Since launching in 2011, Minecraft has remained incredibly popular with gamers across the generations, and accordingly, the game has come to many different platforms over the years from phones to PC to a wide variety of consoles. But can you play Minecraft on the Steam Deck? And what versions of Minecraft can you play on Steam Deck?
The answer is yes, but there's a little more to it than just that.
The Steam Deck ships with a custom Linux-based operating system designed by Valve that relies on a compatibility layer called Proton, also designed by Valve, that translates Windows games into code that can be run on Linux. So, Steam games can be played on Steam Deck.
Minecraft isn't a Steam game, though, so you won't be able to open up Minecraft after unboxing your shiny new Deck. However, the Steam Deck, as a full-fledged PC, can run other operating systems like Windows 10, too. With Windows 10 installed, you can play both Minecraft Bedrock (the Microsoft Store version) as well as Minecraft Java.
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In the history of Minecraft, Minecraft Java has never been released on a portable device. While you can run the game on a laptop, that's about as close as you could get to a portable Minecraft Java experience, aside from a few niche, low-powered portable/PC hybrids like the Aya Neo.
Minecraft Java, while still Minecraft, runs in Java, an old coding language much less efficient than more modern coding languages. As a result, performance in Minecraft Java can often be less smooth than you would expect based on the visuals on display. However, the Steam Deck is significantly more powerful than a device like the Aya Neo, and likely won't have trouble running the game.
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Even in comparison to Minecraft on Switch, which is Minecraft Bedrock and not Minecraft Java, either version of Minecraft will likely run significantly better on Steam Deck. On Switch, for any kind of stable framerate in a world you haven't just created, you'll have to lower your render distance and turn off graphical features. Even then, sometimes you'll still experience slowdown.
Not only can you play Minecraft on Steam Deck, but you'll also be able to play with either controller or mouse and keyboard, and you'll be able to install resource packs (mods) on Minecraft Bedrock as well as mods on Minecraft Java. Other games like Minecraft Dungeons will also be available on Steam Deck, as they're already available on PC, and whatever a PC can play, the Deck can play, too.
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Though it's important to keep in mind that Steam Deck is not getting its own version of Minecraft, like the Switch and every other console Minecraft is available on did receive. Minecraft on Steam Deck will be the PC version of the game running on the Steam Deck's hardware. So, you won't have to purchase the game again to access it on Steam Deck.
This also means Minecraft won't be getting any kind of significant upgrade or next-gen patch to take advantage of the Steam Deck's hardware. Minecraft RTX also will not be available on Steam Deck, as it relies on NVIDIA RTX hardware, which the Steam Deck does not contain
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