Ghostwire: Tokyo was released today on PlayStation 5 and PC. Although reviews for the game are strong, Steam Deck players have been suffering from issues that essentially make the game unplayable. There are multiple reports in the Steam Deck subreddit of players getting unpassable black screens while playing. It appears to be a recurring problem for players at the same points of the game. The first major instance of the black screen happening seems to be with the first cutscene around 20 minutes into the game. Players are left with a black screen that essentially seems like the game is loading forever.
Ghostwire: Tokyo isn’t officially supported on the Steam Deck yet. However, it takes time for the verification process to be completed. If the issue persists on a wide scale then Ghostwire: Tokyo is unlikely to receive full approval. It’s possible that an update to Proton GE could enable gamers to play the game without issue on the Deck. Although as Proton GE is a workaround that wouldn’t qualify Ghostwire: Tokyo for an official compatibility rating from Valve. It would remain as officially unsupported.
There are now over a thousand games officially supported by the Steam Deck. There is also a vibrant community of Deck owners who are getting unsupported games to work on the console. Since Ghostwire: Tokyo doesn’t have an official rating, or even an unsupported badge, Steam Deck players couldn’t be sure if the game would work before it was released. For the Steam Deck to gain wider success outside of the most hardcore PC gamers, Valve will need to have a system in place to make sure big titles like Ghostwire: Tokyo have a rating day one. Even if that’s an unsupported badge. Otherwise, Steam Deck owners will be left guessing as to whether or not the games they want will function as they hope.
