Elden Ring's big patch is causing big problems for Steam Deck players

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A hotfix for one of the reported problems is incoming, but the other remains a mystery.

Elden Ring - The Prisoner
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

The big Elden Ring patch that dropped today ahead of the Shadow of the Erdtree launch does a lot of good things—you can finally change the map key!—but it's causing some headaches for Steam Deck users.

"A Steam Deck related issue has been identified and a hotfix is being worked on," FromSoft said. "Leaving your Steam Deck inactive for more than five minutes may stop the game from accepting inputs."

(Image credit: FromSoftware (Twitter))

Elden Ring is Steam Deck Verified, meaning it's been tested and confirmed to be fully functional on Valve's handheld device. It's pretty great on it, too: There were some initial technical hiccups, but updates took care of that, leading us to include it in our list of the best Steam Deck games as "one of those games that really hits the 'I can't believe this runs on the Steam Deck' pleasure center."

This new bug is a headache, but one that's seemingly easy to avoid: If you need to step away, get yourself to a site of grace and then exit the game. Some Elden Ring players are reporting a potentially bigger problem on Reddit, though: Attempting to start the game after the patch was installed leads to an "inappropriate activity detected" error, and an inability to go online.

(Image credit: FromSoftware (via DariusLMoore, Reddit))

This is apparently an entirely separate issue from the broken inputs problem. It's not clear how widespread the issue is, but complaints have been posted across multiple threads on Reddit and Steam. The game apparently remains playable offline, but as one redditor put it, "I really need invasions and 'try jumping' messages to fully enjoy this, especially since the DLC apparently adds tons of vertical gameplay."

FromSoft hasn't yet commented on this particular issue, but given that it seems a whole lot harder to avoid than the input bug, hopefully we'll hear something soon. I've reached out for more information on the bug and will update if I receive a reply.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.