Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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I bought DOOM Eternal a few days ago and was shocked to see how well it performed on Linux with Proton. I decided to share some gameplay for any Linux users out there on the fence about whether or not they should buy it. A custom version of Proton was used and I had to set some launch options, but I didn't have to use any proprietary drivers or install anything else to get the game to work. The Steam Overlay tanks performance of the game, so I disabled that as well. From what I can tell, disabling it helps performance on Windows too. The audio crackling can be fixed by amending some audio config files, but it's being patched in Proton 5.0-6. This release will also make DOOM Eternal playable with the correct launch options.

Specs:
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OS: Arch Linux
Kernel: 5.6.3
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3700X @ 3.6Ghz
GPU: AMD Sapphire 5700XT 8GB
GPU Driver: Mesa 20.0.4
SSD: Samsung 860 EVO (500GB)

Steam Launch Options: RADV_PERFTEST=llvm PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 %command% +in_terminal 1 +com_skipIntroVideo 1
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I used MangoHud to display the system stats, which is available in the AUR and on GitHub, where there are instructions for how to install on your favourite flavour of Linux. Of course, this is entirely optional, and DOOM has its own built-in way of displaying system usage - I just prefer MangoHud.

I'm running the game with everything at max settings (Ultra Nightmare) and with triple buffering vsync just for the heck of it. Uncapped I get around 120fps, but I tend to keep vsync on for personal preference - even though my compositor should manage that for me. From playing I didn't notice a single framedrop, and from watching back I also didn't notice any framedrops. The video, as you can see, was recorded in 60fps at 16000kbps using OBS and VAAPI so that the encoding was done on the GPU. I'm pretty impressed that I was able to capture it and have such impressive performance at the same time. I only regret not increasing the bitrate even further.

I may not be the most skilled DOOM player out there, but I hope this helps give those of you out there who are interested an idea of what kind of performance to expect. Lowering the "Texture Pool" setting can really save on VRAM if you have a GPU with less. My 8GB was almost totally used up! I tried to keep the editing minimal, only cutting out repetitive deaths during the Guardian fight. I actually recorded from the start of this mission but the bitrate was too low, so the entire play session was around 3 hours. I tabbed out a few times and didn't have any stability issues.

GloriousEggroll Proton: github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases
MangoHud: github.com/flightlessmango/MangoHud

Raze Hell!