Can you play Alan Wake 2 on Steam Deck? Possible workaround explored

Alan Wake 2, the latest release from Remedy Entertainment, is a direct sequel to the highly acclaimed title from 2010. The recent surge of positive reviews has only increased its popularity, leaving many PC gamers wondering about its compatibility with Valve’s incredibly popular handheld PC. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, it appears that the game does not officially run on the Steam Deck.

Note: This article has parts that are subjective and reflect the author’s opinions.

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Alan Wake 2 does not work on the Steam Deck currently

Unfortunately, Alan Wake 2 is broken on Linux systems. Since the Steam Deck runs on Valve’s custom fork of Arch Linux, it faces the same issue. The game works smoothly on Windows-based devices like the ROG Ally and Legion Go. The Steam Deck’s system specifications are also vastly inferior to the official recommended/minimum requirements, which presents a problem.

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Possible workaround to get Alan Wake 2 running on Linux systems and the Steam Deck

Alan Wake 2 won't launch? Try this (Heroic games launcher) byu/kokotko234 inlinux_gaming

Thanks to Reddit user u/koktko234, a possible workaround for running the game on Linux systems has been found. Here's what you need to do:

• Install Winetricks in your system.
• Boot up Winetricks and install the two components, "d3dcompiler_43" and "d3dcompiler_47".
• Download the latest VCRedist from the link here. (both x64 and x86 versions).
• Boot up the Heroic Games Launcher, and install both VCRedist files using the "Run EXE on Prefix" option under the game settings.
• Install the EOS overlay in the launcher if required.
• Ignore any error messages and run the game using the default Wine-GE version.

The game should work without any major issues from this point on.

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How to install Alan Wake 2 on the Steam Deck

Installing the Heroic Games Launcher (Image via YouTube/GamingOnLinux)

Despite the game being locked to the Epic Games storefront, Steam Deck owners can install it onto their devices using the Heroic Games Launcher. The Heroic Games Launcher aims to bring your entire Epic Games and GoG library to the Steam Deck and can be easily installed via the following steps:

• Boot up your Steam Deck and enter into Desktop Mode.
• Fire up the Discover store on the KDE desktop. Search “Heroic Games Launcher.”
• Install the storefront and boot up the application.
• Next, click the “Stores” option on the left side of the menu and select the “Sign in with Epic Games” option.
• Sign in with your Epic Games account to complete the process.
• Finally, head to your “Library” tab and select Alan Wake 2 from the list of games.
• Click on the Download icon to begin downloading the game.
• Make sure to select the appropriate directories.
• Select the Wine Version as “Proton - Experimental” to access the latest patches for game compatibility.

Click the “Add to Steam” option under the game settings to add the game directly to your Deck UI. Artwork and additional information will be automatically applied.

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Future updates may bring official Deck compatibility to Alan Wake 2

While Alan Wake 2 does not run officially on Linux-based devices when writing this article, players can expect further updates to the Proton Experimental and Proton Hotfix channels soon. These updates should, in theory, enable the game to run on Linux without workarounds. Using the Proton-GE fork of Proton Experimental may also be a viable alternative.

Regarding Steam Deck compatibility, players may need to wait for mods that reduce visual fidelity and fine-tune the performance to get it running at satisfactory framerates on Valve’s beloved handheld PC.