Is Helldivers 2 playable on Steam Deck?

With Helldivers 2 available on PC via Steam as well as PlayStation 5, players are naturally curious whether or not it can run on the Steam Deck handheld.

There’s no mention of Helldivers 2 being Steam Deck verified on its store listing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t run on Valve’s portable console. Other Steam games, like Granblue Fantasy: Relink, aren’t verified for the Steam Deck either yet are still perfectly playable, so does the same apply to Helldivers 2?

Does Helldivers 2 run on Steam Deck?

Unfortunately, no. Helldivers 2 does not appear to work on Steam Deck whatsoever, even if you change the compatibility tool in the Properties menu, with multiple reports from other players saying it won’t boot up.

One Reddit thread has suggested this is to do with NProtect GameGuard, which is Helldiver 2‘s DRM software. DRM is used to prevent cheating and piracy, and while anti-cheat is needed for an online multiplayer co-op game like Helldivers 2, Steam Deck owners are feeling let down.

There have been claims of a workaround though. A YouTube video by Sunwind from Feb. 8 said it’s possible if you download the Proton GE 7-49 compatibility software onto your Steam Deck and launch Helldivers 2 in desktop mode. However, it’s not an ideal alternative since it can’t maintain 60 frames per second even on the lowest graphics settings.

At the time of writing, Arrowhead Game Studios hasn’t provided an official explanation for the lack of Steam Deck support, so there’s no guarantee NProtect is at fault. The studio also hasn’t stated whether it intends to add Steam Deck support in the future.

This is the least of Helldivers 2‘s problems though. It hasn’t had the smoothest of launches, with many players struggling to get it working on PC due to a launch error. The Quickplay option for online play also doesn’t work properly because of issues with crossplay. Combine those lingering problems with overloaded servers and Arrowhead has already admitted to being in “crisis mode” as it works to address all these issues.