Can you play PUBG on Steam Deck?

Hopeful for a handheld chicken dinner.

PUBG
Image: KRAFTON

Fans of the original Battle Royale that catapulted the genre into popularity—PUBG—currently do not share a home on Valve’s Steam Deck.

Recommended Videos

The Steam Deck is compatible with hundreds of titles, but competative shooters prove a challenging genre to port over. A big reason for that is third-party anti-cheat software and lack of developer support.

Unfortunately for PUBG players looking to capture their first chicken dinner on the handheld, there’s no evident timeframe of when the shooter plans on making its debut. Currently, PUBG doesn’t even show up on Steam Deck’s Verified game list.

Valve breaks down Steam Deck game compatibility into four categories: Verified, Playable, Unsupported, and Unknown; allowing users to find out wherever their favorite titles slot into.

As mentioned, similar competitive shooters like Apex Legends, Fortnite, Halo Infinite, and Rainbow Six Siege all share the same Steam Deck incompatibility status alongside PUBG.

Still, an official announcement from developer Krafton or Valve on the potential of PUBG’s emergence on the Steam Deck would be fantastic news for Battle Royale fans, especially considering the game finally went free-to-play in January after being purchasable since it’s 2017 birth.

PUBG Mobile, for example, is more popular than it’s PC counterpart, which begs the question: If PUBG mobile can be popular on a smartphone, surely Steam Deck shouldn’t be too far out of reach? Only time will tell.

Author
Image of Devon Ledohowski
Devon Ledohowski
Washed-up Counter-Strike player from back in the day, writing about all things hardware.