Can you play Alan Wake 2 on the Steam Deck?

As one of 2023’s Game of the Year nominees, Alan Wake 2 is an absolute must-play game. Although available on consoles and PC,if you’re opting to play on PC you’ll have to purchase it exclusively through the Epic Games Store.

Because of this exclusivity deal between Epic Games and Remedy Entertainment, it’s not available through Steam. So you may be wondering if you can play the game on the Steam Deck.

How to play Alan Wake 2 on the Steam Deck

Despite not being available on Steam it is possible to play Alan Wake 2 on the Steam Deck, but it requires a bit of a workaround. It’s also not an optimal gameplay experience, regularly falling below 30 frames per second.

The first way to get around the Epic Games Store exclusivity is to switch to Desktop mode on your Steam Deck. Then download the Epic Games Store launcher and launch it from Steam by adding it to your library as a non-Steam game.

Another option is to download the Heroic Launcher. This is an open source app that combines the libraries from the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon prime, allowing you to play the games you own from each.

Once installed, download Alan Wake 2 from your library. It’s recommended that you select the newest Proton GE option when installing.

Although it is possible to play Alan Wake 2 on the Steam Deck, it’s not necessarily recommended. The device often struggles to keep up with the game’s demands, resulting in frame rates that run in the low 20s.

A better option to play on the Steam Deck is probably to just stream from GeForce NOW. This does require a subscription though, but once you do, you’ll be able to run even the most demanding games on your portable device without worrying about technical requirements.