Linux and Proton
Of the seven rows on the platform board, this is the only one where the studio did not hedge. It told players who bought expecting Proton to ask for their money back.
“We cannot commit to having Linux support for our Early Access launch. So please, refund the game if you mistakenly bought it thinking you would be able to run Linux via Proton…”
Pinned developer post in Steam discussions — UPDATE: Linux Compatibility
What follows from it
- Desktop Linux: the store page lists Windows only, and the studio says it does not officially support Linux and cannot commit to Proton support for the Early Access launch.
- SteamOS and the Deck: both run Windows titles through Proton, so they inherit the same answer, and Valve now rates the game Unsupported on the Deck. The Deck page covers that rating.
- Later in Early Access: the same post says the studio is still working on Proton compatibility and will update its stance once that is confirmed. It calls that a goal; it is not a date or a commitment.
Why some players expected it to work
The post gives two reasons. Some earlier alpha and beta tests happened to run on Linux, which the studio calls happenstance rather than support. And a community manager’s message in the official Discord was screenshotted and posted to a Linux subreddit as though it were the official position, which the post says has not changed since before release.
The post gives no technical reason for the lack of support, so any explanation you read, anti-cheat included, is inference. What the studio has said about anti-cheat is on the anti-cheat page.
If you already bought it
The refund route is Steam’s standard one. The studio has encouraged refunds for players the game does not suit, in the pinned post above and in its pre-order announcement. See Steam announcement — Pre-Order Now That encouragement does not change Valve’s conditions: a request inside 14 days of purchase and under two hours of playtime is refunded for any reason, and one outside them is left to Valve’s discretion.