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Ahead of the game’s release, we’re asking – is Diablo 4 Beta on Steam Deck?
Many Diablo fans will be getting their first taste of Blizzard’s latest RPG over the next two weekends now that the game’s system requirements have been revealed.
Those on Steam Deck though are wondering whether Diablo 4 is playable on Steam Deck. Regardless of whether you’re an avid Steam Decker, or else want the advantage of playing Diablo 4 on the go. While Diablo 3 wasn’t playable on Steam Deck, fans are hoping that things might be different with Diablo 4.
Is Diablo 4 playable on Steam Deck?
The Diablo 4 isn’t currently playable on Steam Deck, natively. It’s pretty sad news, to say the least. But does that mean that there aren’t ways to play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck?
The game’s official page tells us nothing about whether it will release on the Valve console. However, we’ll keep our ears to the ground in case this changes, though we don’t imagine it really will.
That being said, there are plenty of games that aren’t officially supported which do still run on devices like Steam Deck.
For now though, it looks like PC gamers will only be able to play Diablo 4 via Battle.net. Similarly, if you have Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 or PS4, you’ll be able to play Diablo 4 as of June 6th. We’re yet to hear whether Diablo 4 will be playable on Nintendo Switch.
That said – there are a few ‘hacks’ that let you play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck.
How to play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck
The beta showed us that it was possible to play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck. If you’re hoping to play the game from the comfort of your Steam Deck (in bed, we presume), here’s what you’re going to have to do.
If you’re planning to play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck, you’re going to have to do a few crafty things. The first is downloading Proton. This is a workaround method that allows you to play non-Steam titles on the Steam Deck.
Here’s an in-depth list on how we played Diablo 4 Beta on Steam Deck:
- Enter Desktop Mode on Steam Deck
- Download Battle.net launcher from Web Browser
- Open Discover app
- Download ProtonUp-Qt
- Open ProtonUp-Qt and download ‘GE-Proton7-51-diablo_4_beta‘
- Close ProtonUp-Qt
- Open Steam
- Add a Game in bottom left
- Add a non-Steam Game and find file ‘Battle.net-Setup.exe‘
- In Steam find Battle.net-Setup.exe and do the following: Right Click > Properties > Compatibility > Tick the box and select ‘GE-Proton7-51-diablo_4_beta‘
- Run and install, then close. Do not login.
- Right click on Battle.net shortcut, go to Properties and then Browse
- Update the shortcut file location to ‘Battle.net Launcher.exe‘
If you do choose to run Diablo 4 like this – you’re going to likely have to run the game on the lowest settings at 60FPS. However, we reiterate that you couldn’t play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck immediately – as it took a while for the Proton release to hit the internet.
Once you load up the game, you may be faced with a GPU not found warning. Regardless, power through and you will be playing Diablo 4 on Steam Deck, once Proton releases.
Frequently asked questions
Is Diablo 4 a prequel?
No, Diablo 4 takes place several decades after the events of Diablo III.
Can Blizzard games be played on Steam Deck?
Blizzard games are currently available only via the Battle.net launcher, though this doesn’t mean that the games aren’t playable on Steam Deck.