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Jakob Fel 5 Aug @ 1:23am
Can Steam backups be ported from Windows to Linux?
Exactly as the title says. I'm switching my PC to Linux this October and part of the reason why I've delayed until the last minute is the game installs. My internet isn't the fastest in the world so it'll be a major pain to reinstall everything, so I was just curious if I could make backups with Steam, throw those backups onto an external drive, and then restore them once I install Linux.

Also, if this plan would work, would it also be feasible for porting over my mod lists on my Bethesda games or will I have to manually reinstall everything on that front either way?

Thanks for any replies/advice.
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Teksura 5 Aug @ 2:40am 
Generally no, as they tend to be different versions. If you could simply take a Windows application and always run it on Linux, then we wouldn't need Linux compatible versions.
#1
Jakob Fel 10 hours ago 
Originally posted by Teksura:
Generally no, as they tend to be different versions. If you could simply take a Windows application and always run it on Linux, then we wouldn't need Linux compatible versions.

Nah, I understand that, but a lot of games run via Proton which means the program itself is built for Windows. In cases of a game that runs through Proton, wouldn't it be feasible to package up the game and its mods as a backup and port it over? That's what I mean when I ask this question. I know some games have native Linux builds and in cases like that, I definitely knew it wouldn't be possible to port over the backups like that.
#2
tintingaroo 7 hours ago 
Originally posted by Jakob Fel:
make backups with Steam, throw those backups onto an external drive, and then restore them once I install Linux.
This is fine for the games.
For titles that have both a Windows build and Linux build you'd first enable 'Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool' (right-click the game in your Steam Library > Properties > Compatibility) before doing the restore.
There can be other associated downloads when you restore (e.g. Proton stuff, shader stuff) but you should be good for the actual game.

Mods look like another story.
#3
Jakob Fel 7 hours ago 
Originally posted by tintingaroo:
Originally posted by Jakob Fel:
make backups with Steam, throw those backups onto an external drive, and then restore them once I install Linux.
This is fine for the games.
For titles that have both a Windows build and Linux build you'd first enable 'Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool' (right-click the game in your Steam Library > Properties > Compatibility) before doing the restore.
There can be other associated downloads when you restore (e.g. Proton stuff, shader stuff) but you should be good for the actual game.

Mods look like another story.

Hmm that's what I was afraid of. The mod issue is my number one concern since I'll have to manually redownload, reinstall and reconfigure all of them, which can be hit-or-miss when working with existing saves and I strongly doubt I'd be able to complete both my current Skyrim and Fallout 4 runs before October.

I appreciate the info on the games themselves, though!
#4
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Date Posted: 5 Aug @ 1:23am
Posts: 4
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