Can I play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck?
Even though it's not being distributed through Steam, Diablo 4 is fully playable on Steam Deck. To download and enjoy the game on Valve's handheld, though, you'll need to install Blizzard's Battle.net client. The easiest way to do this is to use the helpful Lutris tool.
Play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck with Lutris
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Diablo 4 is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most exciting games of 2023, and even though it's being distributed with Blizzard's Battle.net desktop client, you have no reason to worry if you're a Steam Deck user hoping to play it. In fact, with some simple Desktop Mode tinkering (have a keyboard and mouse handy), you'll be able to access the Battle.net app and Diablo 4 in no time.
Our complete guide on how to play Diablo 4 on Steam Deck goes over the full process, but to summarize, the easiest way to get the game up and running is to use a nifty tool called Lutris (it can be downloaded by searching for it with Discover in the Desktop Mode's taskbar). With Lutris, you can easily search for and download the Battle.net app, which you can then use to install and play Diablo 4.
Note that if you want to, you can add Lutris as a non-Steam game while in Desktop Mode using the Steam desktop client. Doing so allows you to open it while using the Steam Deck's regular SteamOS UI, and by extension, Battle.net and Diablo 4. To do this, simply select Add a non-Steam Game to My Library under the Games tab in the application's top left corner and then select Lutris.
Is there another way?
While we recommend sticking with Lutris, there is a second way to install Battle.net and Diablo 4 on the Steam Deck. However, be aware that the process will be a little more complicated, especially for folks that haven't messed around with game installations on Steam before. Thankfully, though, it's still pretty easy and shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
The gist is that you'll need to download the Battle.net installer from Blizzard's website, add it as a game in your Steam library, open its Steam Properties menu, select the option to force the use of a specific Steam compatibility tool, and select Proton Experimental. After launching it, you'll be able to install Battle.net through with Proton and play Diablo 4 (wait to log into your Battle.net account until after the client is fully installed). For a fully detailed walkthrough of this process, refer to the aforementioned guide on playing Diablo 4 on Steam Deck.
While this method works fine, it's better to use the Lutris app unless it's not working properly for you since that option is easier and faster. Also, something to be aware of with the Proton method is that you might get a warning that your GPU isn't supported and that you might experience performance problems. This warning can be safely ignored.
You can also go totally nuclear, and install Windows 11 on your Steam Deck too, running the Battle.net client as you would on any Windows PC. However, Diablo IV doesn't run that well from an SD card, so you might have to be willing to completely nuke your SteamOS installation and replace it with Windows to enjoy the game in this way. There's always the ASUS ROG Ally as an alternative platform option, too.
Diablo 4 is slated to fully launch on June 6, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4, with Early Access available to fans that preorder the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. It's one of the best Xbox games for fans of dungeon crawlers and hack-and-slash combat, and we've been having an absolute blast with it.
