I don’t always get to sit at my computer to play the latest game releases for coverage. As a parent, I play on my Steam Deck frequently, whether waiting for an appointment to start or finish, a few minutes before bedtime, or what have you. But my current obsession this past week is Star Wars Outlaws, and I wouldn’t mind taking the open-world adventure with me everywhere. So, can you play Star Wars Outlaws on Steam Deck?
Does Star Wars Outlaws Work on Steam Deck?
First and foremost, as Star Wars Outlaws isn’t yet on Steam, it’s not natively supported on Steam Deck. If you want to play on the handheld, you must use a workaround to play via Ubisoft Connect or Epic Games Store. The best way to accomplish this task is by using the Heroic Launcher, which allows you to download various third-party launches, including both we’ve just mentioned here, and download your games through them. It’s easier but not foolproof.
Unfortunately, Star Wars Outlaws doesn’t run well on Steam Deck, even using Heroic Launcher. In fact, it doesn’t run well anyway currently, with recent reports claiming Ubisoft is asking PlayStation 5 players to restart their games with a new save file to avoid significant performance issues. It’s unfortunate, especially for those who dove in on day one and spent hours playing as Kay Vess.
In any case, those performance problems plague players on Steam Deck. It drops frames constantly, lags, and stutters, and it’s just an overall poor experience that’s not worth your time!
Related: How to Customize Your Speeder in Star Wars Outlaws
Will Star Wars Outlaws Eventually Offer Steam Deck Support?
Following the somewhat rocky launch plagued by performance issues and its exclusivity on Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store, I suspect Outlaws will inevitably launch on Steam. Sometimes, Ubisoft takes one year to launch its games on Valve’s competing platform. Other times, it’s only about six to eight months. I suspect the latter in this case, but we’ll have to wait and see.
When it inevitably launches on Steam, I hope Ubisoft takes steps to improve Steam Deck performance. By then, they’ll have ironed out many of the game’s bugs and performance problems, though!
Did you know we have a large and growing list of Star Wars Outlaws tips and tricks to help you navigate the seedy underbelly of Kay Vess’ world?!
