Ubuntu

How to Install Blizzard Battle.net App on Ubuntu

Blizzard Entertainment is a game development company that creates some top-rated games that work well on Linux. Blizzard develops Battle.net, an online platform with multiple social networking services, digital rights management and digital distribution, etc.

The only issue with Blizzard Battle.net is that it is not available in Linux. However, most of the games still work appropriately on Linux by using Wine in it. In case you want to install the Blizzard Battle.net app on Ubuntu easily, then read this complete article. In this article, we will cover the full details on “how to install Blizzard Battle.net app on Ubuntu.”

How to Install Blizzard Battle.net App on Ubuntu

We will explain the installation process in two Ubuntu versions to install Blizzard Battle.net according to your system requirements.

Install Blizzard Battle.net App on Ubuntu 20.04

Ubuntu 20.04 requires Wine to run native applications like Battle.net, and it also requires Winbind packages and winetricks for correct functioning. Open the Linux terminal and execute the below command for installing all packages:

$ sudo apt install wine64 winbind winetricks

sudo is an essential command for Linux, which stands for SuperUser DO. This command is used for accessing the restricted files of the system because Linux does not permit access for protecting the sensitive files from issues.
Open the Winetricks in the system using the application launcher or executing the below command to open it.

$ winetricks

In the Winetricks, “Select the default wineprefix” is already selected for the system. Click on the OK button and select “Install a font” on the next screen.
Find corefonts from the list on the next screen, mark it, and click on the OK button.

After proceeding with the above process, Winetricks will install the basic Microsoft fonts required for Battle.net.

Create a new wineprefix with 32-bit architecture after installing the required fonts. Wine only installs the needed components on 32 bit, so it is good to go for 32-bit architecture.
Once you create the wineprefix, choose the “Install a Windows DLL or component” option and mark the ie8 and vcrun2015 in the selection menu.

Finally, click on the OK button after selecting both options from the list, and it will start to install them.

Configuration of Wine

We need to configure the Wine for running it as Windows 10 because it will be selected as Windows 7 by default.
Open the Linux terminal and execute the below command, and it will open the Wine configuration.

$ winecfg

Change the Windows version to Windows 10 and apply changes.

Install Battle.net On Linux

Use the below command to install Battle.net on Linux:

$ wine64 ~/Downloads/Battle.net-Setup.exe

Once you execute the command successfully, the system will begin to install Battle.net.

Log in to the application after it gets installed in the system, and now, you can easily use Battle.net. The textures and format will not be good enough like Windows because it is running on Wine.

Install Blizzard Battle.net App on Ubuntu 18.04

As explained in Ubuntu 20.04, Wine requires winbind and winetricks configuration for appropriate functions, execute the below command in Linux for installing them.

$ sudo apt install wine-development winbind winetricks

In case you want to use the staging branch, then use the following commands for installing it.

$ cd ~/Downloads
$ wget -nc https://repos.wine-staging.com/wine/Release.key
$ sudo apt-key add Release.key
$ sudo apt-add-repository 'https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/'
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-staging winbind winetricks

Configure the Winetricks for Linux

Launch the Winetricks by using the Linux terminal or a graphical launcher.

Open up winetricks. If you can’t find a graphical launcher, open it in the terminal with winetricks.

The system will already select “Select the default wineprefix,” so click on the OK button and select “Install a font” on the next screen.

On the next screen, select corefonts from the list and mark it. Your system will start to download all the required fonts for Battle.net.

Now, follow the same procedure again by selecting Install a Windows DLL. In the font list, mark vcrun2015 and ie8 to download them.

Once you install all fonts, reset the system’s Windows version because it is essential to run Wine as the Windows 7 version.

Battle.net will not work when the winetricks is set on Windows XP.

Open Run winecfg and change the Windows version to Windows 7, then apply it.

Install Battle.net in the System

Open the Linux terminal and execute the below command to install Battle.net in the system.

$ wine64 ~/Downloads/Battle.net-Setup.exe

Sign in to it after the successful installation, and the reason behind the bad graphics is that it is running on Wine.

Conclusion

This article has all of the details required to install the Blizzard Battle.net app on Ubuntu without facing any errors. Remember, the textures, graphics, and format of Battle.net will not be excellent because it will run on Wine. Blizzard Battle.net is not a native application for Linux, so we have used Wine to install it in Ubuntu’s different versions.

These procedures are tried and tested on multiple systems, so there are a minimum of chances to face errors if you follow all of the steps carefully. In case you face any error or have any queries, please let us know in the comment section.

About the author

Simran Kaur

Simran works as a technical writer. The graduate in MS Computer Science from the well known CS hub, aka Silicon Valley, is also an editor of the website. She enjoys writing about any tech topic, including programming, algorithms, cloud, data science, and AI. Travelling, sketching, and gardening are the hobbies that interest her.