Why Are Halo Games Not Playable on Steam Deck?

Fans of the amazing Halo series of games were excited to play the latest addition into the series on the Steam Deck, but it looks like that’s not going to be the case.

The Steam Deck is compatible with hundreds of different games. From indie to competitive titles, it seems that the Steam Deck has something for everyone. Everyone that is, except Halo fans. The newest game, Halo Infinite, appears to not be supported on Steam Deck. But that’s not all. It also seems that Halo: Master Chief Collection is also not playable, with the games being listed simply as “unsupported” on the Steam Deck verified games list on February 18 after a test was run to see the games’ compatibility with the device.

It’s safe to say gamers were immensely disappointed with the news, given that such other big titles like The Evil Within and Rainbow Six Siege are playable. And it’s left many players scratching their heads as to why this is. Halo Infinite and Halo: Master Chief Collection are such big titles and from such a beloved series, it seems obvious that Microsoft would want them available to everyone.

Well, the reason the game is not supported on Steam Deck are their anti-cheat systems. Other big titles mentioned earlier, such as Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege run their anti-cheat through a third party, so it seems that Microsoft’s anti-cheat system may be the issue that is causing the unsupportive nature on the device. With the games both being listed as unsupported, and therefore unplayable, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of fans who wanted to play just the campaigns of the series on the device.

Microsoft has provided an update on Xbox Game Studios titles for Steam Deck. Most games are playable, but these won't be supported on