Steam Deck: EA games no longer launch, here’s a workaround while waiting for the fix

The Steam Deck is undoubtedly one of the best portable consoles on the market, due to the consistently amazing performance it offers as well as the sheer number of games it can run. This versatility is partly due to the Linux kernel, which allows you to launch many applications from different vendors. However, this vulnerability can also cause some problems, as EA is currently paying for it.

You may have noticed that many EA games have not been released on Steam Deck for a few days. Instead, players find themselves in front of the Steam logo, which remains on the screen unless you exit the app or turn off the console. To date, many threads have been referenced by the community as victims of the issue.

EA games are broken on Steam Deck, but there’s a fix

Here is the full list so far:

• Exit
• battlefield 5
• battlefield 4
• battlefield 1
• dead space 3
• FIFA 22
• FIFA 21
• It Takes Two
• Madden NFL 23
• Madden NFL 22
• Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• Mass Effect Andromeda
• Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
• Quick Heat Needs
• Need for Speed ​​Hot Pursuit Remastered
• Most Wanted Need for Speed
• Plants vs. Zombies: Garden War 2
• Star Wars Battlefront 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Sims 4
• Titan Fall 2

In fact, this list may also include all games released by EA and available on Steam Deck. Indeed, as Valve explains, the problem stems from the publisher’s own app, which has recently replaced the unpopular Origin client. This no longer communicates correctly with the Steam Deck, so it launches the elements of Proton, the software used by Valve to run Windows games, which are required to launch them.

How to launch EA games on your Steam Deck while waiting for the patch?

Fortunately, Valve is already working on a patch with EA to fix this annoying issue. While the two companies are collaborating with the developers responsible for Proton to develop a patch, they noted that this is not easy and it may take some time for the second to be deployed.

“While our games are not officially compatible with the Steam Deck, we understand players’ frustration and are always trying to improve their experience wherever our games appear. We are working closely with our partners at Valve to resolve these issues as soon as possible and our players will enjoy their favorite EA games soon. We hope they can pull it off again.”an EA spokesperson said in a statement.

Until an official patch becomes available, there is a workaround that will allow you to launch EA games on your Steam Deck. However, this is not without risk: it is possible to lose your backups in the process. First of all, we highly recommend that you make sure your progress is stored in the Steam Cloud before you start processing. Thus, you will reduce your chances of seeing a few hours of gameplay fly by.

Once complete, here is the procedure you need to follow to launch your EA games on the Steam Deck:

• Select the game you want to launch in your Steam Deck
• Go to settings by clicking the gear icon
• in the section Developerchoose Delete Proton Files

In this way, all the elements necessary to start the games, especially the EA application, will be reinstalled on your console. You should then be able to launch the affected games.

Source : Boundary