About
Test Drive Unlimited is an open-world arcade racing game by Eden Games, the first entry to popularize the 'massively open online racing' concept on a fully drivable recreation of the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu with over 1,000 miles of road. Released on Xbox 360 in 2006 and ported to PC in 2007, it let players buy houses and cars, customize avatars, and seamlessly meet other drivers in a persistent free-roam world. It was well received for its scale and sense of freedom and is considered the precursor to later open-world driving games. The PC version was a retail/DVD release that never came to Steam; its official multiplayer servers have since shut down, leaving single-player intact.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- TestDriveUnlimited.exe
- Options
- %command%
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Proton
- Version
- GE-Proton
- Winetricks
- —
- ProtonDB
- ProtonDB Silver runs with minor issues
⚙ Setup notes
Overview: Eden Games' 2006 open-world racer set on Oʻahu. The PC version (2007) was a retail/DVD release and was never sold on Steam, so add it as a non-Steam shortcut and force a Proton tool on it. Single-player works under Proton once the copy-protection and a community patch are sorted.
Binary: The main executable is TestDriveUnlimited.exe (the original retail exe). This game does not use Games for Windows Live — there is no xlive.dll/GFWL login to clear.
DRM: The retail PC release ships with SecuROM, which fails on modern Windows and under Proton. The community TDU Platinum mega-mod (TurboDuck) is the standard way to get a working, modern install: it bundles the 4 GB large-address-aware patch and a clean launcher so the SecuROM disc check is no longer in the way. Install Platinum, then point the shortcut at its launcher/exe.
Proton: GE-Proton is the most reliable; proton_experimental also works for some. No special D3D launch flag is required — the game is a Direct3D 9 title.
Online: Official servers are dead. The fan Project Paradise project (TurboDuck) can restore TDU1 multiplayer; otherwise treat it as single-player only.
Tier note: Because it isn't a Steam app, there's no official ProtonDB entry (appid 105400 is Fable III). Community reports put it around Silver — playable but needs the Platinum mod plus a Proton tool, not a one-click launch.
The one thing to know
Supply your own copy: Retail/DVD PC game that was never on Steam — add it as a non-Steam shortcut and force a Proton tool on it. The steam_appid is intentionally blank (105400 is Fable III, a different game).
Setup: Runs on Deck but needs work. The retail exe is SecuROM-protected and won't start on a modern stack; the practical fix is to install the community TDU Platinum mega-mod (it bundles the 4 GB patch and a clean launcher), then point the shortcut at its launcher. There is no GFWL to bypass and no PROTON_NO_D3D11 flag is needed. Use GE-Proton.
Controller: Native XInput support — an Xbox-style pad (including the Deck's built-in controls) works out of the box, no custom Steam Input layout required.
Online: Official servers are dead. Project Paradise (TurboDuck) can restore TDU1 multiplayer; otherwise it's single-player only.
Binary: TestDriveUnlimited.exe for a vanilla install; after installing TDU Platinum, point at the launcher/exe that Platinum provides.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options, Proton version)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.