Can you play Dwarf Fortress on Steam Deck?

Dwarf Fortress is one of the most complex world-building games out there, allowing players to live in a simulation with endless possibilities, developed over the last 20 years. The game hasn’t left the Steam Top Seller list in the last several days, with many new and old players eager to try out the new features in this updated version.

But many players are curious about whether the game will be able to run on the portable Steam Deck, allowing for fortress building on the go. Here’s all the information you need to know about whether or not you can play Dwarf Fortress on the Steam Deck.

Is Dwarf Fortress available on Steam Deck?

According to the Dwarf Fortress page on the Steam store, the game is playable on Steam Deck but not fully compatible. What this means is that you can play the game, but it’s not built for the Deck’s controller-like button layout. The page says the game is playable but may require “extra effort to interact with or configure.”

It also lists individual issues that may occur while playing the game, such as:

• “Some functionality is not accessible when using the default controller configurations, requiring the use of the touchscreen or virtual keyboard.”
• “This game sometimes shows mouse, keyboard, or non-Steam-Deck controller icons.”
• “Entering some text requires manually invoking the on-screen keyboard.”
• “Some in-game text is small and may be difficult to read.”
• “This game supports Steam Deck’s native display resolution, but does not set it by default and may require you to configure the display resolution manually.”

Most of these notices just mean that the title is largely meant as a mouse and keyboard game, with no controller controls or Steam Deck-specific graphics settings. If you choose to play Dwarf Fortress on the Steam Deck, you should know you’ll largely be playing it using the touch screen and virtual keyboard. This may be difficult since the game largely runs on keyboard shortcuts to open menus, but not impossible.

On the plus side, the game’s default graphics will perform well on the Steam Deck and players should have no issues running the process that generates new worlds. While it will require some messing with the settings to get right, players will soon be able to take Dwarf Fortress with them on the go.

That’s all you need to know about whether or not you can run Dwarf Fortress on the Steam Deck.