Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 3 got its release back in 2019 and as of 2023, it has already sold over 18 million copies. Serving as the sequel to 2012’s Borderlands 2, BL3 was met with an overall positive reception, with critics praising its gameplay improvements, and solid story while at the same time also criticizing its overreliance on boss fights and “spongy” enemies. Over the years, the game has been released for various other platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, which got its own port last year on October 6. Steam Deck players, on the other hand, are already enjoying it on their devices, despite BL3 not being Verified for the Deck. Unfortunately, there’s a particularly nasty black screen issue with the game that Deck players have been complaining about a lot.
It’s unclear as to what’s the main cause behind this issue. Some think it’s due to DirectX while others are of a different opinion. Whatever the cause may be, it is obvious that you will want to get it fixed. So, let’s go ahead and find out if there are any fixes for it.
Borderlands 3 Steam Deck black screen issue: How to fix it
Since there’s no official fix for this right now, players will have to try the following workarounds:
Install B3 on the Deck’s internal memory –
This particular fix is mainly for those users who happen to have Borderlands 3 installed on an external memory card that’s connected to their Steam Deck. If you are one such user, we recommend that you install the game on the Deck’s internal memory and see if that helps.
Try different Proton versions –
Players can also try running Borderlands 3 with a different Proton version, as this is quite a common fix for similar issues. Start with Proton Experimental and if it doesn’t work, try another one.
Use DirectX 11 –
Borderlands 3 uses DirectX 12 by default on the Steam Deck. And while it is quite good, many found success in dealing with this issue by simply switching to DirectX 11. You can also use this method if you haven’t already done it. Now, if you don’t know how to switch to DirectX 11, we suggest using the instructions given below:
- Head over to the Properties menu of Borderlands 3 via Steam.
- Next, scroll down to Launch Options and type in or copy this command: “-dx11”.
- Close the menu and launch Borderlands 3.
Switch to Desktop Mode –
For some players, switching to Desktop Mode was what helped them bypass this issue. As such, if you happen to be facing a lot of issues, including this black screen one in Gaming Mode, we recommend that you switch to Desktop Mode and play the game in that mode.
Change DirectX pathing (Heroic Launcher fix) –
If you are encountering the black screen issue while using Heroic Launcher during the intro cinematics, then use this workaround. Basically, what you need to do is:
- First, launch Heroic Launcher from Steam while in Gaming Mode and select Borderlands 3. The first game launch will use DX11, while the next one will use DX12. In order to change from DX12 to DX11, you will need to change the DirectX pathing.
- For this, head to this path:
- /Home/games/Heroic/Prefixes/Borderlands3/pfx/drive_c/users/Public/steamuser/documents/My Games/Borderlands 3/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor/GameUserSettings.ini”
- Now, open GameUserSettings.ini using a text editor and find PrefferedGraphicsAPI=DX12. Make sure to change it to PrefferedGraphicsAPI=DX11. Save your changes and set Proton to Proton GE. Launch the game to see if the intro movie runs properly or not.
Additionally, you can just type in -NoStartupMovies in the launch options of the game if you want to disable the intro movie altogether.
Well, that’s all the workarounds we have for this issue. Additionally, you can also take a quick look here if you happen to be facing the same issue with A Plague Tale: Requiem on your Steam Deck. And for more such content, keep following DigiStatement. Also read: Borderlands 3: How to disable crossplay?
