Wuthering Waves, that recent gacha RPG of anime styling and impenetrable jargonblasting, just didn’t work on the Steam Deck when it launched in May. It also doesn’t work right now. But for one brief, debatably glorious day on June 29th, it did. And thus, Deck owners who’d persevered through a slightly fiddly installation process (explained here by YouTubesmith Deck Wizard) could finally take their first joyous steps into Wuthering Waves like a David Hasselhoff-buoyed East German in 1989.
Unlike the Hoff, it wouldn’t last. Within hours, Steam Deck players were being booted back out of the game by a hitherto-unseen anti-cheat failure. What gives? Or gave?
In short, Wuthering Waves’ 1.1 update seemingly altered said anti-cheat in such a way that enabled the game to launch on Linux-based operating systems, including the Deck’s SteamOS. Previously, it was possible to install the Windows version of the game launcher, but actually getting into the game itself proved impossible. Version 1.1 not only allowed the launcher to launch Wuthering Waves, but for the game to become fully playable, if by most accounts a bit slow on the Deck’s modest processing bits.
Still, before you could say “Absorption is only possible when your Data Bank’s level is equal to higher than the Tacet Discord’s level”, or indeed understand whatever the fuck that means, a scary-looking “Anti-cheat system works error” message appeared to forcibly close Wuthering Waves back down. A follow-up update, it turns out, changed the game’s anti-cheat to again block out Linux devices. Only, after a few seconds of playing, as opposed to blocking the game launch entirely, which is a kind of progress? I guess?
That brings us to the here and now, where Wuthering Waves can still launch on the Steam Deck, and might even provide a few moments of wandering around in-game, but from what I’ve tested it’s only a matter of seconds before the anti-cheat message arrives. There’s no overt threat of a ban (or any other punishment), but yeah, I wouldn’t risk pushing it even if you spent that single day of freedom with a smile.
I nonetheless feel compelled to keep an eye on this (and indeed, thanks to reader Scotty for the tip). While I’m not particularly keen to play more Wuthering Waves, on the Steam Deck or anything else, I’ve now pumped enough of my time into setup and launch attempts that this specific game/hardware combo has become the blubberiest of white whales. You think another solo-manned Prime Day will kill me? Nah mate, it’ll be trying to trying to launch the magic waifus game on my handheld. Someone take over the Steam Deck Academy when I’m gone.