Can you play Apex Legends on Steam Deck?

Apex Legends is available on a variety of platforms, and with the popularity of Valve’s Steam Deck, those with the handheld device will want to play on the go. While Apex is available on Steam Deck, it’s not straightforward.

Respawn’s Apex Legends has remained one of the most beloved Battle Royales since its surprise launch in 2019. It’s easily accessible on almost every platform now including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

With the popularity of the Steam Deck handheld, many want to know if the game can also be played on Valve’s device.

Respawn Entertainment

Is Apex Legends playable on the Steam Deck?

Yes, Apex Legends is playable on Steam Deck but users must have Windows installed to access it.

This is due to Respawn blocking LinuxOS access to the game to combat cheating.

As Linux is the default operating system on Steam Deck, fans will need to install Windows instead, which we’ve got a step-by-step guide for. Without Windows, you simply won’t be able to access Apex on Deck anymore.

The update that Linux and Steam Deck players would no longer be able to play it was shared by Respawn on October 31, 2024. In a statement, the devs explained that they “had to weigh the decision on the number of players who were legitimately playing on Linux/the Steam Deck versus the greater health of the population of players for Apex.”

“To eliminate this cheat vector, we have made the decision to prevent access to the game for Linux users. This means that Apex Legends will be unplayable immediately for those running this operating system. Playing on handhelds, such as the Steam Deck, is still possible if the user opts to install Windows.”

Before this, Apex was previously compatible with and ran smoothly on the Steam Deck.

For even more Apex content, check out everything we know about the upcoming Season 23, our character tier list, best guns, player count, and pick rates.