Minecraft Dungeons should be great on the Steam Deck

Being on Steam means being on Linux and that means being on Steam Deck

What you need to know

• Minecraft Dungeons is now available on Steam.
• Early tests show it works well on Linux, admittedly using a custom version of Proton right now.
• When the Steam Deck arrives this should be the best handheld Minecraft Dungeons experience.

It took some time but Minecraft Dungeons is finally available on Steam. While that's good news for folks who flat out don't want to use the Microsoft Store for anything, it has a wider application; The Steam Deck. Valve's handheld gaming PC is but a few months out from getting in the first eager hands and Minecraft Dungeons is a perfect title to play on it.

Which is why it's so good to see that it already runs like a champ on Linux. The fine folks at GamingOnLinux have already put it through its paces and results are good. The only caveat is that right now you have to use ProtonGE, a custom version of Valve's Proton, to play it properly, due to some media incompatibilities in the official version that make the videos die.

Valve is promising a lot from Proton when the Steam Deck launches, though, so you'd hope it's a simple install and play affair, but even so, installing ProtonGE isn't much of a stretch. Minecraft Dungeons is a really good title to play handheld already, whether that's through Xbox Game Pass cloud or on the Nintendo Switch.

The superior hardware promised by the Steam Deck over the Switch, though, means that running the Steam version of Minecraft Dungeons on the handheld should be the best way to play on the go. You won't have to worry about having a fast data connection, and you should be able to get frame rates far in excess of what the Nintendo Switch is capable of. Minecraft Dungeons on the Switch is good, but it does feel like you're running through treacle.

I love playing Minecraft Dungeons with my son through crossplay already, but the thought of a little couch co-op on a Steam Deck, while he plays it on Switch, is pretty enticing. Fingers crossed I'm in an early batch of Steam Deck orders.

An ultimate PC handheld

Steam Deck

From $399 at Steam

Play your Steam library anywhere

Wanted more places to play your Steam library? Now you'll be able to with the Steam Deck. This machine comes in three iterations, each allowing you to play your games locally and portably.

The complete package

Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition

$40 at Steam $40 at Microsoft (Xbox) $40 at Microsoft (PC) $40 at Amazon (Switch)

The Ultimate collection for Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons has evolved by leaps and bounds since its initial launch, and now Mojang Studios is giving players a way to access absolutely everything the game has to offer in one slick package. Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition includes the base game and all previously released DLC, and it also marks Minecraft Dungeons' debut on Steam.