How to install the game DCS?

Question

I m not able to run the game DCS (Digital Combat Simulator)
Apparently a great simulator, used to train French Army pilots.

This game is available for free in Steam, only for Windows OS. It should be possible to install it on Ubuntu thanks to Steam and Proton (a wine like).
See on this page, some have been able to play it, and some don't.

My configuration:

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Graphic Card Nvidia GeForce GT 620
• Nvidia Driver v390.132

Answer 1

Latest DCS version (2.5.6.49798 release on 2020-05-28 as of 2020-06-21) won't start on Lutris 0.5.6. You'll need to revert back to a previous version.

What I did :

• install Lutris

• install DCS (Eagle Dynamics version, not beta nor Steam) from Lutris.

• keep install until begin to download a really big update (~ >70GB)

• cancel the big (~ >70GB) download

• open a console/navigate to DCS/bin directory

• enter that command (from Ubuntu console):

  wine DCS_updater.exe update 2.5.5.41371

or

DCS_updater.exe update 2.5.5.41371

if you opened a wine console

2.5.5.41371 is the version that presently works with Lutris.

• answer "Yes" when asked to delete already downloaded files (as they are newer and won't work)
• wait for download to complete (big download, but the good one)
• launch DCS from Lutris.
• on first launch, DCS may crash/freeze. Restart it and everything is ok.
• of course, don't update when asked to download latest version.

Enjoy !

TQHien

Answer 2

DCS now runs out of the box with Steam. Proton 7.0 lists DCS explicitly as one of the new supported games.

Nobody knows the future. But i take this as a good sign.

Answer 3

I bought and installed a new Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
and retried to install DCS with Steam and Proton 4.11-13.
And it works perfectly.
My previous Graphic Card was probably not powerful enough.