Apex Legends bans certain PC platforms in attempt to combat cheaters 

Apex Legends revealed that players who use Linux OS on PC or Steam Deck will no longer have access to the battle royale because of cheating issues.

Advancements in detecting cheaters have come at the expense of Steam Deck users. After years of begging, Rockstar finally introduced anti-cheat software to GTA Online.

However, the third-party system impacted the game’s Steam Deck compatibility and locked players out. Despite that, most community members praised the “night and day” difference the anti-cheat decision provided.

Respawn Entertainment followed suit by blocking Linux OS access to the game.

“We had to weigh the decision on the number of players who were legitimately playing on Linux/the Steam Deck versus the greater health of the population of players for Apex, Respawn Entertainment explained. “While the population of Linux users is small, their impact infected a fair amount of players’ games. This ultimately brought us to our decision today.”

This change does not impact Windows or Steam users’ access to Apex Legends on PC.

Linux is used by default on the Steam Deck, so players must install Windows instead. If you need help installing Windows on Steam Deck, check out our step-by-step guide.

The Apex Legends development team has its hands full dealing with cheaters lately. On September 5, Respawn Entertainment revealed that they ban more than 100,000 accounts every month for cheating.

Respawn Entertainment’s commitment to cracking down on cheating hasn’t come without consequences before. On September, 21 Apex Legends made a massive update to its anti-cheat, but it unintentionally led to an uptick of false ban reports and crashing issues on PlayStation.

So although this decision negatively affects some Steam Deck users, it’s ultimately done with the player in mind.

Respawn Entertainment said, “competitive integrity is a top priority for our team and there are many ways in which we’re battling cheaters—this is one to add to the list. We remain committed to more regular updates on topics like this and appreciate your continued reports.”

For more on Apex Legends, here is everything we know about the upcoming Season 23 update.