Guides / After installation
Work through system updates, graphics, Steam, Proton, controllers, storage and basic troubleshooting to establish a useful first-game setup.
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Get one game working before adding extras · 1. Update through your distro’s own tools · 2. Check graphics drivers · 3. Open or install Steam · 4. Understand Steam Play and Proton · 5. Add non-Steam launchers when needed · 6. Test controllers and audio · 7. Choose a supported storage location · 8. Test a complete game session · 9. Use performance tools deliberately · 10. Troubleshoot in a useful order · Your first setup is ready when… · Related reading
Get one game working before adding extras
A useful first setup is small: update the system, confirm graphics, install or open Steam, test a game, then test the controller and audio. Add another launcher or performance tool when it solves a specific need. Keep track of each change so troubleshooting remains manageable.
1. Update through your distro’s own tools
Bazzite updates its core image; Nobara has a project-specific updater; Mint provides graphical package updates; CachyOS uses Arch-style package updates; SteamOS integrates system updating into its gaming experience. Follow the matching guide rather than running a command written for a different system.
Read the relevant profile: Bazzite, Nobara, Linux Mint, CachyOS or SteamOS. Reboot when the system requires it before diagnosing a problem against software that has not yet taken effect.
2. Check graphics drivers
Identify the exact GPU and use the distro’s documented driver route. Driver Manager is Mint’s starting point; prepared images and hardware-detection tools use different approaches. Do not install a random driver script simply because a game is slow. Mint Driver Manager
On a hybrid laptop, check which GPU renders the game and which output drives the display. If something fails, record the driver and kernel versions along with the game and session type. The Hardware hub organizes these checks.
3. Open or install Steam
Check whether Steam is supplied before installing a second copy. Use your distro’s recommended application route: a native package and a Flatpak are different installations of the same application. Sign in, choose a game you have already checked for compatibility, and let its required downloads finish before adding optional tools.
4. Understand Steam Play and Proton
Proton is the compatibility software used by Steam to run Windows games on Linux. Valve recommends Steam’s supplied Proton for most users. Start with that route; investigate a particular version only when a current game-specific source gives a reason. Valve Proton
See Understanding Proton for versions and limits. A custom build is not a mandatory upgrade, and unsupported anti-cheat is not automatically fixed by changing it.
5. Add non-Steam launchers when needed
Decide which store or game needs another launcher. Heroic, Lutris and other tools have different roles and installation routes. Bazzite supplies Lutris and documents additional options; CachyOS offers gaming package groups. Follow the appropriate distro guide and check current game/store requirements. Bazzite software, CachyOS gaming
6. Test controllers and audio
Test the controller in the game, including prompts, vibration and any features you rely on. Check wired and wireless modes separately if you use both. Confirm the selected audio output, microphone and headset. Extra controller software should address a specific unsupported feature rather than being installed by default for every device.
7. Choose a supported storage location
Choose a game-library location with sufficient space and a filesystem supported by the distro and launcher. Keep personal saves backed up separately. Bazzite does not support Windows NTFS libraries as its gaming-storage configuration, so do not assume an existing Windows library can be reused unchanged. Bazzite storage guidance
Before formatting a drive, identify its contents and backup. An OS rollback is not a substitute for recovering files erased from a game or data drive.
8. Test a complete game session
- Launch a compatibility-checked game and play the mode you need.
- Check controls, audio, video playback and the display settings you intend to use.
- Save, exit and relaunch to check that progress is available.
- Record the game, store, date, driver and compatibility version before making changes.
A successful launch is the start of a check. Use Game Compatibility to keep the result specific to the features you actually tried.
9. Use performance tools deliberately
MangoHud displays performance information; Gamescope manages a game display session. Their availability and integration differ by distro. Start without extra overlays and launch options unless the distro supplies them as part of its normal session. Make one change, repeat the same test and record the result before calling it an improvement.
10. Troubleshoot in a useful order
Record the exact game, store, error and recent changes. Check the compatibility workflow. Confirm updates and the selected GPU, then return unnecessary custom launch options to their previous state. Use current distro and game documentation for the remaining symptom.
Separate “does not launch,” “multiplayer is blocked,” “controller is missing” and “performance is poor.” They are different problems. When asking for help, include the distro version, GPU, driver, Proton version where used and what you have already tried. Remove account details or other private information from logs before sharing them.
Your first setup is ready when…
You can return to a working game, use the controls and audio you need, and describe how the system updates and recovers. Add more software when a real need appears; there is no required collection of tweaks.
Related reading
- Understanding Proton — learn the compatibility tools before changing them.
- Game Compatibility — separate unsupported modes from setup problems.
- Hardware — check device features and driver requirements.