Steam Deck’s catalog is one of the service’s strongest points. Steam is the largest PC gaming marketplace, and it is possible that all of the titles found there are compatible with the Steam Deck. But there are always the odd ones out that, no matter what you try, will not conform to the norm.
Destiny 2 is one such game. Destiny 2 cannot be played on the Steam Deck in its native form due to difficulties with anti-cheat software. Happily, you can still enjoy the game, albeit by relying on cloud services.
It is possible that Destiny 2 may run on the Steam Deck, technically speaking. The ability to play even demanding games at playable settings and frame rates has been demonstrated. Neither Bungie nor any other Steam publisher is obligated to support the Steam Deck, but they are free to do so if they like. Valve takes care of most of the grunt work by enabling Proton to perform the translations required.
Destiny 2’s issues can be traced back to the game’s anti-cheat measures. None of the game’s modes can be played without the anti-cheat system enabled. Battleye is being utilized by Bungie for Destiny 2, and the cherry on top is that it is compatible with Linux and Proton. However, this functionality is dependent on being enabled by the programmers. Moreover, Bungie categorically rejects the idea.
Thankfully, you can still enjoy Destiny 2 on your Steam Deck in one specific method.
How to do it
Everything a GeForce player requires Google’s Chrome browser, which is compatible with Linux, is now available through Steam. Not only that, but both free and paid users can participate. The Chrome web browser can be run on your Steam Deck simply by adding it as an external program. If you don’t already have Chrome installed, SteamOS will do so automatically as a sort of tutorial. Chrome can be downloaded via the Steam Deck’s desktop mode’s program center if you’re already acquainted with non-Steam applications but don’t have it. Once added, it will be shown on the SteamOS mobile interface.
Launch Chrome and go to the GeForce Now homepage from there. The game will remember your progress from where you left off after you connect your Steam account. The Steam Deck controller, in addition to any user-defined layouts, is fully supported.
Even though it’s not ideal, having to utilize the cloud in a game that requires a continual internet connection to play is probably less of a problem than having an offline game use cloud storage. While we can hold out hope that Bungie will reverse their minds, it appears as though the Steam Deck will be taking a back seat for the time being.
