According to an announcement from EA and Respawn Entertainment on EA’s official site, they have no plans to further support Apex Legends for Linux, effectively eliminating the title for Steam Deck users (the console relies on a Linux OS). There has been an increasing popularity for this genre of games amongst handheld consoles, so no doubt this decision will shock a lot of people. EA says that was more of a broad push to maintain “competitive integrity” and to protect against cheating, but read the full comment by clicking below.
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More About Apex Legends Dropping Steam Deck
This is not the first time a game has gone on to stop working on Stream Deck, either: Grand Theft Auto V was also rendered unplayable on the machine when a game update added anti-cheat measures that are incompatible with the Steam Deck. According to a joint statement from EA and Respawn, Linux has turned into a major vehicle for cheating and exploit abuse in Apex. Even though that will affect only a tiny portion of players, they want to try and address such problems by preventing access to the Linux OS.
The firms say this move will help produce a more equitable space with fewer cheat bots. The Steam Deck is known to be highly customizable, so if one has the technical know-how, they can install just about any game on it including Blizzard titles and Nintendo emulators. EA has clearly recognized that the open nature of Linux is a big temptation for those looking to modify games.
While EA and Respawn have not defined how many of the cheaters use Linux, both seem satisfied that blocking the OS is the best way forward regarding the protection of gameplay. The Steam Deck was ruled out because there is no “reliable method” of knowing if the person running the cheat is a genuine Steam Deck user or one who is using Linux to beat the ban. But it does mean that users can pop Windows on their Steam Deck to play Apex Legends. Whether it does or not will likely determine what future changes to that policy will look like.
FAQs
Why was Steam Deck support removed for Apex Legends?
EA and Respawn removed Linux support, including Steam Deck, to address cheating issues and improve competitive integrity within the game.
Can I still play Apex Legends on my Steam Deck?
Yes, you can still play by installing Windows on your Steam Deck, as the restriction only applies to Linux OS.
