Final Fantasy 14's broken launcher finally works on Steam Deck

Final Fantasy 14
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Valve has finally resolved an issue that was preventing Final Fantasy 14 fans from launching the game on Steam Deck.

While the developer stopped short of detailing what, exactly, the issue had been to start with, a new update to the experimental branch of the Deck's operating system declares it has "fix[ed] the new Final Fantasy 14 Online launcher".

While right now it's only available for those with Steam Deck's running Proton Experimental, the stable release should be rolling out soon enough so everyone will be able to access their favorite MMO on Valve's fancy new handheld system.

The update similarly resolves a problem that was preventing Resident Evil Revelations 2 from booting up, as well as fixes a problem with Deathloop that resulted in crashes after a long-term system suspend, and video playback issues in games including Ghostwire: Tokyo, Street Fighter 5 (which should now also see "improved FPS" during online matches), Ember Knights, and more (thanks, PCGN).

The system update further makes these games playable, too:  Age of Chivalry, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamer Edition, Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited, Iragon: Prologue, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, Atelier Meruru, Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide, Star Wars Episode I Racer, Gary Grigsby's War in the East, Gary Grigsby's War in the West, Beneath a Steel Sky, We Were Here Forever, Cities XXL, Cladun X2, Succubus x Saint, Cursed Armor.

ICYMI, Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy 14, confirmed last week that the MMO's housing lottery system has now been resolved. While he acknowledged that the issues were "extensive and persistent", the team has since been able to resolve them.

Last month, Yoshida apologized to players after it was discovered that the new feature - which came into the game as part of the recent 6.1 Patch - was malfunctioning when some players participating in lotteries received messages informing them that they were unsuccessful because there "were no participants in this lottery", and others were told the winning lottery number was "0"... even though that number was unassignable, and no player could select it.

Did you know Square Enix recently reported increased profits in its latest financial year, with game sales also seeing a slight but noticeable rise largely thanks to the explosive popularity of Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker? 

If you're intrigued by Final Fantasy 14 and have yet to give the MMO a go, don't forget that free trials are now back after they - along with digital sales of the main game and expansions, too - were temporarily suspended in order to keep up with the incredibly high demand towards the end of last year. And if you're in need of a Final Fantasy 14 story recap, here's everything from the start of A Realm Reborn to the finale of Shadowbringers

Looking for a reason to get into the Square Enix MMORPG? Find out why you should play Final Fantasy 14 in 2022. 

CATEGORIES
Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter. 

Read more
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer screenshot showing a young woman in a green ceremonial dress dancing, a determined look upon her face as she smirks while staring ahead
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Steam Deck verified ahead of the JRPG's PC launch next week so that you can play "in the bathroom… wherever you want"
Final Fantasy 14 patch 6.4 The Dark Throne
As the Final Fantasy 14 devs "continue to take a firm stance" against mods that can enable harassment, Yoshi-P says improvements are starting in patch 7.2
The Dark Urge leads a reign of terror in Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 8 stress test is here for real after its accidental early PS5 launch, but Larian asks that you please don't use photo mode for bug reports
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Steam launch was "fantastic" analyst says after PC players sent the JRPG port flying to the US best-selling spot in the week of its release
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing Astarion, a pale male elf with short curly white hair and red eyes, looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face
Larian doesn't know "what's going on," but Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 has come early for PS5 players: "How's your Monday going?"
Final Fantasy 14 patch 7.2 Seekers of Eternity
Final Fantasy 14 gets its biggest post-Dawntrail patch yet in 7.2 next month, adding a new Savage tier, trials, Phantom Jobs, Cosmic Exploration, and more
Latest in RPG
Deltarune
Undertale's Toby Fox teases arrival of Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4: PS5 testers are "slurping the last drops of soda from between the ice cubes now"
Ghost of Tsushima screenshot of Jin interacting with a fox
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Knowledge system sounds like it's tapping into what I loved most about Ghost of Tsushima
Baldur's Gate 3 pale vampire elf Astarion, a man with curly white hair and red eyes
The Baldur's Gate 3-arization of Dungeons & Dragons continues as Astarion gets 2 official mentions in the new source books
Visions of Mana
6 months after the Visions of Mana team was closed down the day after releasing its JRPG remake, one of its leads has started a new studio: "Management needs to protect creators"
Key art for Solasta 2.
A single D&D spell in Solasta 2's Steam Next Fest demo proved to me that not every RPG needs to be Baldur's Gate 3
Avowed
The rarest Avowed ending has only been seen by 0.2% of all the RPG's players, but to get it you'll have to commit to a path of death and destruction
Latest in News
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Helldivers 2 has a Major Order problem, but the solution isn't simple because "having 100% participation means the MOs will always be won and that introduces other issues"
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Daredevil: Born Again episode 1 references Spider-Man, and Marvel fans are excited about what it might mean for the future
The White Deer Inn in the Suikoden game
Fans are concerned Critical Role's Suikoden one-shot will be ruined by one player's "complete incompetence and blaming the game"
Minecraft key art showing Steve holding a pickaxe.
Minecraft modder uses "3 hours of my life that I'll never get back" to create a new mod that gives Steve Jack Black's voice
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil star Charlie Cox was behind one of the most emotional parts of Daredevil: Born Again's premiere: "That was a brilliant idea"
Hori Wireless Fighting Commander OCTA Pro controller on an orange background
Hori's latest gamepad is up for pre-order, and it's nearly $100 cheaper than other pro controllers for PS5