Linux partition

[Bismuth]

Difficult to imagine, so, I did a try. From Steam Linux, I installed a windows game (e.g. cardaria) to a NTFS partition, with proton enabled. Then, I reboot to windows, navigate to the game in the steamlibrary, launch the .exe and it works ! But, in my test, the game is a simple game and not a big modern 3D game. But, it's a good start ! It will be interesting to test with a modern 3D game, but I can't test it before several months.

[Cat on Linux]

Originally posted by Joueur347:

Difficult to imagine, so, I did a try. From Steam Linux, I installed a windows game (e.g. cardaria) to a NTFS partition, with proton enabled. Then, I reboot to windows, navigate to the game in the steamlibrary, launch the .exe and it works ! But, in my test, the game is a simple game and not a big modern 3D game. But, it's a good start ! It will be interesting to test with a modern 3D game, but I can't test it before several months.

there should be no issues with installing windows game from steam on Linux and then copying game folder and manifest file to windows folder. Don't use same folder to keep both Linux and win games to avoid possible overrides of files if you change from native to windows version of the game.
steamworks DRM needs you to run game once to activate it before playing. so you can run it once from Proton and then copy to win library and launch from Windows. I dual boot with Windows and that's exactly how I install my windows games, by copying stubborn games with its manifest file.

[XÆЯO_Vince]

I can be wrong but I think this will only work if the game .EXE file doesn't have a hard dependency on the Steam client running. There are some DRM free games on Steam but most games have the Steamworks DRM embedded and will attempt to launch the Steam client itself before the game executes and will fail if unable to do so.

That said I don't see why, if you have an NTFS partition with a Windows Steam library shared between Windows and Linux, you couldn't play the games on Windows when installed via Proton, assuming Windows has the Steam client installed too. It can be ran in offline mode after initially configured online.

[Zyro]

You could try to run the game as a foreign game from Windows Steam.

If Windows is not always offline, you could try to install the game from Windows to the place it already sits. Steam should find out after a little bit of download.

[Cat on Linux]

Originally posted by XÆЯO_Vince:

I can be wrong but I think this will only work if the game .EXE file doesn't have a hard dependency on the Steam client running.

yes, if game needs steamworks to run it will more likely won't start. My whole library consists from DRM free games but when I try to run any of these games directly only 1 out of 10 would run without steam running.
If windows is in offline mode it still can run steam in offline mode (so there's no need to run exe files). But to be able to run steam in offline mode user have to be online for at least one session to login and sync his credentials with steam servers. you can't login in offline mode from what I recall.

[cedara2]

Recently, I had a look at Ylands with Proton. The game ran, howevery the character you played with only had a head, no body. So, even if it runs, no guarantee you'd get what you want.