Arma 3 (2013): runs on Windows 11, Mac, Linux, Steam Deck?

Windows 11✓
Steam Deck✓ Playable
Mac✓
Linux✓ Proton Gold

Gamicality score 82 / 100

Playability today ★★★★★ 3.5

Runs today5 / 5
Design today1.5 / 5
See the checks

Steam user reviews Very Positive

283,264 reviews90% positive
Steam store page

Get it on Steam

Released: 2013
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Genre: Action, Simulation, Strategy
Time to beat: About 19.5 hours for the main story HowLongToBeat
Runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck
Last checked: October 31, 2026

Does Arma 3 run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11	✓Sold for Windows today, no problem on record. Source
Mac (Apple Silicon)	✓Runs on Apple Silicon. Source
Linux	✓Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks. Source
Steam Deck	✓Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup. Source

Played it lately? Press Works for me or Doesn’t work on your platform, so the next player knows. One click, no account. How we check where it runs

Synopsis

A large-scale military simulator set on huge open islands, where infantry, vehicles, aircraft and boats fight across battlefields many kilometers wide. Players can follow a single-player campaign, build their own scenarios in the editor, or join community servers that run anything from realistic squad operations to custom game modes, often built from Steam Workshop mods.

What people say

Critics in 2013 admired its scale, realism and editor but found the launch content thin and the single-player campaign uneven. More than a decade of updates, expansions and mods has made it a long-lived platform with a devoted community. Players praise its depth and freedom, while the most common complaints are a steep learning curve, an overwhelming interface, clunky mechanics and poor performance in busy scenes. Online play can also suffer from desync and high ping.

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

5 / 5

✓Sold or given away today by an official source
✓Runs on Windows 11 without fan patches
✓All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
PCGamingWiki records no shut-down servers or lost content (PCGamingWiki).
✓Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Native widescreen and modern resolutions (PCGamingWiki).
✓Full controller support or remappable controls
Controller support (PCGamingWiki).
✓Steam Deck Verified or Playable
✓No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
✓No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
✓No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists no unresolved issues (PCGamingWiki).

1 check not confirmed yet

Single-player works without an internet connection

From the Steam store, Valve’s Steam Deck rating and the sources under each check. Checks not confirmed yet don’t count.

Design today

1.5 / 5

✗Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Reviewers found the many keys for stance, gear and commands overwhelming at first and said the game is not realistically playable on a gamepad, and players still name the complex controls as a main hurdle. Source: gamingbolt.com.
✗Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Players describe the in-game interface as overwhelming, clunky and unpolished, even though the main menu itself is easy to find your way around. Source: gamingbolt.com.
✓Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Arma 3 allows multiple saves on the Recruit and Regular difficulty presets, and update 1.58 made saves unlimited on Regular; only Veteran restricts them. Source: Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki.
✗Hard to make progress without a guide
A field manual and firing drills cover the basics, but players still call the learning curve steep and the design unintuitive, so most players lean on outside guides for commands, vehicles and medical systems. Source: gamingbolt.com.
✗Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
The campaign holds the player to a jog and sends them across miles of empty terrain between encounters, so minutes of travel separate the action. Source: GameSpot, Gamereactor.
✗Camera or movement fights the player
Players on Steam complain that weapon sway makes aiming shaky and inconsistent and that the engine feels clunky to steer, while defenders argue the heavy handling is intended realism. Source: steamcommunity.com.