author: GRG
Steam Deck Won't Run Every Game in Steam Library - Here's Why
Despite assurances from Valve's designers, Steam Deck may have trouble running some games from the Steam library.
Some games may not be compatible with Steam Deck when the device is released. The info comes from the head of Codeweavers, a company that co-developed with Valve the Proton technology, which is part of SteamOS. It enables Linux users to run games designed for Windows. The Steam Deck console will run on SteamOS 3.0, and thus use Proton to run games. And that's where the compatibility issue may arise.
Codeweavers CEO James B. Ramey said that the words of Valve designers about the Steam Deck may have been misinterpreted. In his opinion, the point was that from the point of view of the hardware platform, the console has enough CPU and GPU power as well as RAM to run all the titles available in the Steam library. Software compatibility aspect is another matter. Some games from Steam cannot be run on SteamOS or are unplayable. There are already over 16,000 working games in the ProtonDB database and the number is growing. Many of them work perfectly (Platinum rank) or require minor adjustments to the settings (Gold rank). However, there are titles that are completely unplayable (Borked) and these are not some insignificant indie productions.
Which games does Proton not currently support? The list includes, among others: Destiny 2, Apex Legends, Fall Guys, Paladins, Grid 2, PUBG, CoD: Black Ops II, Dead by Daylight, For Honor, DayZ, Crossout, Warface, Anno 2070 or Insurgency.
Ramey recalls that at first, only 27 games ran on Proton without major problems. Today, this number has grown to several thousand titles (Platinum) and you can be sure that the launch of Steam Deck will accelerate the addition of more games to the list.
Steam Deck is available for pre-order with prices starting at $399, with a shipping date set for around Q2 2022.