If you’re on Linux and use Steam with Proton, you might assume CheatHappens trainers are a Windows-only thing. They’re not. It takes one environment variable.

Setting Up#

You’ll need a few things:

  • A CheatHappens subscription (Aurora trainer downloaded and extracted somewhere permanent)
  • Steam with a Proton compatibility layer installed (I’m using GE-Proton10-32)
  • A game that runs under Proton

How It Works#

Step 1: In Steam, right-click the game → Properties → Compatibility. Check “Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool” and select your GE-Proton version.

Step 2: In the same Properties window, go to General → Launch Options and add:

PROTON_REMOTE_DEBUG_CMD="/path/to/Aurora.exe" %command%

In my case:

PROTON_REMOTE_DEBUG_CMD="/Storage/gaming/Aurora/Aurora.exe" %command%

Step 3: Launch the game. Aurora starts alongside it inside the same Proton prefix. Open the trainer overlay, activate cheats, done.

That’s basically it.

Why This Works#

PROTON_REMOTE_DEBUG_CMD tells Proton to launch a secondary Windows executable alongside the game, inside the same Wine prefix. It was intended for debugging tools, but it works just as well for trainers. Aurora sees the game process, attaches to it, and does its thing — same as it would on native Windows.

Tested Games#

GameStatusProton Version
Baldur’s Gate 3✅ WorksGE-Proton10-32
Hollow Knight Series✅ WorksProton 9.0-4
Carrion✅ WorksProton 9.0-4
The Ascent✅ WorksProton 9.0-4

Your mileage may vary with other titles, but so far everything I’ve thrown at it has worked without issues.

Notes#

  • Proton versions definitely make a difference. If something doesn’t work, try a different version or three before giving up. I’ve had the most consistent results with Proton 9.0-4.
  • Make sure the path to Aurora.exe has no spaces, or wrap it in escaped quotes.
  • This runs Aurora inside the game’s Proton prefix, so it has full access to the game’s process memory. No cross-prefix weirdness to deal with.