Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install or run PINCE?

Follow the "Installing and running PINCE" instructions

Can PINCE run under Windows or (insert non-Linux OS)?

No, it cannot. This project is a native alternative to Cheat Engine on Linux. It was designed to run only on Linux.

What Linux distros does PINCE run on?

PINCE will run on most GNU/Linux distros that are out there but there are a few exceptions due to a variety of reasons, ranging from unsupported distro for some of our libraries (ChromeOS) to doing things differently than most Linux distros (NixOS not respecting FHS).

We do have a list of distros we guarantee compatibility over here, but to reiterate, generally your compatibility will depend on whether you're a normal end-user or a person looking to contribute or change PINCE code:

• For users: Our latest AppImage should run on any distro as new or newer than Ubuntu 22.04, which is the distro we use as our base for the CI builds.
• For devs/contributors: our local installer script will work on the following distros:
  • Kubuntu 22.04+ (actively tested)
  • Arch Linux (actively tested)
  • Debian 12+
  • Fedora 35+
  • OpenSUSE

What about Android?

PINCE currently only supports x86 architecture so it will not work with Android devices that use ARM.

Will ARM be supported in the future?

Most likely yes. There were some plans to port PINCE to MacOS as well after doing some much needed work that would allow this port to happen (such as moving from GDB to LLDB for its friendlier API and porting libscanmem dependency to MacOS), but currently there's no definite timeline.

Of course doing so would also allow PINCE to work with Android.

Can PINCE work with WINE/Proton games?

This project was designed for Linux native games but PINCE can still work with games running under WINE/Proton.

Sometimes GDB or our libraries that we use don't tend to work well with games running under WINE/Proton, in which case we recommend switching to CE if you have issues.

Is there a way to convert CE tables to PINCE tables or use them?

No. There's no functionality to convert CE to PINCE tables. Linux and Windows memory layouts may differ for the same game due to their different memory architectures, therefore it doesn't make sense to use a CE table for a Linux game even if you could.

What about using a CE table directly inside PINCE for a WINE/Proton game?

The above still applies so no. Table formats are different and PINCE won't read CE tables.

WINE can also sometimes mess with the memory a bit too much from our experience which can lead to address differences so a CE table conversion would give you incorrect variables.