Blizzard Entertainment has launched Overwatch’s next chapter, which is available across all major platforms just as the original was back in 2016. But what about Steam’s popular new handheld? Can you play Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck? Here’s what you need to know.
Overwatch 2 Steam Deck Compatibility Explained
Put simply, yes, you can play Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck. That’s because while many live service games feature kernel-level anti-cheat software that Steam Deck tends not to like, Overwatch 2 does not.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that getting the game running on Steam Deck isn’t quite as straightforward as you might hope, and that’s due to Battle.net requiring a bunch of extra steps to actually install.
Installing Blizzard.net & Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck
Thankfully, there are a bunch of tutorial videos that explain very clearly how to install Battle.net. We’ve watched one from MonroeWorld and broken down each step below:
- Go into ‘Desktop Mode’ on your Steam Deck.
- Visit Blizzard’s website and download the Battle.net launcher.
- Open up Steam and click ‘Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library‘.
- Find the battlet.net.EXE file in your downloads folder, then ‘Add Selected Programs.’
- After it has been installed, click on the gear emblem and go to ‘Properties.’
- Click ‘Compatibility’ and select ‘Force use of Specific Steam Play Compatibility Tool.’
- You must use ‘Proton 7.0-2′ to install Battle.net (you can change Proton versions later).
- Go ahead and run it, and follow the install prompts.
- Close Steam, then log-in to Battle.net.
- You should now be able to install Overwatch 2 from the launcher.
That does it for everything you should need to know about whether you can play Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck. For more useful content on the game, including how to transfer skins between the original and sequel, search Twinfinite or check out the list of related articles below.
