Helldivers 2 is a shockingly different sequel, ditching the first game’s dual-stick shooting with a more traditional over-the-shoulder point of view. While fans are pretty excited about the game, Steam Deck fans are missing out, as the shooter is currently incompatible with Valve’s handheld.
On the Steam Deck subreddit, user BaronYC posted footage of themselves trying to get the game working on this miracle machine. After failing to launch the game with standard Proton and Proton GE, it’s clear that the PlayStation shooter still isn’t fit for the system, at least not yet.
Fans are assuming that NProtect is the reason why Helldivers 2 can’t run on Deck, as the handheld only has Easy Anti-Cheat. This is something the devs will have to work out with Valve to make the game playable on Deck.
We aren’t too surprised that the third-person shooter isn’t working on Steam Deck since this is a multiplayer-only title. Games like Apex Legends do work on the handheld but the system tends to prioritize titles that have some sort of single-player in them. As it stands, fans will either have to wait for an official update or use a handheld with Microsoft OS.
It’s a bit disappointing that Helldivers 2 was released without Steam Deck in mind, as previous PlayStation games like Spider-Man and God of War were verified quickly. Granted, those are single-player games that don’t need much internet, but they still could have put more effort into making this happen.
Making this even more disappointing is that the first Helldivers is marked as “playable” on Steam Deck. This is likely because it’s an older dual-stick shooter with offline content, but it makes the sequel’s absence hurt a bit more. We can also bring up the fact that Helldivers is playable on PS Vita, showing the franchise’s handheld roots, but that’s a whole other topic.
Read More: Helldivers 2 on Steam Deck - compatibility and how to play
Helldivers 2 is now available on PS5 and PC, but don’t expect to play it on Steam Deck.