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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →If War Thunder keeps crashing on your Steam Deck, work through seven software checks in order: update SteamOS and restart, close third-party apps running in Desktop Mode, inspect the game’s compatibility override, compare against the native Linux client, test the latest Proton only if you are using Proton, lower graphics settings, and use the Linux safe-launch option only if the game will not start. The list runs from the quickest checks to the most involved. None of these is a proven cure for every Deck crash, and no published source establishes one fix that resolves all of them. Change one thing at a time so you can tell which change, if any, affects the outcome.
Record the crash details before you change anything
A crash has a cause that is specific to your setup, and the checks below will be easier to judge if you know what you are looking at. Before you start, note the following:
- When it happens: at launch, on the main menu, while loading a battle, or during a match, and whether it repeats after the same action.
- Any error message shown on screen or in a dialog, written down word for word.
- Versions: your SteamOS version, the War Thunder version, and the Proton version if one is forced.
- Build and launch method: whether you run the native Linux client or the game through Proton.
- Logs, if the game or Steam writes them on your system.
The seven checks, in order
1. Install SteamOS updates and restart
Valve’s guidance for Steam Deck instability starts with system updates and a restart. Go to Steam > Settings > System > Software Updates, install anything available, and then restart the Deck from the Power menu or from the update screen. Updates can also change graphics components that War Thunder depends on, so this check is worth doing before anything else.
2. Close third-party apps in Desktop Mode, then restart
Valve recommends exiting or disabling third-party applications installed in Desktop Mode when a Steam application is unstable. Overlays, launchers, and utilities that run in the background can interfere with a game. Close or disable them, restart, and launch War Thunder again. Do not assume one particular app is responsible unless your own testing shows it: close everything, then re-add tools one at a time if you need them.
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3. Check War Thunder’s compatibility override
Open your Library, select War Thunder, and go to Properties > Compatibility. Look at whether the option Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool is selected, and if it is, note which tool is named. Valve documents this control for individual Steam games. A forced tool determines whether the game runs through Proton, so record the setting before you change it.
4. Compare with the native Linux client
War Thunder ships a Linux client, publishes Linux requirements, and lists SteamOS and Linux among its supported platforms. In a 2025 support reply on Gaijin’s official forum, Gaijin support stated that the Windows client running through Proton is not officially supported where a native Linux client exists. That makes the native client a reasonable comparison point when Proton is involved. It is not a guarantee: switching to the native build may remove a crash, change it, or leave it unchanged. If your installation offers both builds, run the same reproducible action on each and record whether the crash occurs, when, and with what message.
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5. If you use Proton, try the latest Proton version as a diagnostic
Valve’s general guidance for Steam apps is to try the newest Proton version when a game misbehaves under Proton. This is not a War Thunder-specific recommendation, and an updated Proton can change results in either direction. Select the newest version in the same Compatibility menu from check 3, launch the game, and note both the version and the result. Return to your previous version if the change makes things worse.
6. Lower graphics settings
Valve advises lowering the graphics preset or individual settings when an application has stability or performance problems, because a lighter load reduces stress on the system. Start with the overall preset and then adjust individual options if needed. Do not treat any single War Thunder graphics option as the cause without evidence from your own tests, and change one setting at a time so you know which change mattered.
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7. Use the safe launch option only if the game will not start
Gaijin’s War Thunder Linux FAQ says to use current proprietary graphics drivers and gives a safe, windowed, 1280×720 launch command for cases where invalid settings prevent the game from starting. It applies to the Linux installation folder, and it is intended for a launch that fails, not for a game that starts and then crashes. The command is:
./aces -safe -mode:windowed -resolution:1280x720
This is general Linux guidance. It is not a standard Steam Deck button sequence, and the FAQ does not tell Deck owners to modify SteamOS drivers. Use it only if you can locate the installation folder and understand that it changes how the game launches.
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Published Linux requirements
Gaijin’s Linux FAQ lists these minimum requirements for the native client. They are general Linux requirements and are not a performance guarantee for the Steam Deck:
- A modern 64-bit Linux distribution
- A dual-core processor running at 2.4 GHz
- 4 GB of RAM
- A Vulkan-capable NVIDIA GeForce 660 or similar AMD graphics card, with recent proprietary drivers
- A broadband internet connection
What the evidence does and does not establish
- Established: War Thunder has a native Linux client, lists SteamOS and Linux support, and Valve’s Steam Deck guidance covers the checks above for Steam games in general.
- Reported but limited: the 2025 forum case involved one desktop Linux player whose native client worked after Proton problems. Gaijin’s support reply describes the official position on the Windows client through Proton. Neither is a controlled test, and neither proves that Proton causes every Deck crash.
- A lead, not a finding: an older Steam Deck support thread recommended checking forced Proton compatibility and allowing updates after switching. It is a useful starting point for troubleshooting, but it does not show that this setting causes all crashes.
- Not established: no reliable published statistic measures how often War Thunder crashes on Steam Deck, and no source provides a success rate for any of these checks.
Compatibility status and client behavior can change with War Thunder updates and SteamOS updates. Check the game’s Steam store page for the current Deck compatibility label, and re-test after major updates, because a setting that worked last month may behave differently now.
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If the checks do not resolve the crash
When none of the seven checks changes the outcome, gather the crash record you started with and contact Steam Support or War Thunder support. Include the timing, the exact error message, your SteamOS and game versions, the build and Proton version you tested, and the list of settings you changed, in the order you changed them. A clear, one-change-at-a-time history is the most useful information a support team can receive, and it is far more useful than a general report that the game crashes.
Quick Recap
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