Over the years, Valve’s Steam Deck has gained popularity as one of the finest handheld gaming systems out there. There’s a large user base for this device, and players usually love the Deck for the convenient gameplay experience. This popularity stands true even for the fans of the Earth Defense Force series. The latest game of the series, Earth Defense Force 6 will be up for grabs from July 25, 2024, on PC, PS4, and PS5 (although in Japan, the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game have been live since August 2022). Steam Deck users are already concerned about how the experience is going to be for EDF 6. Especially with multiple games, including Earth Defense Force 5 crashing on Deck, the tensions are rising. So, what can you do if you find that Earth Defense Force 6 is crashing on Steam Deck? In this guide, we’re going to discuss particularly that, so keep on reading!
As of now, it’s hard to tell if Earth Defense Force 6 will be compatible with Steam Deck. The lack of information is obvious since the game isn’t even released yet. However, EDF 5 was playable on Deck, which gives us the impression that even EDF 6 will follow suit. If that’s indeed the case, then there’s always a concern over the crashing issue. You would want to know if there are potential fixes for the crashing issue in Earth Defense Force 6 on Steam Deck. So what can you do if you encounter this issue? Let’s find out!
Earth Defense Force 6 Crashing on Steam Deck: How to Fix?
Officially, we don’t have any workarounds or fixes available for the crashing issue with Earth Defense Force 6. In fact, until the game actually comes out, we’re only left with speculations and generic workarounds. However, judging from the experience of EDF 5 players, the crashing issue shouldn’t be much of a headache in EDF 6 on the Deck. And even if it does happen, the workarounds that worked for the prequels should also work for Earth Defense Force 6. You can also try the generic workarounds that typically fix the crashing issue on Deck. So, here’s what you can do if the game keeps crashing on your Steam Deck –
Restart the Game and Your Device
So, the simplest thing that you have to try first is closing the game, waiting for a while, and then starting it again. If that doesn’t fix it for you, then you can try restarting your Steam Deck and see if that works. For this, press and hold the Power button of your Deck for a few seconds. This should force restart the device. If your Steam Deck doesn’t turn itself back on after the force restart, don’t panic. Simply press and hold the Power button again, and it should turn on normally. Then, run the game and see if it worked.
Verify Game Files
- Go to your Steam Library and highlight Earth Defense Force 6.
- Press the three-dots button and go to Properties.
- Go to Installed Files and select the “Verify Integrity of Game Files” option.
- Let the process complete and then launch the game.
- See if the issue persists.
Use Proton GE or Proton Experimental
For Earth Defense Force 4.1, Reddit user Rinyuu shared that using Proton GE 8.0-5 solved the issue for them. You can try forcing the use of a Proton GE or Proton Experimental to fix your problem in EDF 6 too.
- Open the game’s Properties menu again.
- Go to the Compatibility tab.
- Select the “Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool” option.
- Select a Proton GE version from the list and run the game.
- See if the issue persists. If it does, then use the same method, but this time, select Proton Experimental instead of Proton GE.
- Run the game to check if the crashing issue persists.
Use Steam Linux Runtime
You can also try using Steam Linux Runtime as your compatibility layer (same method as the previous workaround), and check if it fixes the crashes. If it doesn’t, follow the next fixes.
Update the Game
Updating your game can help you fix most of the problems that you’re facing. The steps are simple. Go to your Steam Library and tap on Earth Defense Force 6. This should open the game’s page. Check for updates and if you have a pending update, download and install it. Then, launch the game. Check if it still crashes.
Update Steam OS
- Go to Settings from the drop-down menu that opens after pressing the Steam button.
- Go to System.
- Tap on “Check for Updates“.
- If you have a pending update, once again, download it.
- Run Earth Defense Force 6 and see how it runs.
Reinstall the Game
Lastly, if the issue still continues to occur, your final option is to uninstall, and then reinstall it. Try to install the game on Steam Deck’s internal storage and see if it crashes still.
Well, that’s all from our side to fix the crashing issue in Earth Defense Force 6 on Steam Deck. Hopefully, we were able to help you fix the issue. If you found this guide insightful, stay tuned to DigiStatement for more such gaming content and guides.
