GTA Online on Steam Deck is unplayable due to BattlEye Anti-Cheat update
GTA Online received a major update on PC today, September 17, 2024, integrating the much-needed anti-cheat software called BattlEye. From today onwards, all online lobbies on PC will have a security layer of BattlEye that aims to provide a much better and cheater-free multiplayer experience. However, it looks like the addition came with some limitations and problems.
According to Rockstar Game Support, the inclusion of BattlEye has made the game unplayable on Steam Deck. Read on to learn more about the current situation of the popular PC handheld.
GTA Online Steam Deck version becomes unplayable with BattlEye Anti-Cheat update, Rockstar directs to Valve
As can be seen from the aforementioned screenshot, Rockstar Games Support admits that the BattlEye Anti-Cheat software has made GTA Online unplayable on Steam Deck. It was further added:
“GTAV and GTA Online are not officially supported on Steam Deck and all technical support questions should be directed to Valve’s Steam Deck support content and community.”
Tech enthusiast Timo Schmidt even criticized the limitation by resharing a post from September 25, 2021, of the BattlEye account where the company claimed to provide native Mac and Linux support. According to them, the Grand Theft Auto Online not being playable on Steam Deck is not a move from BattlEye but a Rockstar Games initiative.
In a support page published earlier today, Rockstar Games also shares some known issues on PC with the BattlEye Anti-Cheat integration into Grand Theft Auto Online. According to the company, the software won’t work properly with the following mods or graphics modifications software:
- ReShade
- Special_K
While players will still be able to launch the game post-update, the aforementioned mods will be disabled during gameplay.
Additionally, the anti-cheat software won’t work properly if gamers have the following antivirus software installed on their PCs:
- AVG
- Trend Micro
PC users are recommended to temporarily disable these programs before launching Grand Theft Auto Online after the BattlEye Anti-Cheat update.
Also Check: Full patch notes of the update
As of writing, there’s no information available when the Steam Deck version of the popular multiplayer title becomes playable again.
Also Read: Grand Theft Auto 5 Expanded and Enhanced Edition reportedly hinted for PC in today's update