I usually don’t have to do this at all, but this is my system for the rare hiccups, in order.

• ProtonDB
• Are they using an incompatible anticheat?
• Different proton (usually one a few versions behind esp if it’s an old game, maybe GE, more than that isn’t useful)
• Verify installed files through steam
• Make sure my mod load order isn’t crap (if applicable)

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• Check if the game launcher actually points to the correctly named file + rename / change the exe if not (usually this gives an error box saying the file is not present)
• Uninstall + reinstall (esp if previously worked)
• Broad internet search for game + linux distro
• Launch options I’ve used for other games (PROTON_USE_WINED3D11=1 often is my first tried)

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• Protontricks, tell it to use a different version of windows
• Uninstall DLC, launch vanilla once, reinstall DLC (yes this has worked more than once for various weird issues, no i don’t know why)
• Backup personal data files, + delete all installed files / workshop files + verify installed files again
• Wait for someone smarter than me to figure it out / a system update that addresses it / new proton and check in a few months

You can sort of block publishers/devs, if they have their own “steam page.” If you click on the publisher/dev in the listings underneath review scores, if it takes you to an actual dedicated page you can click the gear icon on the right and click “ignore this creator.”

This does not completely block them but it has them show up in less places (or are greyed out in some places.) Basically they can pop kinda randomly up in sales when steam forgets to add that, or greyed out in the tabs section on the front page (new and trending, top sellers, popular upcoming tabs)

It’s not the cure-all “erase EA” button I’m sure we’d all prefer, but it does help a little.

I literally just found out yesterday you can utilize a virtual second monitor with (some) split screen multiplayer games to stream the “second screen” to a friend, giving you a multiplayer experience that you could previously only have with online connections, having totally separate screens with streaming which blows my mind, and this comes out today rather than having to try to figure out how to set it all up myself. Sick.