These 12 Games Will Convince You to Install Windows on Your Steam Deck

Steam Deck's excellent gaming performance is amazing, but some games don't run on SteamOS and Linux systems. The good news is that you can install Windows on Deck to play more games and experience the charm of PC Game Pass.

1. EA Sports WRC

This game is one of the best rally games I've ever played, with excellent driving models, huge single player campaign modes, numerous rally tracks around the world, and numerous classic and modern rally cars. The only drawback is the lack of rewinding in Codemasters' Dirt series. While the game pursues a more realistic rally experience, the rewind allows players to drive more boldly and avoid replaying 15-mile stages due to minor mistakes.

On Steam Deck, even if the image quality is lowered, the game will occasionally stutter. But the key is that EA recently updated the game's built-in anti-cheat mechanism, which made the game unable to run on Deck and Linux systems. Currently, you can only play this game on Deck with Windows installed. If you are a fan of rally games, this game is enough to be your reason to install Windows on Steam Deck.

##### Steam Deck OLED

Use Steam Deck OLED for excellent gaming experience. Immerse yourself in amazing visuals on a brightly colored OLED display while enjoying powerful performance and portability.

Amazon priced at $700, Steam priced at $549

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's multiplayer mode is one of the best Call of Duty games I've ever played. Excellent gunfighting experience, massive customizable weapons, well-designed levels and stable performance on Deck (reduced image quality and Windows installed). This game has fascinated me for months, I still play it on weekends, and I don't think I'm going to stop anytime soon.

This game not only has excellent multiplayer mode, but its campaign mode is also one of the best in the past decade. I passed the level quickly and I still felt unsatisfied, which was a feeling I had never had since the heyday of the "Modern War" series.

#### Valve Steam Deck

Rating 9/10 Steam Deck LCD is undoubtedly the most cost-effective handheld gaming PC thanks to its highly competitive price, first-class manufacturing quality, excellent software support and quite good gaming performance.

Amazon priced at $625, Steam priced at $399

3. The Crew Motorfest

The Crew Motorfest is primarily a single player game, but you can’t play it on SteamOS because Ubisoft insists on using Always Online DRM (another game affected by anti-cheat mechanics). However, if you install Windows on Steam Deck, you can play with it.

I like driving in Oahu and Maui while playing the single-player part of the game, as there are plenty of cars to choose from, and it's the first The Crew game with a good driving model (although still lagging behind). in "Forza Horizon"). The most important thing is that the visuals are great even at lower settings, and the digital reproduction of the Hawaiian Islands where the game is located looks beautiful.

In my opinion, even if you only plan to experience campaign mode, this game is worth your time, as long as you can accept a stable 30 FPS. I had a great time racing in Hawaii and the only thing I was upset that there were too many events that allowed you to choose only a few cars.

4. Grand Theft Auto: Online Mode

GTA V's single player campaign mode works well on SteamOS. GTA Online Mode, on the other hand, has been out of service on SteamOS and Linux for a while, as Rockstar implemented a new anti-cheat solution some time ago.

If you are addicted to growing your digital crime empire in Los Santos, the only way to manage it on Steam Deck is to install Windows on it.

5. Fortnite

This online game that millions of players around the world love cannot run on Linux. The game can run on Steam Deck with Windows installed, so if you're eager for a battle royale, be ready to install a new operating system for your Deck.

6. F1 24

F1 24 is another EA game that won't run on Steam Deck due to EA's anti-cheating software. This is a shame because the game has excellent campaign mode and driving model.

Unfortunately, since the single player part doesn't work, similar to EA Sports WRC, you can play this game for dozens of hours without having to touch multiplayer. But that's the case, so if you're a F1 fan with Steam Deck, the only way to play this game is to install Windows on it.

7. Rainbow Six: Siege

Rainbow Six: Siege has been running strong for nearly a decade, and the game shows no signs of slowing down. It remains the best choice for hardcore online shooter players, where fast response is third, with teamwork, map knowledge and operator expertise dominating.

This game cannot run on Linux (including SteamOS). Instead, it works perfectly on Steam Deck for Windows.

8. Lost Ark

The Lost Ark is one of the best action RPGs at the moment, but as an MMORPG, this game means it comes with an anti-cheat mechanism, which means Linux is not supported. Even on hardware that performs less than Steam Deck, the game works well, and Valve's handheld has enough performance and won't be limited to low-details.

If you are ready to install Windows on one of the best handheld PCs, you will be able to easily start your Lost Ark journey. The game is available on Steam, so you just need to open Steam, download Lost Ark, and start your adventure on the seven continents of the game world.

9. EA Sports FC 25

For better or worse, EA Sports FC 25 is the only top football game that includes online multiplayer games. Unfortunately, like all other EA games with multiplayer, this game doesn't run on Steam Deck running SteamOS.

On the other hand, once you switch to Windows, just limit FPS, because the frame rate is not stable, EA Sports FC 25 runs quite stably on Steam Deck. EA Sports FC 25 is not entirely centered on multiplayer. You can spend hundreds of hours trying to win trophys and leagues around the globe, or develop your players from clumsy novices to Golden Globe candidates.

10. Erica

Erica is a single player full-motion video game with engaging stories and a large number of different endings. It takes several hours to pass the level, but you can spend dozens of hours trying to unlock all the endings.

Unfortunately, this is a rare single player game that is not compatible with Linux for some reason. So, unless you have Windows for it, it won't run on Steam Deck. As an FMV game, once you turn it into a Windows PC gaming handheld, you can rest assured that it will work perfectly on your Steam Deck.

11. Roblox

Roblox is another massively multiplayer online game that you can't play on Linux. That is, you can run the Android version of the game on SteamOS via Waydroid, an app that allows Android games and applications to run on Linux distributions.

If you are willing to play the Android version of Roblox, check out our guide on how to install Waydroid. Once done, you also need to install and configure Roblox.

If you want to play the full PC version of Roblox, installing Windows on Steam Deck is the only way to do this.

12. Minecraft

This world's most popular game is not available on SteamOS. You can't just install and run Minecraft on Steam Deck, but you can play this game even on SteamOS. This is a bit complicated, and even if you follow the guide exactly, you may run into controller support issues and issues that some modules don't work.

However, there are easier ways to play Minecraft on Steam Deck. If you install Windows on it, you just need to download and install the game, install your favorite mod, and then you can start the game.

Windows also means you can enjoy PC Game Pass

Last but not least, you can enjoy PC Game Pass on your Deck with Xbox Cloud Games. However, the Game Pass cloud gaming experience still has many shortcomings. Poor image quality, high latency, limited area coverage, and you must subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate to use cloud streaming.

On the other hand, installing Windows will allow you to play every game on PC Game Pass without having to subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate.

In my opinion, PC Game Pass alone is enough to make Windows an auxiliary operating system for Steam Deck, as the service offers a lot of value and includes a lot of perfect games running on Steam Deck's simple hardware.

That is, if you have a gaming PC, you can stream any PC game to your Deck. If you are an Xbox gamer and also own Steam Deck, there is also a way to play Xbox games remotely on your Deck.

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Are you ready to take this step? Installing Windows on both Steam Deck LCD and OLED versions of gaming consoles is very easy.

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