With Star Wars finally dipping its toes into open-world gaming, fans are very much excited for Star Wars Outlaws. One particular thing they're looking into is if you can play Star Wars Outlaws on Steam Deck.
In Outlaws, players will get to explore the galaxy as Kay Vess, a thief during the Imperial era. Joining Vess on this adventure is her furry companion Nix and a trench coat-clad commando droid named ND-5.
But will the Steam Deck be able to handle Star Wars Outlaws? Let's find out!
Can you play Star Wars Outlaws on Steam Deck?
Yes, you can play Star Wars Outlaws on Steam Deck.
However, since the game is exclusively available through Ubisoft Connect, Ubisoft's virtual storefront, there are a few additional steps you'll need to take before diving into the adventure.
Star Wars Outlaws could be added to Steam at a later date, but for now, it appears that the game might not be available on Valve’s premiere PC game distribution platform at launch.
How to play Star Wars Outlaws on Steam Deck
To play Star Wars Outlaws on Steam Deck, you will need to install Ubisoft Connect on your device.
Unfortunately, Ubisoft Connect is primarily designed for Windows and does not have an official version available for Linux. So, you need to use Proton to install Ubisoft Connect, and the steps are a bit laborious.
Here are the steps you need to take to install Ubisoft Connect on Steam Deck:
- Switch your Steam Deck to Desktop Mode.
- Open a browser and head over to the Ubisoft Connect official page.
- From there, download the Ubisoft Connect installer.
- While still in Desktop Mode, open your Steam client and go to your Library.
- Click on "Add a game" in the lower left corner and select "Add a Non-Steam game".
- Click the Browse button and locate your Downloads folder.
- Once you're in the Downloads folder, look for the "UbisoftConnectInstaller.exe" file, select it, and then click on Open.
- The file should now appear on the "Add a Game" list, tick its box and click on Add selected programs.
- Go back to your Steam Library and select UbisoftConnectInstaller.exe.
- Click on the cog icon and open up Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab and tick the box that says "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool".
- Choose "Proton Experimental" for the compatibility option.
- Go back to the UbisoftConnectInstaller.exe page in your Steam Library and click on the Play button. This will launch the installer.
- Before you hit Finish, make sure the "Run Ubisoft Connect" box is unticked.
Ubisoft Connect will now be installed, but you're not quite done just yet. You'll need to make some more adjustments to your device to be able to run it.
How to launch Ubisoft Connect on Steam Deck
To launch Ubisoft Connect on your Steam Deck, you need to configure compatibility settings. By configuring compatibility settings, you are essentially making Ubisoft Connect compatible with Steam Deck's SteamOS.
This allows you to overcome the compatibility barriers and launch Ubisoft Connect successfully on your Steam Deck, despite it not being specifically designed for SteamOS.
Here are the steps you need to take to launch Ubisoft Connect on Steam Deck:
- Go to your Steam Library and select UbisoftConnectInstaller.exe.
- Click on the cog icon and select Properties.
- In the Shortcut tab, click on Browse.
- Go to the following path: /
home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/[numerical_identifier]/pfx/drive_c/users/streamuser/Desktop/Ubisoft Connect.lnk - Look for Ubisoft Connect.lnk in your Steam library.
- Click on Properties and go to the Compatibility section.
- Tick the box that says Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool and select the latest version of Proton.
- Return to the Properties tab and click on Browse
- Go to your Program Files (x86) folder and from there, go to Ubisoft, then Ubisoft Game Launcher.
- Select the UbisoftConnect.lnk file and click Open.
Now that you have Ubisoft Connect installed, access the virtual storefront and purchase the game from there.
Once the game is purchased and added to your Ubisoft Connect library, you'll be able to launch and play Star Wars Outlaws on your Steam Deck.