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Kalium Compatibility

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Bobby Comet edited this page Sep 8, 2026 · 1 revision

Linux Environment Compatibility

Kalium is designed for modern Linux desktop systems capable of running Steam and Proton 10+.

Kalium does not maintain a hard-coded distribution or kernel blacklist. Instead, it relies on standard Linux filesystem paths, common system tools, and Steam's own installation and library layouts.

The goal is to remain as distribution-agnostic and packaging-agnostic as possible within the Steam/Proton ecosystem.

Supported Distributions

Kalium is designed to work across current mainstream Linux distributions that meet its system requirements, including:

  • Ubuntu / Debian and derivatives
    • Ubuntu
    • Linux Mint
    • Pop!_OS
    • elementary OS
    • and similar distributions
  • Fedora / RHEL-based distributions
    • Fedora
    • Nobara
    • and compatible RHEL derivatives
  • Arch-based distributions
    • Arch Linux
    • EndeavourOS
    • Manjaro
    • CachyOS
    • and similar distributions
  • openSUSE
  • SteamOS / Steam Deck
    • Desktop Mode
    • Native Steam environments
  • Other modern systemd-based Linux systems that provide the standard filesystem and desktop functionality expected by Steam and Proton

Kalium does not require a particular Linux distribution or package manager. It does, however, require the system to provide the tools and environment needed by Kalium and its Proton/Wine components.

Kernels

Kalium does not perform kernel-version checks.

Any kernel capable of running the user's Steam and Proton environment should be suitable, including:

  • Current LTS kernels
  • Current mainline kernels
  • 6.x-series kernels
  • SteamOS / Steam Deck kernels
  • Distribution-specific kernels
  • Custom kernels

Kalium does not assume any particular out-of-tree kernel module or custom kernel configuration.

Note: A kernel being compatible with Kalium does not guarantee compatibility with every Proton version, Steam configuration, GPU driver, or game. Steam and Proton ultimately determine those requirements.

Steam Versions & Installation Methods

Kalium detects several common Steam installation layouts:

Installation Type Paths / Detection
Native Steam ~/.steam/steam, ~/.local/share/Steam, ~/.steam/debian-installation
Flatpak Steam ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/... including supported data and .local/share layouts
Snap Steam ~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam
Custom Steam Path User-configurable through Settings / AppConfig.custom_steam_path

Steam Library Support

Kalium can:

  • Parse Steam's libraryfolders.vdf
  • Detect primary and secondary Steam libraries
  • Determine which Steam library contains a specific AppID
  • Handle games installed on additional drives
  • Configure STEAM_COMPAT_MOUNTS when required
  • Work with Steam libraries located on additional internal, external, or removable storage

Proton Support

Kalium supports:

  • Valve Proton 10+
  • Proton Experimental
  • GE-Proton 10+
  • Other compatible Proton 10+ distributions/builds

Custom Proton builds are supported provided they conform to the Proton environment Kalium expects.

Kalium also creates non-Steam shortcuts and configures the corresponding CompatToolMapping entry when setting up MO2.

AppImage Requirement

The Kalium AppImage requires:

GLIBC 2.38 or newer

Most current distributions meet this requirement, including many recent releases of:

  • Ubuntu
  • Linux Mint
  • Fedora
  • Arch Linux
  • SteamOS

Older LTS distributions may ship with an older GLIBC version and therefore may not be able to run the AppImage.

Important: GLIBC is a requirement of the Kalium AppImage itself. It is separate from Kalium's Steam/Proton compatibility requirements.

Practical Requirements

A typical Kalium installation requires:

  • Steam installed and functional
  • At least one compatible Proton 10+ installation
  • A writable user home directory
  • A graphical desktop environment
  • xdg-open support
  • Working file dialogs
  • Network access when Kalium needs to download components
  • The required command-line tools used by the selected Kalium features

Depending on the operation, Kalium may use or require:

  • winetricks
  • cabextract
  • curl or wget
  • steamcmd — optional and primarily relevant to backpatching

Kalium stores configuration, metadata, logs, and other user-level data under its normal user directories, including locations such as:

~/.config/kalium
~/.local/share/kalium
~/Kalium

The exact locations depend on the component and operation being used.

Limitations & Notes

Unusual or Untested Environments

The following environments may work but are not considered primary targets:

  • Very old Linux distributions
  • Very old kernels
  • Non-standard Steam installations
  • Highly customized filesystem layouts
  • Console-only or headless systems
  • Desktop environments without normal xdg-open or file-dialog functionality

Flatpak Steam

Flatpak Steam is supported.

However, when Flatpak Steam is detected, Kalium does not treat system-wide Proton installations such as:

/usr/share/steam/compatibilitytools.d

as part of the Flatpak Steam environment.

Proton versions available inside the Flatpak Steam environment should be used instead.

Desktop Requirement

Kalium is designed for desktop Linux, not headless server environments.

A graphical session is required for normal operation because Kalium interacts with Steam, Proton, MO2, file dialogs, and other graphical applications.

Compatibility Philosophy

Kalium intentionally avoids trying to maintain a massive list of individual Linux distributions and kernel versions.

Instead, it detects and works with the underlying components it actually depends on:

Linux
  ↓
Steam
  ↓
Proton 10+
  ↓
MO2
  ↓
Kalium-managed environment
  ↓
Game

This allows Kalium to support different distributions and Steam packaging methods without requiring distribution-specific code for every possible Linux environment.

Bottom Line

A current mainstream Linux distribution with:

  • GLIBC 2.38+
  • Functional Steam
  • Proton 10+
  • A supported graphical desktop environment
  • Standard Linux filesystem functionality

should be capable of running Kalium.

Kalium is designed to be as distribution, kernel, path, and Steam-packaging-agnostic as possible, while remaining within the assumptions and requirements of the Steam + Proton ecosystem.

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