Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5), a popular game on Valve's Steam Deck, has recently become listed as "unsupported" for the handheld. This comes after developer Rockstar disabled compatibility with the Steam Deck for its online mode, breaking the game's support. Previously, GTA 5 had been one of the top 10 most played games on the platform and remained in the top 20 for over two years.
Rockstar Games Decision Tied to Anti-Cheat Compatibility The issue centres around Rockstar Games' decision not to enable their new anti-cheat software for GTA Online on the Steam Deck. Similar to decisions made by developers of other games like Fortnite and Roblox, Rockstar Games has opted to limit support for the Linux-based handheld, according to The Verge report . However, unlike those titles, which never brought multiplayer support to the platform, Rockstar's move removes a previously available online feature from players.
This decision, according to Rockstar Games, stems from a lack of support from Valve's Steam Deck for BattlEye, the anti-cheat software required for GTA Online. Also read: GTA 6 release still set for fall 2025? Here's what Take-Two Interactive report says Despite this, questions remain unanswered regarding why Rockstar Games didn't enable BattlEye for the Steam Deck. Valve enabled BattlEye support on its handheld device years ago, allowing several games with the software to run smoothly.
According to Valve, activating a game with BattlEye for the Steam Deck is a simple process. .