The Steam Deck Continues to Improve: News on Proton Experimental

If you own a Steam Deck or play on Linux, you know that Valve never stops. Recently, on December 11, 2025, a new update for Proton Experimental was released, bringing crucial fixes and expanding the library of compatible games.

The highlight this time goes to the action RPG Secrets of Grindea, but the list of improvements includes popular titles like ARC Raiders and The Finals. Let's dive into the details of this update and see what has changed for your library.

### Secrets of Grindea: Finally Fixed

For fans of retro RPGs, Secrets of Grindea is a gem, but it was suffering from an annoying issue on the Steam Deck: text input. Anyone who has tried to name a character or use the chat in games without proper support knows the headache it causes.

The new Proton Experimental update specifically solved the text input error in Secrets of Grindea, making the experience much smoother and more playable on Valve's handheld.

### New Playable Games

Besides fixing what already existed, Valve's compatibility layer now allows you to run new titles that previously had critical problems. Now, the following games are considered playable:

* Girls' Frontline
* Distant Worlds 2
* Chronology
* Modules

If you had any of these on your wishlist or your library "gathering dust," now is the time to install and test them.

### Important Fixes for ARC Raiders and The Finals

Visually intensive and competitive games also received attention. Both ARC Raiders and The Finals suffered from a bizarre visual bug that displayed black blocks in dialogue windows.

The update eliminated these graphical artifacts, cleaning up the interface and ensuring you can read the game information without visual obstructions.

### Other Technical Improvements and Bug Fixes

The list of fixes in this update is extensive and covers several niches:

* Wine Mono: Updated to version 10.4.0.
* Mystery Manor: Hidden Objects: Fixed an issue where nothing was displayed when using Gamescope.
* Crystal of Atlan: Fixed the account switching error under Gamescope.
* Adventures Of Fluzz: The game no longer displays the erroneous "No Device" window, which made it unplayable.
* Figmin XR: The in-game browser now works correctly.
* Transcendence: Fix for music playback.
* Revolver360 Re:Actor: Fixed the crash that occurred when using the keyboard.

### How to Use Proton Experimental on the Steam Deck

If you want to take advantage of these fixes right away, you need to make sure you are using the "Experimental" version of Proton. It's very simple:

1. On your Steam Deck, go to your Library.
2. Use the search bar and type "Proton Experimental".
3. Install it (or check if there is a pending update in the Downloads tab).
4. To force a specific game to use this version: Go to the game's Properties > Compatibility > Check the box and select Proton Experimental.

### Conclusion

Valve continues to demonstrate an incredible commitment to the Linux and Steam Deck community. Specific fixes like the one for Secrets of Grindea show that even smaller indie games receive attention, while support for larger titles like The Finals ensures that the Deck remains a viable machine for multiplayer.

Did you have problems with any of these games recently? Are you going to test the new features? Let us know in the comments!

Veja mais artigos como The Steam Deck Continues to Improve: News on Proton Experimental na categoria Games.