Play Deadlock On A Steam Deck?

September 14, 2024

Indeed, Deadlock is Play Deadlock on a Steam deck even though it is not formally supported. While the game’s matchmaking isn’t naturally compatible with Steam decks, there are workarounds; The game has Steam Deck controls by default.

Typical problems and solutions for Steam Deck Deadlock

Players often run into the error message “Matchmaking unsupported for Steam Decks.” With certain modifications, players can still enjoy the game. Below are two ways to enhance your gaming and fix the compatibility issue.

First Method 1: Launch Settings Tweaks

This is a permanent fix that requires adjusting the game’s launch parameters. Apply these guidelines:

Open Steam; Look for Deadlock in your library.

Click Properties from the gear icon (Settings) next to the game title.

Look under the General tab for the Launch Options section.

After starting the game, enter the command SteamDeck=0 %command%. This will avoid matchmaking issues and let you enjoy Deadlock on your Steam deck without constantly adjusting parameters.

Method 2: Spectate mode workaround

If you want a less sophisticated approach, you can start playing with Spectate:

From the game’s main screen, select Watch.

Choose a game with a low audience count to reduce your chances of running out of time.
Click the play button to join the game once.

Although the process may need to be repeated if the session times out, this approach allows you to ignore matchmaking restrictions.

Can you use the Steam Deck to play Deadlock?

Deadlock can be played on Valve’s handheld gaming PC, however there are some obvious problems. First of all, the game lacks any “official” controller compatibility, hence players will have to utilize a (fully functioning) community arrangement instead.

Second, with an average frame rate of 30 to 40 FPS, the performance is just passable at best. Deadlock is probably meant to be a competitive shooter, hence anything less than a 60 frames per second output is less than desirable.