How To Run VR Games With Proton Without Steam DRM On Monado

How To Run VR Games With Proton Without Steam DRM On Monado #

There are only a handful games that I know of VR that natively target Linux VR:

  • OpenSaber
  • Basis
  • Overte
  • Minecraft XR
  • QuakeVR
  • (please extend)

If you ever wanted to play more VR games without installing steam and launching your game through that, you were out of luck.

But now there is a way to run VR games from sites like Itch.io and GOG.com which are DRM free, but often are only compiled for Windows:

Using umu-launcher together with a registry key edit, enable windows VR games to be launched through Proton.

For this to work you must install umu-launcher from your package manager and manually enter the registry key with this command:

umu-run regedit.exe

The key being:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-652184699-4063250528-1000-1000\Software\Wine\VR]
"openvr_vulkan_instance_extensions"="VK_KHR_external_memory_capabilities VK_KHR_get_physical_device_properties2 VK_KHR_external_semaphore_capabilities"
"openxr_vulkan_device_extensions"="VK_KHR_external_memory VK_KHR_external_semaphore VK_KHR_dedicated_allocation VK_KHR_get_memory_requirements2 VK_KHR_external_memory_fd VK_KHR_external_semaphore_fd"
"openxr_vulkan_instance_extensions"="VK_KHR_external_memory_capabilities VK_KHR_get_physical_device_properties2 VK_KHR_external_semaphore_capabilities"
"PROTON_VR_RUNTIME"="/home/USER/.local/share/envision/06f753a9-f486-4925-8968-25f015bd71fa/xrizer/target/release"
"state"=dword:00000001

Please adjust PROTON_VR_RUNTIME path to your actual xrizer/opencomposite path.

After having set this, simply run your game like this:

PRESSURE_VESSEL_FILESYSTEMS_RW="$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/wivrn_comp_ipc:$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/wivrn/comp_ipc:$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/monado_comp_ipc" umu-run YOUR_GAME.exe

Games That Work With This #

  • AnthroHeat (unity based)
  • (please extend)

Games That DO NOT Work With This, Yet #

  • RoxyVR (unreal based)
  • OpenSaber Windows build (godot based)
  • (please extend)

Now we have one less big proprietary blob and can run much more games on a fully FOSS VR stack!!

Notes: #

  • Nothing is stopping you from using this idea with lutris or heroic games launcher or even using just wine, instead of proton with umu-launcher.
  • Certainly you can get more games working by adding more openxr/openvr extensions to these registry keys. (Please update extensions if you do get more games working 🙏)