How to play DOOM: The Dark Ages on your Steam Deck

Gardiner Bryant -

Thanks to Bethesda and Keymailer.co, I was given early access to DOOM: The Dark Ages and I'm glad to be messing around with it.

This is one of the biggest, most anticipated games of the year for me and I've been looking forward to trying it out on my Steam Deck (and the Legion Go S that I just reviewed).

Just so we are clear, the game was developed for Windows and the issues I encounter in this article are because I'm trying to run the game on Linux-based operating systems like SteamOS, Bazzite, Chimera, and Ubuntu.

Typically, Valve updates their Proton compatibility tool in order to support new games but I have DOOM: The Dark Ages multiple days early.

The first issue I encountered is that the game crashed just as the Bethesda logo video appeared and started to play.

However, getting the game to run on my Steam Deck was relatively painless. Follow these steps to get yourself up and running:

  1. Opt into the Preview Branch of SteamOS.
    This will fix the fatal bug that crashes the game on startup. To opt into the Preview Branch, go to Settings → System → SteamOS Branch, then select the Preview Branch. In my experience, opting into the preview branch doesn't take the first time.
  2. Install DOOM: The Dark Ages on your Steam Deck.
  3. Opt into the Proton Hotfix.
    Valve has published a hotfix for TDA. To opt into the hotfix, go to the game in your library and hit the Gear icon. Select Properties... → Compatibility and then check the box labeled "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" and then choose Proton Hotfix from the list

Once everything's set up, the game will launch. I played the first two levels and it was great!

The framerates vary wildly depending on what's going on in the level. The game was set to Low settings across the board. I saw lows around 23 FPS and averages usually around 30. The game is totally playable at 720p and I had a blast.

💡
A previous version of this article said that I saw highs FPS counts in the 50s. While this is true, I've amended this article to mention the average framerate I've experienced.

Gameplay

The gameplay of The Dark Ages is both a departure and an evolution of the modern DOOM forumla. So far, the gunplay feels excellent but there seems to be a de-emphasis on the guns. The melee gauntlet feels great to use (and the combos feel great). But the shield bashing also adds another visceral and frenetic feel.

I've been truly enjoying the game so far!

I have yet to get the game working the Legion Go S. Get signed up here for the latest info on DOOM: The Dark Ages on Linux!