There are many great games that you can play on the Steam Deck, and one of the most popular is Final Fantasy XIV. Popular as it is, it wasn't always easy to run the multiplayer online role-playing game on the handheld. You needed to use a third-party launcher just to get the game running without issue. As of May 2023, though, you can now run Final Fantasy XIV on the Steam Deck by just downloading it on Steam, without worrying about taking extra steps.
The game has been rated by Valve as "Playable" on the Steam Deck, though, because entering some text will require using the on-screen keyboard. That means to get the best experience, you'll need some Steam Deck accessories. Otherwise, it's easy to set up and play.
How to run Final Fantasy XIV on the Steam Deck
- Press the Steam Button on your Steam Deck
- Go to the Store.
- Search for Final Fantasy XIV.
- Pick your edition. There's Online, Endwalker, the Free Trial, and Complete Edition.
- Click Add to Cart.
- Click Purchase for myself.
- Complete the payment information.
Once you purchase Final Fantasy XIV through the Steam Store, you should see the game downloading. Tap the Steam button, and choose Downloads to see the progress. Final Fantasy XIV is about a 15GB download, so it will take some time. When complete, you can press the Steam Button again and choose Library to see the game listed there for playing. Press the A button to launch it, and you'll be right into the action.
Final Fantasy XIV is a great game that's still being actively updated and has a massive online community. It's just one of the many multiplayer online video games you can try out though. You might want to consider other titles like Runescape, Lost Ark, and even The Elder Scrolls Online. There's an endless amount of games you can play on your Steam Deck.