Can the dream actually be true? Shall we have a go at World of Warcraft Steam Deck and discover it is playable? Is it even possible to install it on Valve’s amazing handheld console? Read on and find out.
World of Warcraft is still one of the most-played MMORPGs out there, especially since the genre has died down considerably. Even with stiff competition from Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, WoW continues to bring big numbers for Activision Blizzard.
Now, without further ado, here’s what you need to know about World of Warcraft Steam Deck and if this MMORPG is actually playable on Valve's handheld device.
Can you play World of Warcraft on Steam Deck?
Yes, but there are some steps you need to take to play it. After all, World of Warcraft isn’t readily available on Steam, so some tinkering needs to be done just to install the game.
Thankfully, Altar of Gaming was able to detail how to put the MMORPG on your Steam Deck. It won’t take more than 10 minutes to bring this game to your system but make sure to have some storage space.
Without further ado, here’s the step-by-step process to install World of Warcraft on your Steam Deck:
Install Proton GE
- We’ll need ProtonUp-Qt to run Battle.net and all of its games since the stock Proton on Steam Deck doesn’t work on it. Firstly, go to Desktop Mode by pressing the Steam Button and scrolling down to Power. Press Power and pick Desktop Mode.
- Now that we’re in Desktop Mode, go to Discover. Find ProtonUp-QT and install it.
- Once installed, pick the latest version of Proton GE and you’re good to go.
Install Battle.net
- Go to your desired internet browser (Mozilla Firefox is the default for Steam Deck) and look for Battle.net.
- Download the Battle.net client through Blizzard’s website.
- Once you’ve downloaded the Battle.net client, open Steam in Desktop Mode.
- After Steam is open, go to Add non-Steam game and add Battle.net.
Go to your installed Battle.net. Head to the gear and go to compatibility so you can pair it with the latest version of Proton GE. - Now hit “play” so you can officially download Battle.net. Make sure to click “keep me logged in” so you won’t have to do this over and over.
Install World of Warcraft
- Go to Battle.net and simply choose which version of World of Warcraft to download.
- The three versions are: World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: Classic, World of Warcraft: Classic Wrath of the Lich King
- If you decide to download all these versions, it will take 85 GB.
And that’s how you install and play World of Warcraft on your Steam Deck.
Best World of Warcraft settings for Steam Deck
Since WoW is not Steam Deck verified, you need to fiddle with some of the graphics and SteamOS settings to run the game as optimally as possible and conserve your Steam Deck's battery life.
So here is the best World of Warcraft settings for Steam Deck:
- Frame Rate: 30 FPS
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- TDP Limit: 10
- Half Rate Shading: Off
- Scaling Filter: Linear
- GPU Clock: Disabled
- Graphics: Low
For the best performance on the Steam Deck, we recommend you put all the graphics settings to low. But you are free to experiment with different combinations of in-game graphics settings. You can try gradually increasing the in-game settings until the frame rate drops.
That's all we have for you on World of Warcraft on Steam Deck. If you want to know more about Valve's portable console, check out our guide on its shipping time.