Counter-Strike fans rejoice: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is deemed Playable on Valve’s Steam Deck, alongside predecessor title Counter-Strike: Source.
Although many competitive shooters currently don’t share a home on the Steam Deck, CS:GO appears to be an exception. The challenge in bringing this type of genre over to the Steam Deck is taking into account third-party anti-cheat software and lack of developer support. Heavy hitters like Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and Halo Infinite fall victim to that brand of incompatibility.
The developers behind CS:GO and the Steam Deck are shared, so no surprise as to why CS:GO appears full steam ahead alongside the handheld.
Early indications leading up to the Steam Deck release suggest that CS:GO compatibility has been a priority for Valve from the get-go. For instance, game updates back in January 2022 targeted necessary tweaking for the handheld’s Linux-based operating system.
To be clear, CS:GO is deemed (currently) playable—but not verified. There’s still a handful of areas including controller icons, in-game text, and Bluetooth/USB requiring tweaking before the first-person-shooter earns a green checkmark.
Valve breaks down Steam Deck game compatibility into four categories: Verified, Playable, Unsupported, and Unknown; allowing users to quickly see which level of playability can be enjoyed.
