I'm running Arch Linux with Hyprland, and I'd like to play some free indie games from Steam without installing or running the full Steam client.

I'm looking for a CLI-only solution that can download, install, launch, and update Steam games without the Steam GUI, background client processes, automatic client updates, or unnecessary dependencies.

Is there any supported way to do this on Arch Linux? I've heard of tools like DepotDownloader and SteamCMD, but I'm not sure whether they can handle free-to-play games and games that require a Steam account or DRM.

I'm specifically interested in legitimate solutions that work with my own Steam account and owned games. I don't need the full Steam library or multiplayer support; I just want a minimal way to play compatible indie games.

What are my options?

Hi all, if you want an invite for Valve's Deadlock, drop a comment with your Steam profile for me to add, then I'll send along an invite for you.

Edit: Locked so I can go through them all.

Looking to get my son a keyboard and mouse that will connect to his android phone (galaxy s25 FE) via Bluetooth so he can play games on his phone like Roblox Fortnite with a keyboard instead of on the phone itself

I built Proton-Autogen to make running Windows apps with Proton easier on Linux — v3.3.9 is out

If you're new to Linux, you've probably heard of Proton as the compatibility layer that lets Steam run Windows games on Linux.

But Proton can also be useful outside Steam.

The problem is that using Proton for a standalone .exe can quickly become confusing: prefixes, compatibility tools, environment variables, paths, launch options, etc.

That's the problem I'm trying to solve with Proton-Autogen.

Instead of being another full game launcher, Proton-Autogen is designed to automate the setup and execution of Windows applications through Proton (with Wine as a fallback).

The idea is simple:

Windows application → Proton-Autogen → Proton/Wine → application

You can use it from the command line or through a graphical interface, create and manage application profiles, handle prefixes, import existing configurations, and integrate applications with the Linux desktop.

I've been developing it for quite a while now, and v3.3.9 is an important milestone for the project.

This release is less about adding flashy features and more about making the project feel like a real, maintainable Linux application: improved runtime handling, profiles, importing, diagnostics, testing, packaging and desktop integration.

It is available as a Flatpak and through packages for several Linux distributions.

I'm not claiming that Proton-Autogen replaces Lutris, Bottles, Heroic or other established projects. They solve overlapping problems in different ways.

What I'm trying to explore is a simpler question:

What if Proton could be treated as a general-purpose Windows application runtime on Linux, rather than something that only belongs inside Steam?

I'd really like feedback from Linux users, especially people who are still relatively new to this ecosystem.

What would make a tool like this genuinely useful to you?

GitHub: https://github.com/N3oRay/proton-autogen

Release: https://github.com/N3oRay/proton-autogen/releases/tag/v3.3.9