You can play Modern Warfare 2 on a Steam Deck. However, there is a catch. The anti-cheat isn’t compatible with Linux, so you’ll have to install Windows to run it. Unfortunately, this is a relatively complicated process that not everyone will feel comfortable attempting.
Is Modern Warfare 2 Steam Deck compatible?
While Modern Warfare 2 is officially incompatible with Steam Deck, that’s not the whole story. Technically, it’s only incompatible with SteamOS, and the hardware can run the game under a different operating system.
Unfortunately, SteamOS doesn’t support dual-booting yet. So, the only official way to install Windows is to make it the primary (and only) OS. However, there are community solutions that allow you to install Windows 10 or 11 alongside Steam OS. The best one we’ve found uses the rEFInd script to enable a third party bootloader, allowing you to switch between Windows and Steam OS quickly.
The video above is a great tutorial that covers what you need to dual-boot your Steam Deck and play Modern Warfare 2. It walks you through the process and details each step thoroughly. However, one word of warning we have is that you need to make sure the version of Windows you’re installing doesn’t have issues with the handheld. At least one newer version of Windows 11 breaks the audio drivers, so going with Windows 10 might be a better bet for now.
