This thread got me thinking about archiving my favourite steam games for future offline use in the event of some sort of large internet outage or something like that.
Let's say I install steam with Lutris, then install the game in question, run it and verify that it works in offline mode. Could I just package up the entire Wine prefix in an archive file for storage and future use? Just unpack it and add it back to Lutris whenever I want.
Yes and no. Archiving the complete Wine prefix can preserve a working installation, but whether the game remains playable depends on how that particular Steam release is built.
Some Steam games do not use Steam’s DRM wrapper and can be started directly from their executable after installation. For those games, the archived prefix may work without launching Steam at all. Other games use Steamworks or the Steam DRM wrapper and deliberately start or check the Steam client before launching. Valve documents that its DRM wrapper verifies ownership and launches Steam with the game.
For games in the second group, keeping Steam inside the prefix and preparing it for Offline Mode may work during an ordinary internet outage. I would launch each game online once, switch Steam to Offline Mode, disconnect the network completely and test it before creating the archive. Valve also makes clear that Offline Mode only works for compatible games and that the client and game must be fully updated beforehand.
The archived prefix would preserve the installed Steam client, game files, Wine registry and most local configuration, but it would not magically turn a Steam-dependent game into a completely independent copy. It may also be worth preserving the exact Lutris Wine runner, DXVK/VKD3D versions, launch settings and saves alongside the prefix. Otherwise, restoring it years later with a different runner or configuration could produce different results.
Unofficial cracks exist for some Steam games and can remove the requirement to launch Steam, but I would not base a preservation system around them. Their legality depends on the jurisdiction and what protection is being bypassed, distributing them is another issue entirely, and files from unofficial sources can introduce malware or compatibility problems.
Personally, when the same game is available on GOG, I think buying the GOG version is the cleaner solution. GOG provides separate offline installers, and GOG Galaxy is optional. Once the installer has been downloaded, it can be archived and used without installing through a client or connecting to GOG again.
That is why I download my GOG installers and make my own archive discs from them. It gives me a legitimate, client-independent installer instead of relying on an installed Steam prefix remaining authenticated forever.
So the Wine-prefix approach is still useful, especially for a temporary internet outage. I would just separate the games into three groups:
- Games that launch directly without Steam.
- Games that work through Steam Offline Mode.
- Games that require Steam, another launcher, periodic authentication or permanent servers.
The first group should be the easiest to preserve. The second can probably be preserved as a tested system snapshot. The third cannot be made permanently independent merely by compressing the Wine prefix.
