The House of Xbox is going through a tough time right now, with all the layoffs and underperforming games. Many had hoped that their latest first-party title – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja Theory, would make things better, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Officially released on May 21, 2024, for Xbox Series X/S and Windows, the game was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. Although Ninja Theory did an amazing job in the visual department, they fumbled hard when it came to storytelling and combat. Since the game happens to be available on Windows, many have also opted to enjoy it on their PC handhelds, like the Steam Deck. Unfortunately, there are reports of the game crashing on it and this guide here will help you with that.
At the time of publishing this, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is yet to be officially verified for the Steam Deck. However, from the few videos available online, it’s clear that the game indeed runs on the Deck, provided you do a little bit of tinkering with the in-game graphics settings. Now, this crashing issue is something that has plagued other games too. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not fixable. So, without much further ado, let’s go ahead and take a look at all the available workarounds for this issue.
Senua’s Saga Hellblade II crashing on Steam Deck: How to fix it
The following workarounds will help you in resolving this issue. Try not to skip these, unless, of course, you have tried a particular fix before.
Repair files –
A pretty common cause behind this issue can be missing or corrupted game files. In such cases, the only viable fix is repairing Hellblade 2’s game files. To do that, you need to select the game from your Library and press the Options button. Next, select Properties and then switch to the Installed Files tab. Here, click on Verify integrity of local files option. Once the process is over, restart the Deck and then launch the game.
Install the game on Deck’s internal storage–
This particular fix is mainly for those players who happen to have Hellblade 2 installed on a memory card. If you are one of them, then what we recommend you do is uninstall the game from there and install it on the Deck’s SSD. A number of crashing issues have been fixed this way so we recommend you giving this method a try.
Update –
Make sure that your Steam Deck is running on the latest SteamOS version available. And while you are at it, if there’s an update or hotfix available for the game, download and install it too. If the update method isn’t of much help, then switch to other fixes.
Use another Proton version –
If you are using Proton to run the game, then we suggest that you use another Proton version from the one you have currently selected. Proton Experimental is a good choice, as it’s usually the most used one when dealing with issues like this. However, if it doesn’t work, then you can switch to a newer Proton version too.
Use CryoUtilies –
CryoUtilities is a very helpful tool that you can use to gain some more performance out of your Steam Deck. This can potentially help you with this issue too. So, if you are okay with this then we suggest downloading this tool and using its recommended settings. Here’s a guide if you don’t know how to install it.
Use the in-game upscaler –
It’s highly recommended that you use the in-game upscaler. This will help you with performance and avoid any crashes that might occur in higher settings. The general idea is to stick to Low settings, switch to AMD FSR3 Upscaler, and having the Upscaler Quality Mode to either Balanced or Performance. If the crashing persists, you can switch to Ultra Performance, but the visuals will be very poor.
Reinstall –
If none of the aforementioned workarounds are of any help, then the reinstall method might just be the solution you are looking for. So, uninstall Hellblade 2 from your Deck and start a new download. Once the download and installation are done, launch the game and hopefully the issue won’t be there anymore.
Use GeForce Now –
Still encountering crashes? Well, GeForce Now is something you can make use of. While it’s not an outright fix for this issue, it’s a better alternative, for sure. So, if you happen to have an excellent internet connection and are willing to spend some bucks on this service, then get GeForce Now on your Steam Deck and enjoy Hellblade 2 via it.
Well, these are all the workarounds we have for this issue. You can also take a quick look here if you want to know the best Steam Deck settings for Man of War 2. Lastly, keep following DigiStatement for more interesting guides like this. Also read: Senua’s Saga Hellblade II: How to remove Letter Box
