It Sounds Like Ghost of Tsushima's Multiplayer Won't Work on the Steam Deck

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It feels like every day, I see or write about one piece of relatively bad news, and it's, unfortunately, coming from two of the biggest companies in the video game industry. This article is another one of those, sadly, but there could be some positives to take away from it as well. Today, PlayStation posted an update for Ghost of Tsushima to tell us when the time the game will unlock and give us some other details about the release. There is a Steam Deck section, but the wording makes it sound like the game won't be completely playable on the Deck.

In the update, there is a paragraph about Steam Deck support. It sounds like the entire single-player experience and Iki Island expansion will be enjoyable on the portable device. They say they "worked extensively to optimize performance", and knowing Nixxes Software (the studio that ported the game to PC), I believe this. I have a feeling we will be able to enjoy the game on the go. I can't say I know first hand about this yet, but I do have a lot of confidence.

The sentence after this paragraph is what worries me. It mentions that the game will be rated "Unsupported," which makes me believe they anticipated this. And why do they? Well, it's because the multiplayer mode requires Windows:

You may notice that Steam marks the game as 'Unsupported' for Steam Deck. This is due to the Legends co-op multiplayer mode requiring Windows to access PlayStation Network integrated features.

PlayStation - Ghost of Tsushima Launch Detail Update

Now, I could be reading this wrong, and I would love to be wrong here, but it sounds like the multiplayer mode will need Windows to access PlayStation's features. If this is the case, we won't be able to play the multiplayer mode on the Steam Deck. We also may not be able to access the overlay or take advantage of features like the trophy syncing.

If true, this is a bummer. I do believe the bulk of the reason to play the game is the single-player mode, and I am glad it will be playable, but not being able to access the multiplayer on the Deck, even in a supported region, is a let down. Hopefully, I am wrong about all of this and it's actually going to be playable in some way, shape, or form. Though, if it does work, I assume they wouldn't be settling for an Unsupported rating on Steam.

In other news, the game will be unlocking at around 8am PT on May 16th and cross-play will be launching in beta. It won't be fully available when the game launches.

Ghost of Tsushima can be pre-purchased and pre-loaded now on Steam for $59.99, but if you want to save some money, you can get it on Fanatical for $49.79 by using coupon code "OMEN17" at checkout.

The Fanatical links above are using an affiliate link, which gives us a little back from sales at no extra charge to you. All proceeds go back into SDHQ and its development.

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