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GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition on Linux/Steam Deck - Guide

#tooling #tutorial #linux

Starting GTA Vice City Next Edition on Linux - Complete Guide

Quick Reference for Experienced Users

  1. Install game with GE-Proton10-15
  2. Add to Lutris with Wine runner
  3. First launch: wine-ge-8-26 + d3d9 override (will error but properly creates prefix)
  4. Second launch: wine-10.16-staging + d3d9 override (will work)
  5. Install "Better Handling" and "Sprint Inside Interiors" mods
  6. Set all graphics to Low
  7. Backup saves from: ~/gtavcne/0_pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Rockstar Games/GTA VC/savegames

When to Use This Guide

This guide will help if you're experiencing:

  • Black screen or instant crash (but splash/menu/loading screens work)
  • Black screen crash after 5-10 seconds with no splash screen
  • Instant crash on loading screen
  • Instant crash during/after intro cut scenes
  • Splash screen appears but menu crashes instantly
  • Missing "ENB series" splash screen on startup
  • Any combination of the above issues
  • Official instructions are unclear or don't work

Requirements for Successful Launch

Successful Launch Conditions

  • Official game distribution from developers
  • NO PATCH needed - V1.2.7 patch can actually cause performance issues
  • Compatibility layer: Wine and Proton (via Lutris - strongly recommended)
  • d3d9 override: Must use game's own d3d9.dll via WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3d9=n"
  • dsound override NOT needed - Contrary to official instructions, WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dsound=n,b" disables sound completely in my testing
  • First start with wine-ge-8, second with wine-10.16-staging

Why Lutris is Strongly Recommended

Even if Lutris seems unfamiliar to you, use it:

  • It's light, easy, GUI, quick, automated, has both Wine and Proton, lets quickly switch between them/their versions
  • It often has better compatibility and success rates than vanilla Steam Proton
  • Built-in MangoHud integration (FPS counter, performance monitoring)
  • Effortless, explicit and efficient choice of used graphics card in GUI game settings

CRITICAL: Wine Version Requirements

WARNING: The game requires a specific two-step Wine configuration:

  1. First launch must use wine-ge-8-26 (or similar wine-8.x version)

    • This creates the Wine prefix correctly, while the game gives the error "GTA IV FATAL ERROR: Invalid resource detected - Please re-install the game", it's OK for this time
    • If you skip this step, Wine 10 will delete the prefix folder

  2. After successful prefix creation, switch to wine-10.16-staging

    • This is needed for the game to actually run
    • Launched under Wine 8 again, the game will give the above error endlessly

Why this happens: Unknown RAGE engine quirk. But it works reliably and repeatably.

Proton Does NOT Work for This Game

  • proton ge 10 gives crash on start with rockstar logo
  • proton ge 9 gives crash on start without rockstar logo
  • proton 9.0 beta gives crash on start with rockstar logo shown in wrong aspect ratio
  • proton experimental hangs on "launching" state
  • proton 10.0 gives crash on start with rockstar logo shown in wrong aspect ratio
  • proton hotfix gives crash on start with rockstar logo shown in wrong aspect ratio
  • GE-proton(latest) gives crash on start with rockstar logo

USE WINE, NOT PROTON. This behavior is consistent whether launching from Lutris or Steam.

Part 1: Setting Up Lutris and Wine

Step 1: Install Lutris 

sudo pacman -S lutris
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Step 2: Initial Lutris Setup

  1. Launch Lutris

  2. It will auto-install dependencies (you'll see progress bar bottom-left)

    • This includes Lutris-patched Wine versions (separate from system Wine)
    • Installs to ~/.local/share/lutris/runners by default

  3. Make sure you have both:

    • wine-ge-8-26-x86_64 (or similar wine-8.x)
    • wine-10.16-staging-amd64-wow64-X86_64 (or similar wine-10.x)

If these aren't installed automatically:

  • Go to Lutris → Preferences → Runners → Wine
  • Click the download icon next to the versions you need

Part 2: Installing the Game

Step 1: Prepare Installation Directory 

# Create main game folder (choose location with enough space)
mkdir ~/gtavcne

# Create Wine prefix subfolder
mkdir ~/gtavcne/0_pfx
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Step 2: Add Installer to Lutris

  1. Click "+" button in Lutris → "Add locally installed game"

  2. Configure installer entry:

    • Name: vcne-installer (or whatever you prefer)
    • Runner: Wine
    • Wine version: GE-Proton10-15 or similar (not clean Wine)

    WARNING: clean Wine will give empty/black installer window. Use GE-Proton for installation only, then switch to Wine for gameplay

  3. Switch to "Game Options" tab:

    • Executable: Path to vcNE_setup.exe
    • Wine prefix: ~/gtavcne/0_pfx

  4. Click "Save"

Step 3: Run Installation

  1. Launch the installer from Lutris

  2. Choose installation target in Windows notation: ~/gtavcne (or your chosen location)

  3. Wait for unpacking to complete

    • If installer can't see your disk, install elsewhere then move the folder

  4. DO NOT install the patch (v1.2.7)

    • It pulls FusionFix as a dependency which damages performance

  5. DO NOT launch the game from installer - click "Complete" instead

  6. Backup the clean installation:

   cp -r ~/gtavcne ~/gtavcne-backup
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This is extremely useful for troubleshooting. Delete later when stable.

Part 3: Configuring and Launching the Game

The Critical Configuration

Key requirements:

  1. Use Wine (not Proton)
  2. Override d3d9.dll and check if DXVK enabled (should be by default)
  3. Start with wine-ge-8-26 to create prefix
  4. Switch to wine-10.16 for actual gameplay

Step 1: Add Game to Lutris

  1. Click "+" → "Add locally installed game"

  2. Configure game entry:

Game Info Tab:

  • Name: GTA Vice City Next Edition

Game Options Tab:

  • Runner: Wine
  • Executable: ~/gtavcne/LaunchGTAIV.exe
  • Wine prefix: ~/gtavcne/0_pfx

Runner Options Tab:

  • Wine version: Select wine-ge-8-26-x86_64 (for first launch)
  • Enable DXVK: Must be checked, should be ON by default

System Options Tab:

  • DLL overrides:

    1. Click "Add"
    2. Key: d3d9
    3. Value: n

    This forces Wine to use the d3d9.dll inside the game folder

  • Show MangoHud overlay: Check this for FPS counter (optional)

    • If unavailable, install MangoHud: sudo pacman -S mangohud and restart Lutris

For laptops with NVIDIA GPU:

  • Go to System Options tab
  • Find "Discrete GPU" → Select your NVIDIA card
  1. Click "Save"

Step 2: First Launch (Wine Prefix Creation)

  1. Launch the game from Lutris with wine-ge-8-26

  2. You'll see: "GTA IV FATAL ERROR: Invalid resource detected - Please re-install the game"

THIS IS EXPECTED! The prefix was created successfully

  1. Close the error

Step 3: Switch to Wine 10

  1. Right-click the game in Lutris → Configure

  2. Go to Runner Options tab

  3. Change Wine version to: wine-10.16-staging-amd64-wow64-X86_64

  4. Save

Step 4: Successful Launch

  1. Run the game from Lutris again

  2. Success indicators:

    • You should see "ENB series" splash screen
    • Rockstar logo appears
    • Initial cutscenes render properly (not black)
    • Game graphics display correctly

Note:

  • Game may crash after helicopter cutscene - just restart if this happens
  • Skipping cutscenes too quickly can cause crashes - let them play a bit

Essential Mods for Playability

1. Better Handling for GTA VC NE (CRITICAL)

WITHOUT THIS MOD, CARS ARE NEARLY UNCONTROLLABLE.

Install from the mod's folder or website to make vehicles drivable. This mod replaces just one file.

2. Sprint Inside Interiors (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

WITHOUT THIS MOD, YOU CANNOT USE TAPE-SAVING FEATURE INSIDE BUILDINGS.

This dramatically improves gameplay quality of life. This mod replaces just 5 files.

Installation

Both mods should have installation instructions in their folders. Generally:

  1. Copy mod files to game directory
  2. Merge with existing files if prompted

Performance Optimization

Enable FPS Counter (MangoHud)

Already covered in Step 1 above - just tick "Show MangoHud overlay" in System Options.

For advanced customization, create/edit ~/.config/MangoHud/MangoHud.conf:

position=top-right
font_size=10
fps
frametime
cpu_temp
gpu_temp
cpu_power
gpu_power
gpu_load
cpu_load
ram
vram
background_alpha=0.0
alpha=0.3
frame_timing=1
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Low FPS / Stuttering Issues

Symptoms: 25-35 FPS with severe stuttering (long frametimes), especially on:

  • Laptops with NVIDIA GPUs below GTX 1000 series
  • Older/mid-range hardware

Solutions (in order of priority):

  1. Set everything to "Low" in graphics settings - CRITICAL

This game's graphics settings are extremely demanding. Set ALL options to LOW for playable performance.

In-game settings: Graphics → Set everything to Low/Off where possible

  1. Lower Shadow Quality specifically

Shadows are the biggest performance killer. Set to Low (provides huge improvement).

  1. DO NOT install the V1.2.7 patch

The patch can actually worsen performance (FusionFix component). If already installed, restore from your backup.

  1. Lower Resolution

Try 1600x900 or 1280x720 if you're at 1920x1080.
In-game settings: Graphics → Resolution

Note: Lower resolutions cause the game to start in borderless window mode.
Fix: Minimize the game, then click on its window again to stretch fullscreen.

  1. Do NOT use commandline.txt

The commandline.txt file is useless for this instance. Don't modify it.

Expected results after optimization: 45-60+ FPS with smooth frametimes

Troubleshooting

Resolution/Window Issues

Problem: After lowering resolution, game starts in borderless window instead of fullscreen.

Solution:

  1. Minimize the game (Alt+Tab or Super key)
  2. Click on the game window to focus it again
  3. It will stretch to fullscreen

Save Game Backups

Your saves are located at:

~/gtavcne/0_pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Rockstar Games/GTA VC/savegames
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Cutscene Crashes

  • Don't skip cutscenes too quickly
  • Let them play for at least a few seconds before skipping
  • If crash occurs, just restart the game

Final Notes

Now your only challenge will be the incompatibility between GTA: Vice City and GTA IV mission playstyles/balance, not launching the game.

Tested Environment

This guide was tested on:

  • OS: EndeavourOS
  • Kernel: 6.17.7-arch1-1
  • Lutris: lutris-0.5.19
  • Wine (Lutris): wine-ge-8-26-x86_64, wine-10.16-staging-amd64-wow64-X86_64
  • Proton-GE: GE-Proton10-15, GE-Proton9-27
  • DXVK: lib32-vulkan-icd-loader 1.4.328.1-1
  • MangoHud: v0.8.1

To get your system info, run this command:

echo "OS: $(cat /etc/os-release | grep PRETTY_NAME | cut -d'"' -f2)" && \
echo "Kernel: $(uname -r)" && \
echo "Lutris: $(lutris --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'not installed')" && \
echo "Wine (Lutris): $(ls ~/.local/share/lutris/runners/wine/ 2>/dev/null | grep -E 'lutris|wine' | tail -1 || echo 'not found')" && \
echo "Proton-GE: $(ls ~/.steam/root/compatibilitytools.d/ 2>/dev/null | grep -i proton | tail -2 || echo 'not found')" && \
echo "DXVK: $(pacman -Q dxvk-bin 2>/dev/null || pacman -Q lib32-vulkan-icd-loader 2>/dev/null || echo 'check via Lutris')" && \
echo "MangoHud: $(mangohud --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'not installed')"
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