Sea of Thieves can be played on Linux through Steam Play and Proton, even though Steam still lists Windows as the game’s native PC operating system. The current Steam release is marked Steam Deck Verified, which is strong evidence that Valve’s Proton compatibility layer is a viable way to run the Windows build. On a regular Linux desktop, the same approach generally applies, but it remains a compatibility setup rather than a native Linux port.
For the cleanest setup, install the Linux Steam client, let Steam choose its default Proton version first, and only force a different compatibility tool if the game will not start. The old advice to pin Sea of Thieves to Proton 5.13.4 is no longer appropriate.
Make sure you have the following before you begin:
Use Valve’s installer or the Steam package supplied by your Linux distribution. Sign in to Steam and allow the client to update completely before installing the game. Valve’s Steam installation guide points users to the current official installer.
Sea of Thieves does not have a native Linux build, so Steam must launch the Windows version through Proton. On many current Steam installations this happens automatically for compatible games. If the game cannot be installed, open Steam > Settings > Compatibility and make sure Steam Play is enabled for Windows titles. Valve describes Steam Play as the feature that lets Windows-only games potentially run on Linux.
Open the Store or Library, select Sea of Thieves, and choose Install. Do not force an old Proton release before the first launch. Because the game is currently Steam Deck Verified, start with the compatibility tool Steam selects automatically.
Start Sea of Thieves from Steam. The first run can take longer while Proton creates its prefix and Steam prepares required components. When the Xbox sign-in prompt appears, sign in with the Xbox account you want to use for Sea of Thieves and approve the Steam account link.
Rare’s Steam account-linking instructions note that your game progress and items are tied to the Xbox account, so choose the correct account before proceeding.
Right-click Sea of Thieves in your Library and open Properties > Compatibility. Check Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool, then try the latest regular Proton release. If that still fails, test Proton Experimental. Valve’s Steam Deck troubleshooting guidance recommends trying the latest Proton version when a game has compatibility problems.
If a manual Proton override makes the game worse, remove the override and return to Steam’s default choice. Compatibility can change after Steam, Proton, graphics-driver, or game updates, so an old version that once worked is not automatically the best option today.
Sea of Thieves uses Easy Anti-Cheat. If Steam reports that Easy Anti-Cheat is missing or the game exits during startup, open Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. Rare lists file verification as the first fix for the “Easy Anti-Cheat is not installed” launch error in its official EAC support article.
Install pending Steam client updates, system updates, and the correct Vulkan-capable driver for your GPU. If the problem started after you forced a specific Proton version, switch back to the default before changing several other settings at once.
There is still no native Linux version listed in the Steam system requirements; the store lists Windows 10 as the PC operating-system requirement. However, the same Steam listing currently marks Sea of Thieves as Steam Deck Verified. In practice, Linux players use the Windows Steam build through Proton. That distinction matters: Steam Deck compatibility is official, while a general desktop Linux configuration can vary by distribution, drivers, and Steam packaging.
For most Linux users, the best approach is simple: use the current Steam client, install the game normally, keep the default Proton choice unless there is a problem, and link the correct Xbox account on first launch.
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