The Long Dark on Linux

Q: Where are The Long Dark saves on Linux?

In ~/.local/share/Hinterland/TheLongDark/, with survival saves in the Survival folder.

Hinterland's quiet, brutal survival game in the Canadian wilderness runs natively on Linux and is Steam Deck Verified. Here is how it scores, what you need, where the story ended up, what Iron Road brings and what developers can learn from Hinterland. Updated November 2026. Part of our Linux games list.

The aurora over a dark forest — The Long Dark, running natively on Linux · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

01Scorecard

The Long Dark on Linux: the scorecard

Native Linux build

Yes. SteamOS and Ubuntu are listed as supported. Proton is not needed.

Steam Deck

Verified, with full controller support.

Multiplayer

None. It is a single-player survival game, so there is nothing to host.

Engine

Unity.

Story mode

Wintermute is complete: Episode Five, "The Light at the End of All Things", arrived free on March 31, 2026.

Next

Iron Road, a new Survival expansion in Early Access, launches October 27, 2026.

Released

August 1, 2017.

Developer

Hinterland Studio, Vancouver.

Verdict

Flawless. Native, Verified and light on hardware.

02Tests

How it does on our four tests

Runs natively or flawlessly

Pass. Native Linux build, with SteamOS named in the requirements.

Steam Deck Verified

Pass. Hinterland also ships Steam Deck fixes in its patches.

Hosts on Linux

Not applicable. Single-player only.

Survives updates

Pass. Every update, including Episode Five, reached Linux.

03Setup

Installing and requirements

Buy and install on Steam. The native Linux build is used automatically.
The visual enhancements added in 2025 (coloured shadows, terrain blending, better anti-aliasing) are optional. Leave them off on older GPUs and the Deck.

Minimum

SteamOS or Ubuntu 16.04 or 17.04, dual-core Intel i5 at 2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Intel 4xxx series with 512 MB VRAM, 7 GB disk.

High-end target

For every visual enhancement at 1440p and 60 FPS, Hinterland suggests an RTX 3060 class GPU.

Controllers

Full controller support, including DualShock and DualSense, and Steam Input.

A cabin interior lit by a lantern — Shelter: a lantern-lit cabin · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

04Deck

On the Steam Deck

Valve rates it Verified.
Hinterland patches fix Deck-specific issues, such as menu back-button behaviour in Episode Five.
Steam Cloud syncs your saves between the Deck and your PC.
Adjustable text size and subtitles help on the small screen.

Aiming a rifle at a bear in the snow — Wildlife will hunt you · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

05News

Story, expansions and what is next

Oct 27, 2026 Iron Road: a new Survival expansion in Early Access. A new island, Cauldron Island, a century-old train to restore, and over 100 km of railway.
Aug 28, 2026 Dev diary: after Episode Five the focus turns to Survival mode.
Apr 2026 Wintermute 2.24 and Episode Five post-launch fixes, including Steam Deck menu fixes.
Mar 31, 2026 Episode Five: The Light at the End of All Things, the free final chapter of the Wintermute story.
May 27, 2025 Visual Enhancements update: optional effects for high-end PCs.
Dec 13, 2024 Blackfrost, the sequel to The Long Dark, announced.

A torch lighting railway tracks under the aurora — Railways under the aurora, the heart of Iron Road · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

06Files

Saves and settings

What	Where
User data	`~/.local/share/Hinterland/TheLongDark/`
Survival saves	`Survival/` inside that folder

Survival saves are precious: death in Survival is permanent. Copy the whole folder before big updates.

07Mods

Mods on Linux

The Long Dark has no official mod support. Community mods use MelonLoader, which has trouble with the native Linux build. Modders on Linux run the Windows version through Proton instead:

Force Proton in Properties, then Compatibility. The TLD-Mods guide uses Proton Experimental. Launch once, let it finish, then quit.
Install MelonLoader with its Linux installer from the MelonLoader site, pointed at The Long Dark.
Set the launch option WINEDLLOVERRIDES="version=n,b" %command% so the game loads MelonLoader.

Not modding? Stay on the native build. It is the one Hinterland tests and the reason the game is on this list.

08Devs

For developers: what Hinterland gets right

Name SteamOS in your requirements. Hinterland lists SteamOS next to Ubuntu.
Ship platform-specific fixes in normal patch notes, including the Steam Deck.
Free story updates on every platform at once, Linux included.
Make heavy visuals optional, so low-end Linux machines and the Deck stay smooth.

09Gallery

Screenshots

A snowy town at sunset — A frozen town at sunset · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

A water tower in a blizzard — Blizzards · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

A mountain at dusk — The mountains at dusk · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

A flare rising over the mountains — A distress flare · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

A wrecked plane on a frozen lake — A frozen lake · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

The moon over a forest at night — Night in the wilderness · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

An old man in an orange cardigan — Characters of Wintermute · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

A woman by a wood stove — Warmth by the stove · Official screenshot, Hinterland Studio

?Q&A

Quick answers

Does The Long Dark run on Linux?

Yes. It has a native Linux build on Steam, and Hinterland lists SteamOS and Ubuntu as supported.

Is The Long Dark Steam Deck Verified?

Yes, with full controller support.

Is The Long Dark story finished?

Yes. Episode Five, the final chapter of Wintermute, came out free on March 31, 2026.

What is Iron Road?

A new Survival expansion for The Long Dark, launching in Early Access on October 27, 2026, with a new island and a train to restore.

Where are The Long Dark saves on Linux?

In ~/.local/share/Hinterland/TheLongDark/, with survival saves in the Survival folder.

Can I mod The Long Dark on Linux?

Yes, but MelonLoader works best with the Windows build through Proton. The TLD-Mods Linux guide walks through it.