Grand Theft Auto On-line has, in an eyebrow-raising transfer, been given an anti-cheat software program named BattlEye over a decade after the sport got here out. As a consequence, it is now formally now not appropriate with the Steam Deck, per Valve’s personal retailer web page for the sport and an official FAQ from Rockstar.
That is a fairly dramatic shift, contemplating GTA 5—and, probably, GTA On-line—was previously considered one of Valve’s top-played Steam Deck video games. It is even nonetheless on the leaderboards on the time of writing. Now, it is received a giant ol’ “unsupported” sticker.
Rockstar’s FAQ and the 1.69 patch updates verify that is intentional, at the least in the interim. Each learn: “Steam Deck doesn’t help BattlEye for GTA On-line. It is possible for you to to play GTA 5 Story Mode however unable to play GTA On-line”.
As The Verge factors out, that is although there are video games with BattlEye that are Steam Deck appropriate. Proton, a compatibility layer that permits Linux customers to play Home windows video games (the Steam Deck’s SteamOS software program relies on Linux), is on the root of the issue: Merely put, video games utilizing BattlEye is not going to run on Steam Deck out of the field, so to talk. Nevertheless, BattlEye could be enabled so long as the developer reaches out to the anti-cheat vendor.
“BattlEye on Proton integration has reached some extent the place all a developer must do is attain out BattlEye to allow it for his or her title,” Valve mentioned again in 2021. “No extra work is required by the developer apart from that communication.” In the identical yr, BattlEye additionally proudly introduced it might help Proton: “This can be completed on an opt-in foundation with sport builders selecting whether or not they wish to permit it or not.”
All this to say, whereas Rockstar’s declare that the Steam Deck does not help BattlEye for GTA On-line is technically true, the onus seems to be on Rockstar to kind that out except one thing has modified. Regardless of this, each the FAQ and the updates state that “all technical help questions ought to be directed to Valve’s Steam Deck help content material and group.”
Consequently, there have been some destructive critiques left on Steam over the previous couple of days—I would hesitate to name this a bomb simply but, since there are about 20,876 critiques prior to now 30 days, and the present grumblings have not made a dent within the general percentile but. Nonetheless, critiques yesterday tilted in the direction of a coin flip, with 626 constructive and 602 destructive. There’s murmuring of an rebellion, at the least.
Whether it is certainly the case that Rockstar’s being too cussed to ask BattlEye if they might flip the ‘works with Steam Deck’ swap on, then that is a baffling set of decisions to me, particularly contemplating how a lot financial institution GTA On-line makes for Rockstar. I’ve reached out to each Rockstar and BattlEye for remark, and I will replace this text if I obtain a response.
