XDA reported this week that a For Honor player on Linux successfully got a refund after Ubisoft’s mid-year anti-cheat update locked the game out of Proton entirely. The refund is a small win. The bigger question is what Linux gamers do next when kernel-level anti-cheat starts rolling through the multiplayer titles they already own.
We put together the best Linux desktop apps for 2026 for anyone stuck between a kernel-mode anti-cheat client and a Linux-only main workstation. Not every workaround saves every game. Together, these seven get most libraries running again.
What matters in a Linux anti-cheat workaround
- Proton compatibility signalling. The app should tell us, before we install, whether the game runs on Proton at all.
- Support for Wine, Proton-GE, and staging branches. Vendor Proton is not always the winning build; the community branches often ship the fix first.
- Cloud or LAN streaming fallback. When Proton loses, streaming a Windows install (ours or a vendor’s) is the escape hatch.
- Bottle isolation. For games that need older Windows runtimes or specific DLL overrides, separate prefixes matter.
- Runtime download automation. Manually pinning DXVK, VKD3D, and MFPlex is a chore no one should do twice.
- Multiplayer honesty. Some publishers block Linux even when the game runs. The app should surface AreWeAntiCheatYet-style status so we do not buy a title that will not launch.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Distros |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lutris | One launcher for every non-Steam library | Full app | Free, open source | Every mainstream distro |
| Bottles | Prefix management with sane defaults | Full app | Free, open source | Every mainstream distro |
| Heroic Games Launcher | Epic, GOG, and Amazon on Linux | Full app | Free, open source | Every mainstream distro |
| ProtonUp-Qt | Managing Proton-GE and Wine-GE builds | Full app | Free, open source | Every mainstream distro |
| Moonlight | Streaming a Windows PC to Linux | Full app | Free, open source | Every mainstream distro |
| Sunshine | Self-hosting the streaming host | Full app | Free, open source | Every mainstream distro |
| GeForce NOW | Cloud streaming when nothing else works | Free tier | Around $10/mo Performance | Every distro with a browser |
The apps
1. Lutris — Best all-in-one non-Steam launcher
Lutris is what most Linux gamers point new arrivals at. It scripts installers for GOG, Battle.net, Epic, itch.io, and a long tail of retro storefronts. Each game runs in its own prefix, with Wine, Proton-GE, or a specific Wine build applied automatically.
Where it falls short: Battle.net installers break more often than Steam ones because Blizzard updates the launcher. Community scripts sometimes lag by a few weeks.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPL
- Paid: None
Platforms: Linux (native)
Download: Lutris official downloads
Bottom line: The launcher for every game we did not buy on Steam. Install it first.
2. Bottles — Best Wine prefix manager for finicky games
Bottles treats each prefix as a “bottle” with its own runtime versions and DLL overrides. A stubborn game that needs .NET 4.8 and D3DCompiler_47 gets a bottle, and nothing else on the system changes. The UI is friendlier than raw winecfg.
Where it falls short: does not replace Lutris for online-store installers. Best used together, with Bottles handling one-off installers and Lutris handling storefronts.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPL
- Paid: None
Platforms: Linux (Flatpak, most distros)
Download: Bottles official site
Bottom line: When a Windows game “just needs a specific runtime,” this is the fastest path to a working prefix.
3. Heroic Games Launcher — Best Epic, GOG, and Amazon client
Heroic Games Launcher is what fills the void where Epic and Amazon refuse to ship a Linux client. Login uses the same web session, downloads run through Legendary or gogdl, and Proton compatibility is baked in.
Where it falls short: Amazon Games support is thinner than Epic or GOG; some titles need manual prefix tweaks. Cloud saves for older GOG games still lag behind the official Windows client.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPL
- Paid: None
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS
Download: Heroic Games Launcher official site
Bottom line: The way to actually play the Epic freebies. Also the only comfortable way to run GOG on Linux without the vendor’s launcher.
4. ProtonUp-Qt — Best Proton-GE version manager
ProtonUp-Qt installs and swaps community Proton builds (Proton-GE, Luxtorpeda, boxtron) with a few clicks. It also manages Wine-GE and Lutris runners, so the same tool covers Steam and non-Steam libraries.
Where it falls short: downloads are just downloads. The tool cannot force a game into a specific runtime; that still happens inside Steam or Lutris.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPL
- Paid: None
Platforms: Linux
Download: ProtonUp-Qt on GitHub
Bottom line: Install it and never edit a Steam compat-tool config by hand again.
5. Moonlight — Best free Windows-to-Linux game streaming
Moonlight turns a Windows machine (or a Steam Deck) into a game host and any Linux desktop into a low-latency client. Combined with Sunshine on the host, it beats every commercial streaming service on latency inside the LAN.
Where it falls short: requires an existing Windows machine or a beefy Linux server capable of running a Windows VM with GPU passthrough. Streaming outside the LAN needs a Tailscale, WireGuard, or ZeroTier tunnel.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPL
- Paid: None
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, tvOS
Download: Moonlight official downloads
Bottom line: When Proton absolutely will not run a game, streaming a Windows install is the escape hatch that still keeps the Linux desktop as our primary machine.
6. Sunshine — Best self-hosted streaming host
Sunshine is the open-source replacement for the deprecated NVIDIA GameStream server. Pair it with Moonlight and stream from Windows, macOS, or Linux hosts to any Moonlight client. Encoders cover NVENC, AMF, QuickSync, and VAAPI on Linux.
Where it falls short: the host still needs the actual game installed somewhere. Sunshine is the transport, not the runtime.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPL
- Paid: None
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Sunshine on GitHub
Bottom line: Runs quietly. The reason Moonlight is still the reference streaming client in 2026.
7. GeForce NOW — Best cloud fallback for kernel-anti-cheat holdouts
GeForce NOW is NVIDIA’s cloud gaming service, and it runs games we already own on Steam, Epic, Battle.net, and Xbox PC. Kernel anti-cheat runs on the NVIDIA-hosted Windows VM, so from our end we see a browser tab.
Where it falls short: requires the paid Performance or Ultimate tier for RTX and longer sessions. Some publishers (Ubisoft, historically) pull their catalogue in and out unpredictably.
Pricing:
- Free: Free tier with a queue and 60-minute sessions
- Paid: Performance around $10/mo, Ultimate around $20/mo
Platforms: Linux (browser), Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Download: GeForce NOW official site
Bottom line: The one path that plays kernel-anti-cheat multiplayer on Linux legitimately. Subscription cost is real; latency, in most markets, is not.
How to pick the right one
- We just installed Linux and want most of our library: Steam + Proton-GE via ProtonUp-Qt. Lutris and Heroic cover the rest.
- A game refuses to run on any Proton build: Bottles for a Windows install, or Moonlight from a Windows host.
- The game has kernel-level anti-cheat that blocks Linux entirely: GeForce NOW. Nothing local will fix it.
- We want to preview compatibility before we buy: cross-check ProtonDB and AreWeAntiCheatYet before adding anything.
FAQ
What is kernel-level anti-cheat? Kernel-level anti-cheat runs as an OS driver with the same privileges as the operating system. Vanguard, Ricochet, EasyAntiCheat in kernel mode, BattlEye, and Denuvo Anti-Cheat all fit this pattern. On Linux, these drivers cannot load at all.
Can Proton run EasyAntiCheat or BattlEye games? Sometimes. Both middleware providers ship Linux-compatible modes that publishers can opt into. Epic Games maintains a public list of titles that have flipped the switch.
Is GeForce NOW legal for anti-cheat games? Yes. It streams a legitimate Windows environment where the anti-cheat driver runs normally. Publishers usually list explicitly whether they allow GeForce NOW.
Why did For Honor stop working on Linux? Ubisoft rolled out an anti-cheat update in 2025 that requires a driver Proton cannot load. The refund story XDA reported was a customer-support outcome, not a policy change.
Should I dual-boot Windows just for these games? Only if we play them daily. For occasional matches, Moonlight from a low-power Windows box or GeForce NOW is less painful than maintaining a second OS partition.
