Have you tried switching to an older proton version? That fixed it for me (different game, same issue)

You can absolutely install apps in Bazzite. In some cases it’s a bit finicky, which is why Pop OS is easier IMO. Pop OS imo feels like being on an older Windows version, I forgot that I was even on Linux.

You can use Bazzite for just about anything. I use Bazzite for everything I normally use my computer for, the difference is mainly that I have all my development tools in Distroboxes, and I’ve grown to prefer it. But I admit that it was annoying to set up.

Not saying that that’s a bad idea, but you could also just install Linux. Bazzite is similar to Steam OS and was a breeze to install. Pop os might be easier to get into if you also use your computer for other stuff than gaming, and was also easy to install.