The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve. Released on February 25, 2022, the Steam Deck can be played as a handheld or connected to a monitor in the same manner as the Nintendo Switch. It is designed to play the full Steam library, including Windows PC games via the Linux-based Proton compatibility layer. The system is an open platform, allowing users to install other compatible games on the device or other operating systems. But can you play Genshin Impact on Steam Deck? The answer is, yes! Find out how in this guide.

How To Play Genshin Impact on Steam Deck

Even though officially, one cannot download Genshin Impact the Steam Deck and play it (since the game is not released on Steam), it is possible to perform a workaround. It involves replacing Steam OS on the device with Windows 10 (for example). The steps are below:

1. Make a bootable USB flash drive. There are a lot of free and open-source programs that do this. You will need 8 GB minimum. Here is a guide from Microsoft.
2. You need to put that USB flash drive into your Steam Deck. and then, hold the Power button and the Volume Down button simultaneously (at the same time) so the Boot Manager will show up.
3. Choose the USB flash drive.
4. Reboot your Steam Deck, which will then start the installation of Windows.
5. Proceed with the Windows Installation (This will be in portrait mode).
6. Once done, go to the Start > Settings > System > Display > Display Orientation and select Landscape.
7. After the Windows is set up, download Genshin Impact and install it like you would on your PC.
8. Run Genshin Impact and enjoy!

Be sure to check out Respawn Island for more news and guides for your favorite games. Looking to see if there are any games that catch your attention? Take a look at our game reviews!