The Steam Deck is a portable gaming system that allows gamers to play any of the games from the Steam platform while on the go. But for those who have favorite games made by other companies, such as Blizzard, are left wondering if they can play their favorite games on the device.
You can play most Blizzard games on the Steam Deck. There are additional downloads to install, such as the Battle.net desktop app and Windows operating system, but for most gamers, it’s worth it to be able to play their favorite games wherever they please.
Want to learn how to play Blizzard games on your Steam Deck? Please keep reading to learn more about which games you can play and how you expect them to function on your Steam Deck.
Is it Possible to Play Blizzard Games on the Steam Deck?
It is entirely possible to play Blizzard games on the Steam Deck. While it may look like a gaming console, the Steam Deck is a small, hand-held PC that runs on the Linux operating system.
Therefore you can play any game on Steam Deck that you can play on your PC.
Additional Apps are Needed
You may find that playing all of the Blizzard games on your Steam Deck isn’t as easy as it is to play the games from the Steam store. So additional services will need to be downloaded to access Blizzard Games, such as the Windows operating system and Battle.net desktop app.
But once these apps are downloaded, you should be able to go through and select your favorite game, such as Diablo.
Quick Fixes
However, if you have problems, there are a few fixes you can try.
First, ensure your DNS Servers in settings are set to 1.1.1.1. This will fix any connection issues the device may be having.
For those still experiencing problems, consider downloading an additional app called Lutris, which will allow you to play in a non-desktop version of your chosen game.
Which Blizzard Games Work Well on Steam Deck?
Several Blizzard games work well on the Steam Deck. The most notable are World of Warcraft and Diablo, two of the games for which the Blizzard platform is most well-known.
Many gamers also report that they enjoy playing Hearthstone and StarCraft on Steam Deck, but many had to install a small workaround called WINE to get the games to run.
While this workaround didn’t take too much time to install, it does require an extra step beyond the WindowsOS and Blizzard Battle.net app installation.
Should You Play Blizzard Games on Steam Deck?
A Steam Deck is a portable console without a mouse which can make it difficult for players to engage in games that require a lot of clicking—think of it like trying to play World of Warcraft on your laptop but on a much smaller screen.
There is a workaround for this, however, as the Steam Deck has ports that allow it to be hooked up to both a monitor and a keyboard and mouse, so you can play your Blizzard games just as you always do, just with a more portable format.
However, if you purchased a Steam Deck on your commute, this solution won’t work.
In these cases, it is recommended to stick to the more FPS games like Overwatch, Diablo Immortal, and anything out of the Blizzard Arcade Games collection, as these don’t require as much precision with mouse clicking as other games like World of Warcraft.
What Other Games Can Steam Deck Run?
Besides just Blizzard Games, the Steam Deck can run games from other companies, such as those made by Nintendo and regular old PC games. Remember, the Steam Deck is basically a small computer, so if it can run on a computer operating system like Windows, it can run on Steam Deck!
Playing Nintendo Games on Steam Deck
While Nintendo games can work on Steam Deck, before you get too excited about playing Animal Crossing, know there are a few emulation issues. While you can fix these issues with specific app settings and downloads, many how-to videos explaining it have mysteriously been deleted off the web.
Gamers speculate this mysterious deletion is because Nintendo wants to limit the portability of its games to their competing product, the Nintendo Switch.
So if you want to play Mario Cart on your Steam Deck, you’ll need a little bit of technical experience to do your own troubleshooting to get around the emulation issues.
PC Games on Steam Deck
PC Games like Resident Evil and Forza Motorsport can be played on Steam Deck easily, as long as the games have Linux operating system compatibility. You’ll simply need to go to the PC games store and download the game you wish to play.
You should be aware, however, that because the Steam Deck is a much smaller gaming system, you can’t expect the exact graphics resolution as you can on a regular PC. There is also the issue above: no mouse can make some more intricate games too challenging to play on a Steam Deck.
Final Thoughts
Overall, no matter what games you enjoy playing, you will likely get them to work on a Steam Deck, as long as you have a little bit of technological knowledge. This is excellent news for those who enjoy Blizzard or PC games that aren’t available in the Steam Store.
While most games can work on a Steam Deck, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should play them on one—namely, because of the limited quality of graphics and the lack of a mouse. But where there is a will, there is a way, and the sky is the limit with the Steam Deck.