Overwatch 2 is one of the most popular games you can play in 2023. The free-to-play team-based action game is developed by Blizzard, and is action-packed, making it a great title to play on the go on your Steam Deck. Installing the game used to take a lot of workarounds, but it’s now possible to play the game on the Steam deck without custom versions of Proton-GE. You just need to boot into Desktop mode, download Battle.net, add it to Steam, then install Overwatch 2. We have a look at the process for you right here.
How to play Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck
First things first, to begin the process of playing Overwatch 2 on the Steam Deck, you’ll have to boot your Steam Deck into desktop mode. Hold down the power button and choose Switch to Desktop. You also need to make sure you have a browser installed. You can hit the Discover tab and type in the browser of your choice (we used Microsoft Edge here) or you can go to Internet> Web Browsers to find the options.
After you do that, you can proceed with the steps below.
- Head into your web browser, and go to Battle.net. Download the latest Battle.net installer.
- In your downloads folder, right-click on the installer, and choose Add to Steam.
- Open the Steam app, and search for Battle.
- Right-click on the Battle.net-Setup.exe file, and choose Properties or you can hit the gear icon on the file in the app.
- In the Compatibility tab, choose the latest Proton version.
- Close out and press the Play button and follow the installation steps on the screen.
- Note down the file path to where you’re saving the game.
- Once Battle.net is installed, open Battle.net, then click Overwatch 2 and then choose Install.
- Launch the game as you normally would for another title
That’s all there is to know for playing Overwatch on your Steam Deck. It’s really simple, just like on other Steam Deck alternatives. Keep in mind, though, that this isn’t technically supported by Blizzard, so you might run into issues. Once you install the game in desktop mode, the on-screen keyboard might be a bit buggy. You might want to use an external keyboard for filling out the information in the initial sign-in/ sign-up page, or just the login through the Steam Deck’s Game Mode, and choose the Remember Me button. Additionally, you’ll want to try switching your controller scheme if you run into issues.