Want to know how to play Fortnite on the Steam Deck? Since the process isn’t as straightforward as you’d think, we’ve compiled a quick guide for you.
If you’re wondering “Can I play Fortnite on Steam Deck?” The answer is yes, but the game isn’t available natively on SteamOS. However, there are multiple reasons why Epic and Valve aren’t best pals yet.
Epic has even called out Valve’s monopoly over the market multiple times. On the other hand, Epic has also had trouble with Microsoft‘s Windows and the company has yet to embrace Linux as an alternative.
But the plot thickens with the arrival of Valve’s handheld console, the Steam Deck. This device is more than just a pretty face; it can run games from many stores via Proton. On paper, getting Fortnite to work on Proton sounds like a cinch.
But here’s where the corporate soap opera unfolds: While it’s highly doubtful that we’ll see a native Fortnite version for Steam Deck anytime soon, Tim Sweeny stated that cheating would be an issue if they ported the game to SteamOS.
We don’t have confidence that we’d be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations including custom ones.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) February 7, 2022
Later, when the topic of Fortnite running natively on the Steam Deck was brought up during an interview with The Verge, Tim Sweeney lamented the “Linux problem” , and wishing for a “few more” programmers.All isn’t lost though. Thanks to the open nature of the Steam Deck, there are a few ways we can circumvent this choice by Epic. It fully depends on whether you’re willing to give up some fidelity to streaming, or, install Windows on your Steam Deck, or Steam Deck OLED.
How to play Fortnite on Steam Deck using Windows
Fortnite – as of right now – can’t run natively on Linux. Proton, the translation layer to get Windows games running on Linux, requires more work to get it working with Epic’s anti-cheat solution. As Fortnite isn’t set up to hook into Proton, the game will not work.
Getting around this is simple, we just install Windows onto the Steam Deck. As we would with things like Modern Warfare 2, and Destiny 2.
On Windows, you’ll be playing the game at Low, but from our testing and observations, the game seems to run just fine at 60FPS.
How to stream Fortnite to the Steam Deck
The other methods are by using either Xbox Cloud Gaming with Game Pass, or Nvidia GeForce Now. These two will require you to use Microsoft Edge, which you can get from the app store in Desktop mode.
Navigating desktop mode on the Valve handheld can be tedious process, so using a keyboard and mouse with the Steam Deck, by connecting via a Steam Deck dock is highly recommended. However, you can bring up the Steam Deck keyboard without connecting any additional peripherals.
1. Download Microsoft Edge
To get to Desktop mode, on your home screen press the Steam button. Go to Power, and then go to Desktop mode in the menu that pops up.
Once you’ve done this, go to the Discover Store and search for Microsoft Edge. It’s in beta, but it functions nearly flawlessly.
We have a guide for Xbox Cloud Gaming already, and setting up Nvida GeForce Now is a fairly similar process.
2. Add Edge to Steam & set up
Once you’ve installed Edge, find it in the taskbar menu, and right click. Choose “Add to Steam” and we can proceed with the rest of the set up. This allows us to play your chosen streaming service in Gaming mode.
- Open Konsole and use the following code to give the correct permissions to Edge to get over any security barriers
- flatpak –user override –filesystem=/run/udev:ro com.microsoft.Edge
- Press Enter and then close Konsole
- Head into Steam and right-click Microsoft Edge
- Choose Properties and locate Launch Options
- Type the following code:
- –window-size=1024,640 –force-device-scale-factor=1.25 –device-scale-factor=1.25 –kiosk “https://www.play.geforcenow.com”
Setting Edge to run in Kiosk mode when selected through our shortcut will force it into a demo like state.
If you want Xbox Cloud Gaming, rather than Nvidia GeForce Now, you’ll need to type in place:
–kiosk “https://www.xbox.com/play”
Once you’re done, load into Gaming mode, and your streaming service of choice should load up, allowing you to play Fortnite on Steam Deck.
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