Wine, a compatibility layer for running Windows software on Unix-like systems, has been successfully ported to OpenBSD, according to a proposal by Thomas Frohwein. The port represents what Frohwein describes as “the most surprising port proposal of the year” and was developed as a collective effort to address long-standing technical challenges.
The breakthrough came through a software solution to the %gs (segment base register) issue, with Andrii and Fabien credited with the heavy lifting. According to Frohwein’s explanation, the approach involves emulating %gs prefix on commands rather than directly setting gsbase. This technical solution opened the way for Wine implementation on OpenBSD.
The port has been tested with several dozen 64-bit Windows applications, with mostly successful results. Tested software includes games and productivity tools. Notably, The Witcher 3 Remaster, which released the previous month, runs on the port and performs well when vkd3d-proton is added, according to documentation. Screenshots and livestream recordings of test results have been shared by developers.
However, significant limitations exist. The biggest constraint is that WoW64 does not work, meaning 32-bit Windows software cannot run on the OpenBSD port. Users can determine whether Windows executables are 32-bit or 64-bit using the file(1) command; 32-bit versions will show “Intel 80386 32-bit” in the output.
Built-in tests are currently disabled, though developers note this was not observed as a practical limitation during real-world testing with games. Enabling tests requires X server access and remains a work in progress, as some tests hang in the testing environment.
Frohwein recommends Notepad++ as a suitable test application for those wishing to try the port, describing it as “a small, fairly straightforward piece of 64-bit Windows software.” The port is flagged as run-at-your-own-risk software. Developers suggest setting up a separate, non-privileged user account for testing until potential security hardening with unveil(2) can be explored.
The port proposal indicates broader interest in Wine on OpenBSD, with Frohwein noting that interest has grown compared to 5-10 years ago, partly because much Windows software has migrated to 64-bit.
Key facts
- Wine compatibility layer ported to OpenBSD to run 64-bit Windows applications
- The port has been tested with several dozen 64-bit Windows games and software, mostly successfully
- 32-bit Windows software cannot run due to WoW64 not working on the port
- The Witcher 3 Remaster runs on the port with good performance when vkd3d-proton is added
- Technical solution involved emulating %gs prefix on commands to address segment base register issues
- Built-in tests are currently disabled but developers report successful real-world testing with games