Risen 3 32-bit on Steam

What I found is that while the default 64-bit version of the game has severe stability issues, the 32-bit version of the game runs flawlessly. Since Steam determines which version to install based on the architecture of your system (which will probably be 64-bit) you have to force it to get the 32-bit version for you. I'm running the Steam Beta client, so this might or might not work with the normal one.

First, you have to install the default 64-bit version of the game. Run it once to have Steam create the Wine prefix. Next, make a backup of the following file:

~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/appmanifest_249230.acf

Now open Steam console:

steam://open/console

Enter the following command:

@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType 32

Steam will now assume you're on a 32-bit system. Note that this effects only your current session though!

Open up the properties dialog for Risen 3 and under Local Files, click "Verify integrity of game files...". This will trigger the download of the 32-bit-version of the game. When it's finished, exit Steam and restore your backup of appmanifest_249230.acf (overwrite the current file). This is needed to have Steam figure that the 64-bit version is installed. If you don't do this, Steam will re-download the 64-bit version as soon as you restart the client!

That's it, you now have the 32-bit-version installed. I ran it with Proton Experimental and the latest DXVK version and had no freezes, crashes or any other problems during many hours of gameplay.