Skip to main content

EA removes Apex Legends from Steam Deck due to Linux cheating

A Legend Upgrade ability is used in Apex Legends.
EA

Electronic Arts announced Thursday that it’ll be removing Steam Deck and Linux players’ access to its battle royale Apex Legends in an effort to combat cheating, effective immediately.

In a post on the Apex Legends forums (spotted by The Verge) an EA spokesperson said it made this decision as part of its anti-cheat efforts. Basically, EA found that many of the exploits and cheats it’s trying to combat came through Linux distros. So it decided to block access for Linux users. And since Steam Deck runs on Linux by default (SteamOS is built from Debian and uses a layer called Proton to make Windows and Mac games compatible), that meant Steam Deck had to go.

Recommended Videos

“We had to weigh the decision on the number of players who were legitimately playing on Linux/the Steam Deck versus the greater health of the population of players for Apex. While the population of Linux users is small, their impact infected a fair amount of players’ games. This ultimately brought us to our decision today,” the post read.

Granted, if you load up your Steam Deck with Windows, you could play Apex Legends. It just won’t work through the default launcher. You can also still play it through Steam on PC.

EA previously reported in August that it’s banned over 6 million accounts since launch, with over 100,000 banned on average each month. Currently, it uses Easy Anti-Cheat to monitor cheating in the game, along with its other titles.

This isn’t the first time a AAA title has been removed from the Steam Deck due to anti-cheat measures. Last month, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online were also removed from Steam Deck after integrating BattlEye Anti-Cheat, although Rockstar didn’t clarify what about it was incompatible.

Carli Velocci
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
Apex Legends’ new season drops a dead kaiju in the game
A dead monster lies on Apex Legends' Storm point map.

When Apex Legends' newest season, Saviors, drops on May 10, it'll bring some major changes to the battle royale game. Notably. the game's Storm Point map will see a drastic change thanks to a new activity and a giant, crustacean monster that's died in the middle of the battlefield.

Apex Legends: Saviors is the shooter's 13th season and it's continuing its story in some creative ways. Not only does it add a compelling character in Newcastle, but it also opens up the game's lore further by introducing the monster, which has some history with the game's heroes.

Read more
Apex Legends Mobile drops this month with exclusive modes
Promo art for Apex Legends Mobile shows different characters.

The long-awaited Apex Legends Mobile is finally set to launch in May. While the game doesn't have a set date, developer Respawn confirmed new details about the title.

Apex Legends Mobile isn't a port of the popular battle royale game. Respawn emphasizes that it is a completely stand-alone experience designed with mobile in mind. The developer has been testing the game in a series of betas worldwide over the past year, but it's officially opening the doors sometime this month.

Read more
Apex Legends Mobile gets limited release in 10 countries
Bloodhound stands with their crow Artur in Apex Legends.

After months of rumors and development updates, Apex Legends Mobile is finally getting a limited release ahead of its worldwide launch. In a blog post shared yesterday, Respawn revealed that players in 10 countries around the world will be able to freely download the game from their respective app store and can play a limited number of modes and legends.

The limited release is intended as a beta test and a way of stress-testing the game's matchmaking and progression systems. At the end of the beta period, progress will be reset before the game launches across the world.

Read more