Apex Legends brings the ban hammer down on innocent Steam Deck and Linux players
Proton might be to blame.
Michael Stoyanoff 
Image via EA
Apex Legends has been verified on Steam Deck for what feels like a millennium now, but apparently, that doesn’t mean it is safe from false ban waves. The Steam Deck has been a luxury for gamers who want to play their favorite titles on the go, and so naturally Apex Legends would be included on that list. Something might have gone awry in the latest update, however, as players are starting to report being banned permanently for cheating after innocently playing Apex Legends on Steam Deck and Linux.
One such player took to social media to try and get some traction on their false ban. The player claims that they tried to access the game a few days ago, only to find an Apex Legends error preventing play with a banned message. The player had no warning or notice from EA prior to this ban. Determined to figure out the cause, they managed to collect a group of other posts claiming to have the same issue.
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Fans are starting to hypothesize what could have caused this false Apex Legends ban wave for Steam Deck players. As a verified title, the game has enjoyed peaceful and non-controversial play on the handheld gaming device for almost a year. Some are certain that it has something to do with Apex Legends’ easy anti-cheat software going haywire and now registering the Steam Deck’s compatibility layer, Proton, as a tool for cheating.
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EA has been contacted about the issue, and it is likely that this false ban wave was orchestrated via a mistaken automated system and not purposely intended. Affected players are trying hard to draw attention to the matter and get it sorted out with the company, but EA has yet to make a statement or unban frustrated Steam Deck and Linux players.
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