CoD MW2 is here and Steam Deck owners are wondering if they can play the game on it to join in on the fun. Since the game is there on Steam, you already have it in your library. And the whole point of the console is to have your Library anywhere with you. So in this guide check out if you can play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on Steam Deck and if there are workarounds to run it.
Can You Play CoD MW2 on Steam Deck?
No, you cannot play CoD MW2 on Steam Deck. At least not out of the box without making some big changes. And by big changes, I mean replacing SteamOS in favor of Windows. The reason you cannot play Modern Warfare 2 on Steam Deck is Ricochet anti-cheat.
Basically, SteamOS is a Linux-based operating system. And Ricochet anti-cheat does not support Linux. A Windows kernel does not work the same as a Linux kernel. At the time of writing this article, Ricochet anti-cheat only supports the Windows kernel to work. Thus because of this incompatibility, the game won’t run on Steam Deck.
But just because the game isn’t supported natively doesn’t mean there is no way for you to run it. There is in fact a workaround for it.
How to Run Modern Warfare 2 on Steam Deck
As mentioned previously, you can run CoD MW2 on it only after changing your OS to Windows from SteamOS. The good thing is Steam officially has Windows drivers support for Steam Deck. But the whole process to install Windows on Steam Deck is quite a task in itself. And it may or may not be worth it if you are only installing it just for one game. Not to mention if you are planning to do it you will have to go all in. It is because SteamOS doesn’t have support to dual-boot alongside Windows. Lastly, you can only install Windows 10 on Steam Deck. So these are a few things to consider before you change the OS of your Steam Deck.
That covers this guide on if you can run Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on Steam Deck and the workarounds for it. If you are interested in learning more about this game then be sure to check out our Modern Warfare 2 Wiki.
