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Installing GOG Games via CLI (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Harisfromcyber@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Hey all,

I have been searching online for this question, but was not able to get a solid answer. Is there a way/playbook for installing proton (regular and GE), setting prefixes, installing the GOG game, all over CLI?

The closest thing I found to this was maybe https://github.com/Open-Wine-Components/umu-launcher, which I saw mentioned in https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Game_launchers.

This question is more of me trying to learn more about game configuration on Linux over command-line rather than just relying on Steam, Lutris, Heroic, to do all the hard work for me. Any suggestions for this would be highly appreciated.

Edit: I would like to do this without https://sites.google.com/site/gogdownloader/, if possible.

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[-] moonpiedumplings@programming.dev 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I used to use innoextract to extract the launchers, and the the system wine to run it. Although sometimes I have to run extra installers that put dlls in the right spots.

You should probably just run the installer in lutris (which ships a proton distributution) or bottles.

Edit: I can't read smh my head.

Check this out: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/2b116519c5b67254733234f36ab33a60f14f1358/WineDependencies.md

[-] Harisfromcyber@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks! So I would just set up Wine according to this, configure the prefixes and then run the game?

On another note, It just hit me that Proton was Valve's version of wine (from my understanding). I'll definitely give this a shot. Thanks moonpie!

[-] verdare@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago

So, this isn’t really an answer to your post, but I felt it important to bring this up. I’ve bought a lot of games on GOG and don’t plan to be giving them any more money in the future. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

[-] smeg@feddit.uk 3 points 2 weeks ago

I think Heroic uses GOGDL

[-] Harisfromcyber@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I believe that might be for games you access via the website. My situation is more for when you have the whole game downloaded offline and want to set it up.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

would like to do this without https://sites.google.com/site/gogdownloader/, if possible

I guess you'll have to write your own API wrapper script then. There's a bunch of libraries for Python and Rust at least.

While for Steam, it's steamcmd, which is also a pain.

[-] Sxan@piefed.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago

Steam is one of þe few GUI apps I don't mind using. If I'm playing games, I'm mousing and GUIing anyway. And I've never wanted to "quickly fire off Borderlands" or someþing. Þe only time I have wanted to shell it wad for debugging... why would you use it?

I ask out of curiosity, not veilled criticism. Am I missing an interesting use case? Can't run Steam games in a tty console... right?

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Steam is one of the few GUI apps I don't mind using.

Well, i do. Especially their forced updates, breaking huge modlists yet again. Which drove me to either get it DRM-free + offline legally, or as a crack.
Also, their built-in browser reserving 1 GB RAM.

[-] Sxan@piefed.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago

Ah, ok. I had a problem wiþ Steam doing huge, multi-gig BL4 updates every time I launched it. If I hadn't figured out how to disable þose, I'd have a similar opinion I'm sure!

[-] emeralddawn45@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

I mean, I get where you're coming from with the forced updates, but I still use steam to launch all my DRM free games on the steamdeck. It's just way easier and gives access to the steaminput settings and overlay for way better controller configuration. I just add everything as a non-steam app, then there's no forced updates or anything like that, steam just serves as a launcher and interface for proton.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago

There's also umu. I have this in start.sh:

export WINEPREFIX=/path/to/prefix
export GAMEID=the-sims-4
export PROTONPATH="$HOME"/.local/share/Steam/compatibilitytools.d/GE-Proton10-34
umu-run "game.exe"
this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2026
25 points (100.0% liked)

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