If you’re one of the players having a hard time launching Dirt 3 Complete Edition on Steam Deck, this guide is for you.
About the Issue
Dirt 3 Complete Edition has a little issue when you try to play it on the Steam Deck or even on Windows. The problem is that the game doesn’t include OpenAL during the installation process, causing the game to stop suddenly. In simple terms, it’s like forgetting to put all the necessary pieces together for the game to run. Now, the tricky part on the Steam Deck is that you can’t directly add OpenAL to the Linux system, unlike in Windows.
However, there’s a clever workaround using something called Proton Compatibility Layer, specifically for Dirt 3 (it’s called the Dirt3 ‘wineprefix’). Think of it like a special set of tools just for this game. To make this work, you can use a tool called Protontricks. It’s like a helper that makes sure all the right things are in place for the game to run smoothly. Here’s how you make it happen:
How to Fix the Game
Here are the steps to get Dirt 3 Complete Edition running smoothly on your Steam Deck:
- First, switch to desktop mode.
- Go to the ‘Discover’ store and download Protontricks.
- Run Protontricks and make sure you have the necessary permissions. Protontricks will guide you by providing a command to copy, paste, and run in the ‘Konsole.’ After that, restart Protontricks.
- Choose Dirt3: Complete Edition and the default wineprefix. Then, run Explorer.
- Find the OpenAL installation directory on your Steam Deck. In my case, it was located at ‘D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Dirt 3 Complete Edition_CommonRedist\OpenAL\2.0.7.0’. Note that your setup might have a different location, especially if Valve changes the default settings in the future. Just be patient and you’ll find it.
- Double-click on ‘oalinst.exe’ and follow the installation instructions. Once it’s done, you’re good to go. Close Protontricks.
Now, Dirt 3 Complete Edition should work without any issues. Happy gaming!
Final Words
I hope Dirt 3 runs smoothly on your Steam Deck now. It’s important to note that this process can be applied to other games that usually need additional software installed on Windows. Once Protontricks is all set up, the only change from the usual Windows process is that instead of using Windows Explorer, you open ‘protontricks’ and proceed with step 4. Other than that, the steps remain the same as they would on Windows. So, you’re all set to enjoy your games hassle-free!
That's everything we are sharing today for this DiRT 3 guide. This guide was originally created and written by The Dorkside. In case we fail to update this guide, you can find the latest update by following this link.