Does the Install button on Lutris website really install a game,

Gaming
1

When i search a game on Lutris website and there is a install button the yellow one and i press it,

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it just opens up the application on my PC and i press next next and it tells me to select a rom or iso file.
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i though that when i pressed install it would install the game, because if i had the game in my PC somewhere i wouldn’t needed it from the site.

if anyone call tell me what i’m doing wrong.

2

In basic terms, all Lutris does is make the process of installing games or applications with WINE… easier (it does a bunch of other cool stuff though but as far as I’m aware, nothing that’s not possible with vanilla WINE… so to speak). It does this in part by scripting the install of the application in question. These install scripts are either created by Lutris’ devs or by the community.

The install button simply initiates an install script.

Lutris.net does not host any actually game data.

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3

HanSolo’s explanation is correct, but just to go a little deeper…

Lutris tries to solve the problem of installing and running games with various compatibility layers (DOSBox, MAME, Wine etc) on Linux. It does this by using programs they call Runners.
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It also integrates with a lot of different game launchers and game sources, such as Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Origin etc), where it can automatically import, download and install your games.
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When you install a game with Lutris, it will even offer to create shortcuts on your desktop, in your application launcher menu as well as inside Steam, so your games become first class citizens on your system, not something you have to launch from inside an emulator.

Most Lutris scripts require you to provide the actual game files yourself. Usually through an account with GOG or Steam, where they will be downloaded automatically or through a file/directory on your hard drive.

Some games can be found online, e.g. on archive.org or Github and they will usually be downloaded automatically.

An example of this is the original Duke Nukem from 1991.
Duke Nukem on Lutris.net

The install script for the steam version only contains the steam ID and Lutris knows what to do with that

game:
  appid: 240160

While the install script for the archive.org version contains instructions for where to download the files, what to do with them (extract) and which file will launch the game afterwards.
The script is set to use DOSBox as the runner, which tells Lutris how to setup and run the application. Lutris supports giving special instructions to runners in the script as well, if the game requires it.

files:
- duke: https://archive.org/download/DukeNukem/DukeNukem-EpisodeOne-SharpnelCity1991apogeeSoftwareLtd.action.zip
installer:
- extract:
    dst: $GAMEDIR
    file: $duke
main_file: DN1.EXE

Finally, the GOG version will download the game, which comes bundled with DOSBox for Windows, so it will also get the unzip application to extract the installer, instead of running it.
It is also set to use the DOSBox runner, so it will set up DOSBox for Linux (instead of the Windows version) and use that to launch the game.

description: DRM-free GOG.com version
files:
- game: N/A:Please select the GOG.com Linux installer
- unzip: http://lutris.net/files/tools/unzip.tar.gz
game:
  config_file: $GAMEDIR/Game/dosbox_duke.conf
  main_file: $GAMEDIR/Game/dosbox_duke_single.conf
installer:
- extract:
    dst: $CACHE
    file: $unzip
- execute:
    args: $game -d "$GAMEDIR"
    file: $CACHE/unzip
- rename:
    dst: $GAMEDIR/Game
    src: $GAMEDIR/data/noarch

As you can see, most Lutris scripts are fairly simple, though there are of course far more advanced installers out there.
I hope this gives a little insight into what Lutris is (installers and runner) and what it isn’t (a site for distributing pirated games).

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