About
Wheelman is a 2009 open-world action-driving game starring and co-created by Vin Diesel, set in a fictionalized Barcelona where the player works as an undercover getaway driver caught between rival gangs. Most missions revolve around vehicular action and stunt driving, with some on-foot third-person shooting and a signature 'air-jack' move for hijacking cars mid-chase.
Reviews were mixed-to-average, with critics praising its over-the-top car chases while faulting a thin story and lack of multiplayer; it has since gained a small cult following. The PC version was delisted in 2012 following Midway's bankruptcy and expired in-game car-license contracts.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- Wheelman.exe
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Proton
- Version
- GE-Proton
- Winetricks
- —
- ProtonDB
- ProtonDB Pending not enough reports yet
⚙ Setup notes
Game: 2009 Tigon/Midway open-world driving-action game starring Vin Diesel (Steam appid 21920, delisted 2012 after Midway's bankruptcy and expired in-game car licenses).
DRM: The PC port ships with Games for Windows - LIVE and SecuROM; GFWL sign-in is the main blocker under Proton.
Proton: Use GE-Proton for better GFWL handling.
Fix: Apply the community xliveless xlive.dll replacement to bypass GFWL and run fully offline. Drop the replacement xlive.dll next to Wheelman.exe in the install dir. With that in place the game launches and plays.
Controller: The port has no native XInput/gamepad support - it expects keyboard + mouse, and there's no in-game key rebinding. Players on Windows use x360ce/xpadder to fake a pad; on the Deck, use Steam Input with a keyboard/mouse-style controller layout. Plan on tweaking the per-game controller mapping rather than expecting it to "just work."
Note: The port has no in-game video options and no key rebinding.
The one thing to know
Supply your own copy: Delisted from Steam in 2012 (Midway bankruptcy + expired car-license contracts).
GFWL: Main hurdle is Games for Windows - LIVE; bypass with the xliveless xlive.dll replacement to play offline under Proton (GE-Proton recommended).
DRM: SecuROM DRM is also present.
Controller: No native gamepad support - use Steam Input with a keyboard/mouse-style layout (the port has no in-game video options and no key rebinding).
ProtonDB: Very few reports (low confidence); treat tier as unconfirmed and test before trusting it.
Note: No verified Deck run yet - test before trusting.
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.