Wine Components for Gaming

Core Runtime Libraries

winetricks dotnet48 dotnet472 dotnet40

dotnet48, dotnet472, dotnet40 - .NET Framework versions for running applications built with this platform. Different versions support different games - newer titles use 4.8, older ones may need 4.0.

winetricks vcrun2022 vcrun2019 vcrun2017

vcrun2022, vcrun2019, vcrun2017 - Visual C++ runtime libraries. Most games are written in C++ and need these to run. Install multiple versions since games require specific ones. Some versions might conflict.

winetricks d3dcompiler_47 d3dx9 d3dx10 d3dx11_43
winetricks xaudio2_7 xinput

d3dcompiler_47 - DirectX shader compiler for graphics rendering.

d3dx9, d3dx10, d3dx11_43 - DirectX helper libraries for texture loading, math operations, and effects.

xaudio2_7 - Audio processing API for sound effects and 3D audio.

xinput - Controller input API, mainly for Xbox controllers.

Graphics and Audio

winetricks dxvk vkd3d vulkan

dxvk - Converts DirectX 11/10/9 calls to Vulkan for better performance.

vkd3d - Converts DirectX 12 calls to Vulkan.

vulkan - Modern graphics API support.

winetricks dsound ffdshow quartz

dsound - Legacy DirectSound audio API.

ffdshow - Audio/video codec pack for media playback.

quartz - DirectShow framework for handling media files.

Media Support

winetricks wmp10 wmv9vcm lavfilters

wmp10 - Windows Media Player for codec support.

wmv9vcm - WMV video codec for cutscenes.

lavfilters - High-quality audio/video decoders.

Modern Launchers

winetricks webview2 edge
winetricks corefonts tahoma liberation

webview2 - Web engine for modern game launchers (Steam, Epic, etc).

edge - Full browser engine for launcher web features.

corefonts, tahoma, liberation - Font packages to prevent text display issues.

winetricks vcrun2019 # Anti-cheat systems

vcrun2019 - Specifically needed for many anti-cheat and DRM systems.

System Libraries

winetricks msxml3 msxml6
winetricks riched20 riched30
winetricks gdiplus
winetricks crypt32 secur32

msxml3, msxml6 - XML parsers for configuration files and web content.

riched20, riched30 - Rich text editing controls for in-game text boxes and UI elements.

gdiplus - Graphics library for 2D rendering and image processing.

crypt32 - Cryptography library for SSL/TLS connections and certificate handling.

secur32 - Security library for authentication and encrypted connections.

Wine Configuration Settings

winecfg # Set to Windows 10

Windows 10 compatibility - Sets Wine to report as Windows 10, which many modern games expect.

winetricks win10
winetricks sandbox

win10 - Registry entries for Windows 10 compatibility mode.

sandbox - Isolates Wine applications for better stability.

Environment Variables

export DXVK_HUD=0
export WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY=4:2
export WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winemenubuilder.exe=d"

DXVK_HUD=0 - Disables the DXVK performance overlay that appears in games.

WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY=4:2 - Forces Wine to report 4 cores with 2 threads each for better game compatibility.

WINEDLLOVERRIDES - Prevents Wine from creating desktop menu entries for Windows programs.

32-bit System Libraries

sudo pacman -S lib32-vulkan-icd-loader lib32-vulkan-radeon lib32-vulkan-intel

lib32-vulkan-icd-loader - 32-bit Vulkan loader that allows games to detect and use Vulkan drivers.

lib32-vulkan-radeon - 32-bit Vulkan driver for AMD graphics cards.

lib32-vulkan-intel - 32-bit Vulkan driver for Intel integrated graphics.

Many older games and some launchers are still 32-bit applications. Without these libraries, DXVK and VKD3D cannot initialize properly in 32-bit Wine prefixes, causing games to fall back to slower software rendering or fail entirely. Install the driver package that matches your graphics hardware.

Modern Gaming Essentials (2024-2025)

# Install latest DXVK manually from GitHub releases
# Install latest VKD3D-Proton for DirectX 12

Latest DXVK/VKD3D - Winetricks versions lag behind. Download current releases from GitHub for better game support.

winetricks vcrun2019 webview2  # EA/Origin games
winetricks vcrun2019 dotnet48  # Epic Games Store
winetricks vcrun2022 dotnet48  # Newer Unity games

EA/Origin - Requires 2019 C++ runtime and web engine for launcher functionality.

Epic Games Store - Needs 2019 C++ runtime and .NET 4.8 for store interface.

Unity games - Recent Unity engine games need 2022 C++ runtime and .NET 4.8.

Here are a few additional points worth mentioning:

Performance Tweaks

export WINE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE=1  # Allow 32-bit games to use more RAM
export __GL_SHADER_DISK_CACHE=1    # Enable GPU shader caching
export __GL_THREADED_OPTIMIZATIONS=1  # Enable threaded OpenGL optimizations

WINE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE - Lets 32-bit games access up to 4GB RAM instead of 2GB limit.

Shader caching - Reduces stuttering by caching compiled shaders to disk.

Threaded optimizations - Improves OpenGL performance in games that don't use Vulkan/DirectX.

Common Issues

Audio crackling - Install winetricks pulseaudio or switch Wine audio to ALSA in winecfg.

Missing fonts causing crashes - Some games need Windows fonts beyond the basic set:

winetricks allfonts  # Installs comprehensive font pack (slow but thorough)

Controller not detected - Ensure lib32-sdl2 is installed for proper gamepad support.

Steam Proton alternative - For Steam games, Proton is often easier than manual Wine setup. Only use manual Wine for non-Steam games or when Proton fails.

This setup should handle 90%+ of modern games. For specific problematic games, check ProtonDB or WineHQ's AppDB for additional requirements.

Bonus GameScope Integration

# Basic GameScope launch
gamescope -W 2560 -H 1440 -w 1920 -h 1080 -- wine game.exe

# With FSR upscaling
gamescope -W 2560 -H 1440 -w 1920 -h 1080 -F fsr -- wine game.exe

# Fullscreen with FSR
gamescope -f -W 2560 -H 1440 -w 1920 -h 1080 -F fsr -- wine game.exe

-W/-H - Output resolution (your monitor's native resolution).

-w/-h - Game's internal resolution (lower for better performance).

-F fsr - Enables AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling from internal to output resolution.

-f - Forces fullscreen mode.

Advanced Scaling Options

# FSR with sharpening
gamescope -W 2560 -H 1440 -w 1920 -h 1080 -F fsr -S integer -- wine game.exe

# NIS (NVIDIA Image Scaling)
gamescope -W 2560 -H 1440 -w 1920 -h 1080 -F nis -- wine game.exe

# Combine with frame limiting
gamescope -W 2560 -H 1440 -w 1920 -h 1080 -F fsr -r 60 -- wine game.exe

-S integer - Applies integer scaling with additional sharpening filter.

-F nis - Uses NVIDIA Image Scaling instead of FSR (works on any GPU).

-r 60 - Limits framerate to 60 FPS for consistent performance.

GameScope acts as a compositor that isolates games from your desktop, prevents alt-tab issues, and provides upscaling. Particularly useful for older games that don't support modern resolutions or need performance scaling.