Risk of Rain Linux: The Complete Player and Server Guide (2026)

There is a unique kind of gratification in running a game on Linux that was never actually designed for it. And seeing it working amazingly well. Risk of Rain Linux is one of those things that the community, through a series of enhancements, has finally made so that many players feel it is very natural now.

Risk of Rain 2 is a third-person roguelike created by Hopoo Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. The game procedurally generates its levels, increases difficulty over time, and has a large character roster. These features have made it a favorite for many since its early access in 2019. The game is about replaying, perfecting, and trying out different things – traits that Linux users who also hand-picked their operating system probably relate to very well.

If you are a new Linux user who is curious to know whether the game can be run at all, a seasoned player who intends to get mods working, or a server admin who wants to set up the Risk of Rain 2 dedicated server on a Linux machine for your friends, this guide will give you the honest and complete picture of all of them.

Is Risk of Rain 2 Officially Compatible with Linux?

This is the first thing that comes into most players’ minds, and the good news is that the answer is better than many other games.

Risk of Rain 2 has official Linux support thanks to Steam Play and Proton. The game does not have a native Linux version in the traditional sense, but Valve’s Proton compatibility layer, which is integrated into Steam on Linux, enables it to run at a stability and performance level that, for most hardware configurations, is comparable to the Windows experience.

In fact, Risk of Rain 2 has an excellent Proton compatibility rating on ProtonDB, the community-driven database that rates the performance of Windows games on Linux. The vast majority of players report that the game runs out of the box without any additional configuration required.

Risk of Rain 2 on Linux: First Steps

Usually, for players wanting to run Risk of Rain 2 on Linux, it is a simple matter that shouldn’t take more than five minutes.

Step 1: Turn on Steam Play in Steam Settings

Launch Steam on your Linux computer and go to:

Steam → Settings → Compatibility

Check the box for “Enable Steam Play for all other titles,” and from the dropdown, pick the latest version of Proton, either Proton Experimental or the highest-numbered version available.

Step 2: Download Risk of Rain 2

Look for Risk of Rain 2 in your Steam library or the Steam store, hit Install, and let Steam take care of the rest. Steam will automatically use Proton to run the game on Linux, so you don’t need to do anything extra.

Step 3: Start and Adjust

Press Play. It should not take any longer than a moment to be able to run the game. When you start it for the first time, open the settings within the game and adjust your graphics options just like you would on any platform. Often, graphics settings run well through Proton.

Really, that is nearly all players will have to do. If you happen to be using a mainstream distribution like Ubuntu 22.04, Fedora 38+, or Manjaro with the latest drivers installed, Risk of Rain 2 is highly likely to run smoothly on your first try.

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Performance: What to Expect on Linux

Performance is something to worry about when playing Windows games via Proton, and it deserves a fair assessment and not just a standard ‘we assure you’ talk.

A large number of hardware setups lead to very similar performance between Risk of Rain 2 on Linux and Windows. The Proton layer of this particular game is very thin, and player experiences show that frame rates are identical or almost identical on the two systems.

In general, AMD GPU gamers are very happy with the performance of Risk of Rain 2 on Linux. This splendidly smooth running is mainly thanks to the thorough development of the open-source AMDGPU driver stack. If you are thinking about gaming on Linux, either by purchasing or building a machine, the good thing about AMD graphics cards is that the Linux community consistently recommends them.

One thing to always keep in mind if you have NVIDIA is that you must use the proprietary NVIDIA drivers and not the open-source Nouveau ones. Nouveau doesn’t provide the level of performance or Vulkan support needed by modern Linux gamers.

Risk of Rain 2 Mods Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide

Mods greatly enhance Risk of Rain 2, and the passionate modding community has and will keep introducing new items and characters for life’s improvements, and even complete conversion mods. The thing is, running Risk of Rain 2 mods on Linux will require a bit more work than on Windows, but it is quite doable.

The Mod Manager: Thunderstore Mod Manager

Thunderstore Mod Manager is the go-to software for handling Risk of Rain 2 mods, and it will work on Linux as well, just not natively. The most dependable way is to use it via Proton with the game, or through Wine as a standalone application.

The Linux community has developed an alternative approach that many players prefer: using the r2modman mod manager, which has better Linux compatibility than the standard Thunderstore client.

Installing r2modman on Linux

r2modman is available as an AppImage, which makes installation straightforward on virtually any Linux distribution:

# Download the latest AppImage from the r2modman GitHub releases page
wget https://github.com/ebkr/r2modmanPlus/releases/latest/download/r2modman-x86_64.AppImage

# Make it executable
chmod +x r2modman-x86_64.AppImage

# Run it
./r2modman-x86_64.AppImage

# Download the latest AppImage from the r2modman GitHub releases page
wget https://github.com/ebkr/r2modmanPlus/releases/latest/download/r2modman-x86_64.AppImage

# Make it executable
chmod +x r2modman-x86_64.AppImage

# Run it
./r2modman-x86_64.AppImage

Once r2modman is running, select Risk of Rain 2 as your game, and it will automatically locate your Steam installation. From there, you can browse, install, and manage mods through the same interface that Windows users use.

BepInEx: What Most Mods Use

Most mods for Risk of Rain 2 are based on BepInEx, a modding structure that most mod managers will install automatically for you. On Linux, you have to do a little further configuration for BepInEx.

Once you have installed BepInEx with r2modman, find the game’s launch options in Steam:

Right-click Risk of Rain 2 in your Steam library → Properties → Launch Options

Add the following:

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winhttp=n,b" %command%

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winhttp=n,b" %command%

This tells Proton to allow BepInEx’s DLL override, which is necessary for mods to load correctly. Without this launch option, mods install but do not activate in-game.

Most Commonly Used Mods That Work Well on Linux

Risk of Rain 2 Dedicated Server Linux: Full Setup Guide

Here is the real excitement for admins and groups of friends who want a persistent, self-hosted multiplayer experience.

Installing a Risk of Rain 2 dedicated server on Linux is a well-planned and officially backed method through SteamCMD. A dedicated server will let you and your friends play together without one player needing to host from their gaming machine. This way, not only is the server performance improved, but also the server can be up and running continuously.

Requirements

• A Linux server running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or newer (Ubuntu 22.04 highly recommended)
• Minimal 2 GB RAM (4GB recommended for better performance)
• At least 4 GB of free storage
• Ports 27015 and 27016 open on your firewall (UDP)
• A Steam account (a free account works)

Step 1 — Install SteamCMD

SteamCMD is the command-line version of the Steam client used for installing dedicated game servers.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

On systems where SteamCMD is not in the default repositories:

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

Step 2 — Install the Risk of Rain 2 Dedicated Server

Launch SteamCMD and install the server files:

steamcmd

steamcmd

Inside the SteamCMD prompt:

login anonymous
force_install_dir /home/your_username/ror2server
app_update 1180760 validate
quit

login anonymous
force_install_dir /home/your_username/ror2server
app_update 1180760 validate
quit

The App ID 1180760 is the Steam App ID for the Risk of Rain 2 Dedicated Server. SteamCMD will download all necessary server files to the directory you specified.

Step 3 — Configure the Server

Navigate to your server directory and locate the configuration files:

cd /home/your_username/ror2server

cd /home/your_username/ror2server

Create a startup script to simplify launching:

nano start_server.sh

nano start_server.sh

Add the following content:

<strong>#!/bin/bash</strong>
./RiskOfRain2.x86_64 \
  -batchmode \
  -nographics \
  -port 27015 \
  -maxplayers 4 \
  -server \
  -nosteamserver

<strong>#!/bin/bash</strong>
./RiskOfRain2.x86_64 \
  -batchmode \
  -nographics \
  -port 27015 \
  -maxplayers 4 \
  -server \
  -nosteamserver

Save the file and make it executable:

chmod +x start_server.sh

chmod +x start_server.sh

Step 4 — Open Firewall Ports

sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw allow 27016/udp
sudo ufw reload

sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw allow 27016/udp
sudo ufw reload

Step 5 — Start the Server

./start_server.sh

./start_server.sh

Your Risk of Rain 2 dedicated server is now running. Players can connect using your server’s public IP address through the in-game server browser or by entering the IP directly in the console.

Keeping the Server Running with systemd

For a persistent server that survives reboots and restarts automatically after crashes, create a systemd service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/ror2server.service

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/ror2server.service

[Unit]
Description=Risk of Rain 2 Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=your_username
WorkingDirectory=/home/your_username/ror2server
ExecStart=/home/your_username/ror2server/start_server.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

[Unit]
Description=Risk of Rain 2 Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=your_username
WorkingDirectory=/home/your_username/ror2server
ExecStart=/home/your_username/ror2server/start_server.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable ror2server
sudo systemctl start ror2server

sudo systemctl enable ror2server
sudo systemctl start ror2server

Your server now runs as a background service, starts automatically on boot, and restarts itself if it crashes.

CyberPanel’s Importance in a Risk of Rain 2 Linux Server Setup

Running a Risk of Rain 2 dedicated server on Linux means that you’re not only hosting a game server but also managing server infrastructure. So, CyberPanel is a tool that can help you with this.

Powered by OpenLiteSpeed, CyberPanel is a web hosting control panel designed for Linux servers. It is light on resource consumption, quick to install, and offers a complete graphical interface to manage your server without being dependent on the command line.

CyberPanel is quite advantageous for those administering Risk of Rain 2 servers. It allows you to create a simple website for your gaming community – this could be a server status page, a set of rules, or a mod list – all hosted on the very same Linux machine that is running your game server. Also, you could create a private file manager to share mod packs with your players. On top of that, CyberPanel allows you to do server backups, keep an eye on your resource use, and manage DNS all from a single interface.

Common Issues and Fixes

Conclusion

The 2026 risk of Rain Linux scenario is a standout among the many success stories that demonstrate the evolution of Linux gaming up to this point. A title that not only effortlessly operates through Proton but also has a modding scheme that only needs one extra configuration line and a dedicated server that can be easily installed using SteamCMD and running reliably as a systemd service – these are elements of a full and mature Linux gaming narrative.

For those who just want to have fun playing the game, the process is simply to install Steam, turn on Steam Play, and go for it. It is ready to use.

Those who are more interested in customizing their game with mods can install r2modman, apply the BepInEx launch option, and the doors to their mod collection will be wide open.

Meanwhile, the others who manage game servers can set up SteamCMD and a well-configured systemd service for their dedicated server that will be reliable and production-ready for the gaming sessions of their friend group or community.

Gone are the days when Linux gaming was a matter of compromise. Risk of Rain 2 is on Linux to show that you can pick the platform you like and play the game you want – without having to make excuses or deal with unnecessary hassles.

Get Started Today:

Check Risk of Rain 2 on Steam — install and play on Linux right now → store.steampowered.com

Download r2modman — the best mod manager for Linux → github.com/ebkr/r2modmanPlus

Set up CyberPanel on your server — manage your dedicated server and community website from one clean interface → cyberpanel.net

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