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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Apex Legends blocks players using Linux, including Steam Deck owners running SteamOS. EA said it made the change because it could not reliably distinguish a legitimate Steam Deck running Linux from cheats disguising themselves as one. The restriction is on the operating system, not the handheld itself: EA said Apex could still be played on a Steam Deck or another handheld running Windows.
What changed for Linux and Steam Deck players?
On October 31, 2024, EA/Respawn announced that Linux devices would immediately lose access to Apex Legends. That includes a Steam Deck running its standard Linux-based SteamOS. Players using Windows on a PC, and players on other supported platforms, were not affected by the announcement.
That distinction matters: a Steam Deck is a device, while Linux is the operating system it runs by default. EA said a handheld could still run Apex if its owner installed Windows. The announcement did not provide installation instructions or identify particular devices or accessories as necessary.
Why did EA block Linux?
EA/Respawn said Linux’s openness made it attractive to cheat developers, that Linux cheats were harder to detect and growing, and that some Windows cheats were being emulated as Linux to make detection and prevention more difficult. The company said it could not reliably tell a legitimate Steam Deck running Linux from malicious software claiming to be a Steam Deck.
#1 Best Overall
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display with premium anti-glare etched glass, 7.4" Diagonal display size up to 90Hz refresh rate
- Wi-Fi 6E
- 50Whr battery; 3-12 hours of gameplay (content-dependent)
- Carrying case with removable liner
“There is currently no reliable way for us to differentiate a legitimate Steam Deck from a malicious cheat claiming to be a Steam Deck (via Linux).”
That was EA’s stated rationale, not an accusation that every Linux player cheated. The company said it weighed legitimate Linux and Steam Deck users against the impact on the wider player population. It described the affected group as small and said it believed blocking Linux would meaningfully reduce cheating, but did not publish user counts or a numeric estimate of the block’s effect.
Rank #2
- International (UK) Version
- 7.4” diagonal, HDR OLED, 1280 x 800 x RGB, up to 90Hz Refresh rate, High performance touch, <0.1 ms Response time, 1,000 nits peak brightness (HDR), 600 nits (SDR)
- SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
- 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels), microSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
- 6 nm AMD APU, CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32
Did the Linux block reduce cheating?
EA later identified the Linux-device ban as one contributor to declines in two cheating indicators, alongside enhanced tooling and automated detections. In its June 3, 2025 update, EA said Match Infection Rate and its multi-reported-user metric were each more than 30% below their Season 22 peaks. The first measures the share of Ranked Battle Royale matches with detected cheaters; the second tracks weekly players reported for cheating at least three times in the previous 28 days. EA did not attribute either decline to the Linux ban alone.
Other published enforcement totals provide context, but do not measure the ban’s effect. EA reported more than 6 million accounts banned since Apex Legends launched and more than 100,000 bans per month on average in its August 22, 2024 anti-cheat update. Its infographic reported 209,777 total bans in June and July 2024: 193,254 for cheating and 16,523 for botting. In a separate February 2025 update about teaming and botting, EA reported approximately 1,200 accounts actioned across all platforms and approximately 17.4 million ranked points removed.
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Has EA’s 2026 anti-cheat update restored Linux support?
No restoration was announced in the later update. On September 24, 2026, EA said PC anti-cheat would move from Easy Anti-Cheat to EA Javelin effective September 29, 2026, via a game update. It listed PC through the EA app, Epic, and Steam as supported ways to play. That announcement concerns a separate anti-cheat transition and does not say that the Linux block has been reversed. Check EA’s current platform announcements for any later policy change.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Valve is entering the gaming console marketplace with the new Steam Deck, a console geared towards PC gamers. The Steam Deck can be docked to a monitor, and used as a PC, or docked to a TV.
- Players can play a huge variety of games at any time with the comfort of a console and the freedom of a PC. Not anti-glare screen.
- Like the name suggests, the Steam Deck will include upgraded 1TB storage, and will include a carrying case. A micro SD slot will also enable expanded storage.
- Valve partnered with AMD to create a specialized APU optimized for handheld gaming, and Valve says the chip will deliver performance to run AAA gaming titles.
- The Steam Deck is outfitted with a 7-inch touchscreen, and two trackpads under the control sticks that allow gamers to operate games never designed outside of mouse and keyboard capabilities.
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