Hello everyone – I’m writing as a Linux player concerned about how our platform is being treated. Over the past year many Linux users have reported severe issues with War Thunder’s VR mode and with game stability at the start of matches. These problems aren’t isolated to a single person; multiple community bug threads and reports describe the same failures on Linux, yet they remain unresolved. For example, in January 2025 one player posted that “the game freezes at the start of every single match. I play on the native Linux version… Each freeze lasts several seconds and inputs during this time have no effect” forum.warthunder.com. Others immediately chimed in “I have same issue (linux steam native version, AMD RX 6600XT)”forum.warthunder.com.
Similarly, VR mode on Linux has effectively been non-functional for months. In June 2024 a moderator confirmed that “VR not working on WT has been reported and is known” forum.warthunder.com, linking to the official bug report. Yet many players still cannot launch the game with VR without crashing. A thread from August 2024 recounts a player finding the game would crash every time it started if VR was enabled – disabling VR was the only workaroundforum.warthunder.com. Even worse, users have noted that VR breaks repeatedly with each update. One respondent bluntly observed that “the devs break VR every few updates or so” forum.warthunder.com. In June 2025 a frustrated player opened a thread titled “Why is the broken VR not being addressed at all?” and wrote: “VR has been broken for months. Nobody can play WT in VR without crashing… Multiple bug reports aren’t being responded to. No dev is saying anything.” forum.warthunder.com.
To summarize the key issues facing Linux users:
- VR Mode is Broken – The Linux VR feature is still unusable on recent buildsforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.com. Developers have acknowledged the bug, but no fix has been released even after many monthsforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.com.
- Frequent Freezes/Crashes at Match Start – Since late 2024, many Linux players report a 3–5 second freeze immediately after spawning in Ground RB (no such issue on Windows). These pauses give a huge disadvantage in battleforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.com.
- Ignored Bug Reports – Several longstanding Linux bugs are marked “Accepted” on the Gaijin tracker but still have no resolution. As one community member noted, multiple open bug reports “aren’t being responded to” by the developersforum.warthunder.com.
- Proton Compatibility Blocked – Because the native client is problematic, players naturally try the Steam (Proton) version. Unfortunately, Gaijin explicitly refuses to support the Proton workaround. A staff reply even stated, “Gaijin do not support the Windows client running on Proton as there is a native Linux client” forum.warthunder.com. One user pointed out that in Enlisted (another Gaijin title) a similar issue was fixed by using Proton, but “Gaijin will kick Linux users that do use Proton making us unable to go down that route” forum.warthunder.com.
Given this situation, I respectfully urge the community to discuss and raise awareness of these problems. If Gaijin chooses not to fully bring Linux up to parity with Windows (including XR platforms), the least they could do is allow Proton usage without penalizing Linux players. Many of us would gladly switch to Proton if it meant a playable experience, but so far that option is effectively bannedforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.com. Please keep the tone constructive; we’re simply disappointed Linux support has lagged so far behind.
Let’s work together to let Gaijin know these issues matter. For example, if you experience these VR or crash problems, please add your voice on the official bug forum or this support board. (Multiple threads – seeforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.com – show there’s already broad agreement about the symptoms.) A polite but united message from the community may help get the fixes we need. Thank you for reading and for any help spreading the word.
Sources: Reports and discussions from the War Thunder community forums highlight these persistent issuesforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.comforum.warthunder.com. Please check those threads for details. Also please help us grow our ignored bug report, here is the link to that, Community Bug Reporting System