Sensible sorting for compatibility tools
As soon as Steam selects a compatibility version for Steam Play, it starts downloading it and its dependencies. I had to stop the download, change the default compatibility tool to whatever version I want for default, then I have to uninstall the unwanted version every time I need to install Steam. This very same thing also applies to the game specific setups too. I think it would be nice to have it blank and warn the user to select one, instead of defaulting any option in there.
This really does need to get revised. For 90% of games Proton Hotfix is hot steaming garbage (since it's only updated for emergency builds) and I don't want it permanently living on my drive and taking up space. Proton builds are fairly heavy (Hotfix is 1.3GB!) and I'd rather have that space for storage.
This issue has become more problematic with the release of Proton 10.
Both in the global compatibility settings and the game-specific ones the list seems to be naively sorted character by character. Proton 10 is placed at the bottom of the list, giving the wrong impression that Proton 9.0-4 is the latest stable version:
If you won't implement some special sorting, at least sort by appid (descending) instead of alpha?
It's not ideal (Experimental will be somewhere in the middle), but 10 will be on top, or whatever next beta/RC.
Additional suggestions:
- indicate the installed state (e.g. with icons in the dropdown, or grey out uninstalled versions)
- indicate the Valve-tested / Deck-verified version (if any). Users don't know this information is hidden behind the little ⓘ icon
There are going to be a lot more unintentional Hotfix users with the upcoming Steam hardware.
I just found Proton 10 under Proton 3, and told it to 2 other friends. Both thanked me, so i assume 0/3 users i know (me + 2 friends) managed to find Proton 10 until now.
I suggest adding a "virtual" entry called Proton Stable, which automatically selects the newest stable Proton version recommended by Valve so no ordinary user has to touch the settings manually.
This ensures that users don't get stuck on an old Proton version because most users will never touch these settings (default effect). It also ensures that even if the sorting is broken users remain unaffected.
Of course selecting other Proton versions should still be possible, but Proton Stable should be default for all (old and new) Steam installations.
I also agree with the negative opinion on Proton Hotfix, as one of my friends believed Proton Hotfix to be superior to Proton Experimental, and Proton Experimental to be superior to Proton 9, as both are ranked higher than Proton 9. I think the sorting should be like this:
- Proton Stable
- Proton Experimantal
- Proton 10..3
- Proton Hotfix
Proton versions
proton hotfixx3 2026-04proton experimentalx1 2026-04proton 9.0-4x1 2026-02
Upstream links
- ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/8854x1 2025-06
- ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/6870x1 2025-06
Currently, when you check "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool", Proton Hotfix is automatically selected and immediately starts downloading in the background.
Suggest sorting the latest stable version on top, followed by beta/RCs, Experimental, Hotfix, then any custom builds.
This would help prevent the unintentional downloading of Hotfix:
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/6870#issuecomment-2520350429
And avoid giving users the wrong impression that Hotfix is the "default":
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/8854#issuecomment-3006711939
Hotfix sounds like a good thing and less scary than Experimental. Users can't be expected to know that Proton Hotfix is not recommended for general use, especially when it's at the top of the list.
Global search of Steam discussions reveals countless users mistakenly using Hotfix:
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/search/?q=proton+hotfix
Game devs also unwittingly recommend Hotfix:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/3956320/announcements/detail/523109775233254922
On average, ~100% of Hotfix users are using it in error because of this thoughtless UI.