Train Simulator: How to Run with Proton (Linux)

On the steam client, go to the menu bar and select “Steam”, then “Settings” and then click the “Steam Play” section.
Check the “enable steam play for all titles”, this will allow steam to run train simulator on Linux.

Getting train simulator to work with proton can be tricky at times. Proton is constantly under development, and can change rapidly. In that same menu as above, select your proton build. The current stable build is *usually* the most reliable. However, proton updates can break games. As of this guide (16APR2022), you need to select Proton 5.13-6 to get the best performance.

You can launch TS now, but if you do you’ll find you won’t be able to actually play any routes, the menu will just freeze. This is because on windows, train simulator extracts the .ap files as you play. That isn’t an option on Linux. So open a terminal window and type the following:

cd ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/RailWorks; find . -name “*.ap” -execdir unzip ‘{}’ ‘;’

This works by changing directory to the folder where train simulator is; then finding any files with a .ap and extracting them in that folder. You’ll need to do this each time you get a new addon, as Steam (and third party I believe) will just install the .ap files, so you’ll need to extract them.

Congrats! TS now works!!!

P.S. TS still has issues on Linux, water typically won’t render or will render horribly, and performance is lessened. I’d recommend turning off dynamic lighting immediately, and you’ll probably need to tinker with graphics settings as needed. It can be a bit wonky, but being able to drive a steam locomotive is worth it 🙂