How to play The Long Dark on Linux
The Long Dark is an FPS survival video game developed and published by Hinterland Studios. The game was released on Linux, Windows, MacOS, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Here’s how to play it on your Linux desktop or laptop.
Getting The Long Dark working on Linux
The Long Dark is a native Linux game. However, the Proton version works better on Linux. To use the Proton version of The Long Dark on Linux, you need to install the Steam client.
To set up the Steam client on Linux, open up a terminal window. You can open up a terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or by searching for “Terminal” in the app menu.
Once the terminal is open, the installation can begin. Using the instructions below, set up the Steam app on Linux.
Ubuntu
If you use Ubuntu, you’ll be able to get the Steam app working using the following apt install command.
sudo apt install steam
Debian
On Debian, you’ll need to download the latest Steam DEB package to your computer to install it. You can download the newest version of Steam to your computer using the wget download command.
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steam.deb
After downloading the latest release of Steam to your Debian system, you can install it using the dpkg command below.
sudo dpkg -i steam.deb
With the Steam DEB package configured on your system, you’ll need to correct any dependency issues that occurred during the installation of the package. To do that, run the following apt-get install -f command.
sudo apt-get install -f
Arch Linux
Steam is available for Arch Linux users; however, you’ll first need to enable the “multilib” software repo. To do that, open up the /etc/pacman.conf file in a text editor (as root).
Once the text file is open, find “multilib” and remove the # symbol from in front of the first and second lines. Save and close the editor when done. Then, run the pacman -Syy command.
sudo pacman -Syy
Finally, install Steam using the pacman -S command.
sudo pacman -S steam
Fedora/OpenSUSE
If you’re on Fedora Linux or OpenSUSE Linux, the Steam app is available through software repositories included within your operating system. However, the Flatpak version of Steam works better on these OSes, so we suggest following those instructions instead.
Flatpak
To get Steam working as a Flatpak, you must first enable the Flatpak runtime. You can enable it by following our setup guide. Once the Flatpak runtime is set up, enter the two commands below to install Steam.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam
With the Steam app installed on your computer, open it up and log into your account. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions below to get The Long Dark working on Linux.
Step 1: Open up the “Steam” menu inside of the Steam app to access the Steam menu area. Then, find the “Settings” button, and click on it to open up the Steam settings area.
Inside the Steam menu, select the “Steam Play” section, and check all three boxes available on the page. Then, set the Proton version to “Experimental”. Click “OK” to confirm your settings.
Step 2: Find the “Store” button in the Steam app, and click on it to access the Steam store. Select the search box, and type in “The Long Dark.” Press the Enter key to view the Steam store search results.
Step 3: Look through the search results for “The Long Dark” and click on it to access the game’s Steam store page. Once you’ve selected The Long Dark’s Steam store page, look for the green “Add to cart” button.
Select “Add to cart” to add The Long Dark to your Steam cart. Then, click on the Steam cart to purchase The Long Dark for your computer.
Step 4: Find the “Library” button inside of Steam and select it to access your Steam games library. Then, search through your Steam library for “The Long Dark.”
Right-click on “The Long Dark,” and select “Properties” in the right-click menu. Then, select the “Compatibility” option and check the “Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.”
Step 5: Ensure that the “Compatibility” drop-down menu is set to “Proton Experimental.” Then, close the right-click menu, and select the blue “INSTALL” button to download and install The Long Dark on Linux.
Step 6: Once The Long Dark is done installing on your Linux PC, the blue “INSTALL” button will become a green “PLAY” button. Click on the “PLAY” button to start up the game on your Linux PC.
