The third numbered entry into the Homeworld series is finally here. Officially released worldwide on 13 May 2024, the Homeworld series was dormant for a long time until 2013, when Gearbox purchased the rights to the IP from THQ. Since then, fans have seen the release of two games: Homeworld Remastered Collection and Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. And now, the third mainline entry into the series is here too, named Homeworld 3. Available for PC, early previews for it are generally positive, although the story is being criticized a lot. And since the game is on PC, some fans have been enjoying the game on PC handhelds too, such as the Steam Deck. However, unfortunately, there are reports of players facing crashing issues a lot on the Steam Deck. Something this guide here will be able to help you with.
At the time of publishing this, Homeworld 3 isn’t officially Verified for the Steam Deck. However, Valve has marked the game as Playable. While it is indeed playable, this particular crashing issue is making it frustrating for players to enjoy Homeworld 3 on the Deck. So, is there a fix for it? Well, let’s go ahead and find out.
Homeworld 3 crashing on Steam Deck: How to fix it
Here are some workarounds which will help you resolve this issue. Use these and find out which ones prove useful to you.
Verify your files –
Start with the verification method. At times, crashes can occur when a game has some missing or corrupted files. This method is the only way to deal with that. In order to verify and repair Homeworld 3’s files, you will need to:
- Select Homeworld 3 from the Library and press the Options button.
- Next, select Properties and switch to Installed Files. In there, you will find the Verify Integrity of Game Files option. Click on it and wait until the process is finished.
- Once the process is over, restart the Deck and then launch the game.
Update the Deck –
It’s important that you are running the Deck on the latest version available. This could potentially help you in dealing with a ton of issues, including this one. So, check if there’s an update available for the Deck. If there’s one, download and install that update.
Force Proton –
You can also try forcing Proton and see if that works. For this, you will need to be in the Properties settings of the game first. Follow the steps mentioned in the first workaround for that. Once you are in Properties, switch to the Compatibility tab. After that, checkmark the Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool checkbox. Now, you can select a Proton layer from the drop-down menu below. Start with Proton Experimental and if that doesn’t work, you can use other Proton versions.
Play the game in Gaming Mode –
As stated here, it seems like the crashing issue is more prevalent in the Desktop Mode of the Steam Deck. So, if you are trying to run the game in there, then we highly encourage you to switch to Gaming Mode. There are chances that crashes can occur there too, but it should be much less than when you are in Desktop Mode. Also, try to avoid cinematic zooms if possible, since that’s also something that is said to cause crashes.
Install Homeworld 3 on the internal memory –
For players who have Homeworld 3 installed on a microSD card, we suggest uninstalling it from there and instead reinstalling it on the Deck’s internal memory. This is a pretty common workaround for issues like this, so don’t forget to give it a try. In case the issue persists, you can take a look at our next fix.
Lower in-game Graphics –
If it isn’t already obvious, Homeworld 3’s performance on the Deck is not so great. So, if you have running the game on max settings, chances are that the Deck is unable to handle it. Due to this, it is recommended that you lower the in-game settings, especially setting DLSS to Balanced, and then launch the game.
Reinstall –
Well, if none of the aforementioned workarounds have been of help, then reinstalling might do the trick. Simply uninstall Homeworld 3 from your Steam Deck and then start a new download. Once it’s installed, launch the game and hopefully, there will be no more crashes during your playthrough of the game.
And that’s all the workarounds we have for this issue. You can also take a quick look here if you are facing a similar crashing issue with Dwarf Fortress on your Steam Deck. Lastly, for more interesting guides like this, keep following DigiStatement. Also read: Homeworld 3 Out of Video Memory Error: Is there any fix yet
