WoW Forever · Battle.net on Linux
WoW Forever on Linux: Battle.net with Lutris and GE-Proton
I’ve played World of Warcraft since November 2004, and I’ve played it on Linux full time since about 2016. WoW Forever is no different. On my Fedora desktop it’s the real Battle.net app, installed with Lutris, and I play it on handhelds that run Bazzite too.
This guide is the written version of my Battle.net setup video: what you need, the install step by step, how to pick a runner for each game, and the three things that trip people up. WoW Forever launches November 4, 2026. My WoW Forever footage so far is from the beta.
What you need
| You need | What it does |
|---|---|
| Lutris | A game launcher for Linux. It installs and runs Windows games for you, and lets you pick a different runner for every game. |
| ProtonUp-Qt | Downloads runners. You’ll find it in your software center. |
| GE-Proton | The runner: the piece that actually runs the Windows game on Linux. |
| A drive formatted for Linux | ext4 or btrfs, for the Battle.net install. Not an NTFS drive you share with Windows. |
Both programs are free.
Install Battle.net with Lutris
These are the steps from my Warcraft III walkthrough, which installs Battle.net from nothing on Fedora. The Battle.net part is the same for WoW Forever: it’s one install for both games.
1. Start the installer. In a terminal:
lutris lutris:install/battlenet-standard
You can also search for Battle.net inside Lutris. It’s the same installer either way: the official Battle.net installer from the Lutris website.
2. Pick the Standard installer and a folder. Click Install on the Standard row. When it asks where to install, pick a folder on a drive formatted for Linux, then click Continue.
3. Download from Blizzard. Leave the source on Download and click Install. The installer comes straight from Blizzard’s own website. Nothing third-party.
4. Blizzard’s installer. Blizzard’s own installer opens, same as it would on Windows. Pick your language and click Continue. Untick Launch Battle.net when you start your computer, then Continue.
5. Close the login window. Don’t log in. When the Battle.net login window pops up, close it with the X. Lutris tells you the same thing. It’s waiting for Blizzard’s installer to finish, and it can’t finish while that window is open.
6. Finish. Lutris shows Installation completed! Click Close.
7. First launch. Open Lutris, click Battle.net, and press Play. Now you log in. From here it’s the real Battle.net app, running on Linux, and you install WoW Forever from it.
Under the hood, the Lutris installer creates a 64-bit Wine prefix, sets a DXVA2 registry key, writes a Battle.net config that turns off hardware acceleration and streaming, and then runs Blizzard’s own setup.
One Battle.net install, a runner per game
This is the idea in the video. Battle.net is installed once, in one prefix, and Lutris has two entries pointing at it: one for WoW Forever, one for Warcraft III. Each entry gets its own runner:
| Game | Runner in the video |
|---|---|
| WoW Forever | GE-Proton11-6-x86_64 |
| Warcraft III Reforged | GE-Proton11-6-wc3fix, a runner I patched by hand, plus a pre-launch hook that fixes the resolution |
You don’t need that patched runner anymore. Warcraft III’s 3.0 patch started showing “Please check your VPN” on older Proton, and GE-Proton11-7 fixed it. If you play both games from the same install, give Warcraft III GE-Proton11-7 or newer.
If WoW Forever is the only game you play, you don’t need a second entry. Set the runner on the Battle.net entry, press Play, and start WoW Forever from Battle.net. That’s exactly how my Warcraft III walkthrough fixes its error: it changes the runner on the Battle.net entry, and the game launched from Battle.net picks it up.
To change a runner: first exit Battle.net completely (right-click its tray icon and choose Exit). Then in Lutris, right-click the entry → Configure → Runner options → Wine version, pick the runner, and Save.
Common problems
Don’t log in during the Lutris install
When the Battle.net login window pops up during the Lutris install, don’t log in. Close it. Lutris tells you the same thing, and it needs that window closed to finish the install. You log in the next time you start Battle.net.
Short: Battle.net on Linux: don’t log in during the Lutris install
Use a Linux drive, not NTFS
Put Battle.net on a drive formatted for Linux (ext4 or btrfs), not a Windows NTFS drive you share with a dual boot. A Wine prefix on NTFS breaks on symlinks and permissions. It will cause you problems.
Short: Installing Battle.net on Linux? Use a Linux drive, not NTFS
Getting a newer GE-Proton into Lutris
A newer GE-Proton isn’t in Lutris until you download it. That’s ProtonUp-Qt’s job. It’s also the fix for Warcraft III’s “Please check your VPN” error, which has nothing to do with your VPN.
- Open ProtonUp-Qt and set Install for to Lutris. If it’s set to Steam, the runner goes to the wrong place and Lutris never sees it.
- Click Add version. Compatibility tool: GE-Proton. Version: the one you want, or the newest in the list. For Warcraft III, that’s GE-Proton11-7 or newer.
- Click Install and wait until it shows up in the list.
- Close Lutris and open it again, so it sees the new runner.
- Right-click the game → Configure → Runner options → Wine version, pick the new runner, and Save.
If ProtonUp-Qt sticks at 99%: that’s a known ProtonUp-Qt bug, and the download actually finished. Unpack it by hand, right where Lutris looks for it. These are the commands for GE-Proton11-7:
cd ~/.local/share/lutris/runners/wine
tar xzf ~/.var/app/net.davidotek.pupgui2/cache/tmp/pupgui2.*/GE-Proton11-7-x86_64.tar.gz
If Lutris says “This game has no executable set”: nothing is broken. The first time you save an entry’s configuration, Lutris renames its config file, and the window that’s already open loses track of it. Close Lutris completely, open it again, and press Play.
Short: How to get newer GE-Proton into Lutris · Full Warcraft III walkthrough: Warcraft III Reforged on Linux: “Please check your VPN” FIX
Where I play it
Same game, same character, on four machines:
| Machine | Runs | What I play there |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop, RTX 3090 | Fedora 44, KDE Plasma on Wayland | Dungeons, with keyboard and mouse |
| ASUS ROG Flow Z13 | My own Bazzite image | Questing on the couch |
| ROG Xbox Ally X | Bazzite | Questing on the couch |
| Steam Deck | Bazzite | Questing on the couch |
The desktop is the machine in the video. The Z13 runs Battle.net in Lutris too. How I built its Bazzite image is its own guide.
How I play it
Once it’s installed, the rest is the game. These are my two WoW Forever videos:
- Don’t Race to 60 in WoW Forever: 10 Tips From a Player Since 2004. I’ve raised three kids and I work a full-time job, so in WoW Forever I just want to stop, breathe, and enjoy the game. These are the 10 things I’d do if I started today, with beta footage of my Skyborne Mage. Tip 9 is where I play it.
- You Told Me Racing to 60 in WoW Forever Isn’t Wrong. I read every comment on the first video, and you were right about a lot of it. Racing to 60 isn’t wrong. If it’s your fun, go have a blast. What I’m letting go of is the pressure.
FAQ
Does WoW Forever run on Linux? Yes. On my Fedora desktop and on my ROG Flow Z13 running Bazzite, I play it through the real Battle.net app, installed with Lutris. No dual boot, no VM, no Windows.
Which GE-Proton do I use for WoW Forever?
In my setup video, WoW Forever runs on GE-Proton11-6-x86_64, picked for that game in Lutris.
Can I play WoW Forever on Bazzite or a Steam Deck? I do. My ROG Flow Z13 runs it on my own Bazzite image, and I also play it on a ROG Xbox Ally X and a Steam Deck, both running Bazzite. Same character on all of them.
Can I install Battle.net on my NTFS drive? Don’t. A Wine prefix on NTFS breaks on symlinks and permissions. Use a drive formatted for Linux, like ext4 or btrfs.
Credits: Lutris, GE-Proton and ProtonUp-Qt do the real work here. Thanks to FerMPY for tracking down the Warcraft III login bug, and to Statharas for the fix that shipped in GE-Proton11-7.