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There is no single fix for Kenshi crashing on Steam Deck, and none of the seven checks below is guaranteed to stop every crash. The most useful approach is to match the checks to when the crash happens: at launch or when starting a New Game, at random during play, or repeatedly in one area. The steps run from general Steam Deck checks to Kenshi-specific ones, and each notes what it can and cannot tell you.
Match the crash to its pattern first
Note exactly when the game closes or freezes before you change anything. A crash on launch or on New Game points to the setup layer, meaning SteamOS, Proton, or files. Random crashes during play more often trace to mods or to save and session state. A crash that repeats in one location points to a specific area’s data.
| Crash pattern | Start with | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes at launch or when starting a New Game | Steps 1 to 3 (update and restart, disable third-party apps, change Proton) | Step 4 (verify files); Step 5 if you run mods |
| Random crashes or freezes during play | Steps 1 and 2, then Step 5 (test without mods) | Step 4; Step 7 if nothing changes |
| Crashes that repeat in one specific area | Step 6 (Generate Distant Towns) | Step 5 if mods are installed; Step 7 otherwise |
If the game freezes rather than closing, treat it as a random crash until the steps show otherwise. Work through the checks in order and change only one thing at a time, so you can tell which change made a difference.
The seven checks, in order
Step 1: Update SteamOS and restart the Deck
Valve’s Steam Deck Software Info and Troubleshooting Guide recommends checking Steam > Settings > System > Software Updates and then restarting to address system instability. Treat this as a baseline. A current SteamOS build does not prove that an old system caused the crash, but it removes one variable before you start editing files.
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Step 2: Temporarily disable third-party apps
Valve’s guide also recommends exiting or disabling third-party applications installed through Desktop Mode when Steam apps are unstable, then restarting. Launchers, utilities, and system tweaks installed outside Steam are the usual candidates. Re-enable them after testing so you do not leave the Deck in an unfamiliar state.
Step 3: Try the latest Proton version for Kenshi
Proton is the compatibility layer that runs Windows games on SteamOS. To test a different version:
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- In your Steam Library, open Kenshi’s context menu and choose Properties.
- Select Compatibility.
- Enable the option to force a Steam Play compatibility tool.
- Choose the latest Proton version and launch the game.
Valve notes that Steam may download the Windows version of a game if only a Linux version is installed. This is Valve’s general Steam Deck recommendation, not a Kenshi-specific guaranteed cure. If the crash changes with the Proton version, record which version was in use (see Step 7).
Step 4: Verify Kenshi’s installed files
Kenshi’s pinned Known Issues & Fixes guide, posted by moderator Shidan on December 16, 2022 and since edited, recommends verifying the game installation for general crashes. In Steam, open Kenshi’s Properties and use the installed-files option to verify the game files. In recent Steam clients this is usually labeled Verify integrity of game files under Installed Files, but labels can change with client updates, so follow whatever your menu shows.
Step 5: Test without mods
The same guide identifies incompatible mods as a frequent cause of random crashes. Kenshi’s Steam store page confirms Workshop support, so mod conflicts are a realistic possibility on any platform. Back up your save files before changing anything in a modded setup, then:
- Disable all Workshop mods.
- Repeat the action that caused the crash, such as loading the game, starting a New Game, or playing until the crash occurred previously.
- If the game is stable, re-enable mods in small groups and retest after each group until the conflict appears.
- If it still crashes with every mod disabled, the mods are probably not the cause, so continue with Steps 6 and 7.
Step 6: For repeatable area-specific crashes, turn off Generate Distant Towns
The Kenshi guide states that an error in Distant Towns mesh generation can cause some area-specific crashes and that disabling the Generate Distant Towns setting will usually prevent that problem. Use this step only when the crash repeats in the same area. It is not a universal fix for launch, New Game, or random crashes. Because it is a settings change, note it in your crash record so you can tell whether it made a difference.
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Step 7: If none of these resolves it, record the symptom and report the bug
The Kenshi guide directs players to submit a bug report when its troubleshooting steps fail. A useful report includes:
- When the crash happens: at launch, on New Game, in one named area, or after a specific mod or action
- Your SteamOS version and the Proton version in use
- Whether you used mods, and if so, which ones and in what groups
- Which of Steps 1 to 6 you tried and what each one changed
Specific details like these are what let a developer distinguish a Steam Deck problem from a general one.
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How to read Kenshi’s Steam Deck compatibility status
SteamDB’s Kenshi configuration page reports a Playable Steam Deck category and notes that users may need to invoke the on-screen keyboard manually. That test is dated February 19, 2022, so it describes the Deck as of that date only. Valve defines Playable as a game that may require manual tweaking. Valve’s Steam Deck Verified page explains the categories, and the current status appears in your Deck library or on the Kenshi Steam store page. Check there before assuming the label still applies.
Published PC requirements for Kenshi are 6 GB RAM, a dual-core 64-bit processor, a Pixel Shader 5.0-capable graphics card, DirectX 11, and 14 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended for optimum performance. These are PC requirements, not a Steam Deck diagnostic threshold, and they do not show that a storage change will stop crashes.
What the 2018 Proton report does and does not show
Valve’s Proton issue #1642 for Kenshi, opened September 29, 2018, describes a New Game crash under Proton 3.7-6. That report is old and tied to one Proton version. It is useful mainly as an example of why launch and New Game crashes are a distinct symptom that should be separated from random crashes. It does not establish how Kenshi behaves on current Steam Decks, and it is not a fix.
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