About
Need for Speed: The Run is a 2011 arcade racing game and the eighteenth main installment in the Need for Speed series, built on the Frostbite 2 engine. It frames its campaign around 'The Run', an illegal coast-to-coast street race from San Francisco to New York, and introduced on-foot quick-time event sequences alongside the driving. It was EA Black Box's final Need for Speed title before the studio closed in 2013, and reviews were mixed, criticizing the short story mode while praising the presentation and Autolog-driven competition. The PC version was delisted from Steam in May 2021.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- Need For Speed The Run.exe
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Proton
- Version
- GE-Proton10-15
- Winetricks
- —
- ProtonDB
- ProtonDB Silver runs with minor issues
⚙ Setup notes
Game: 2011 EA Black Box racer (Frostbite 2; delisted from Steam May 2021 — bring your own copy). Once running it performs well on Deck (~60fps, medium-high), but getting past the launcher/login takes some setup.
Proton: newer GE-Proton 10.x builds (e.g. GE-Proton10-15/10.0-30) are reported to fare best. Multiple users report GE-Proton9-25, recent default Proton, and Proton 11 beta fail to get past the login/launcher — try a GE-Proton 10.x build via ProtonUp-Qt if it won't start.
Login softlock: with EA's online services retired, the game can hang on the EA login or "Connecting to Autolog servers…". ThirteenAG's Fusion Fix (NFSTheRun.FusionFix, extract next to the .exe) has a Skip Intro option that bypasses the startup FMVs and login prompts; if it still hangs on Autolog, block the game's network access so it falls through to offline play. Fusion Fix also fixes windowed mode and adds a free-look camera.
Controller: does not reliably detect a pad on its own under Proton — enable Steam Input for the game (Controller settings) so the Deck gamepad is mapped, otherwise the controller may not be detected.
The one thing to know
Supply your own copy: delisted — configuration only, no links.
Proton version matters: prefer a GE-Proton 10.x build (e.g. GE-Proton10-15/10.0-30) via ProtonUp-Qt. Several users report GE-Proton9-25, recent default Proton, and Proton 11 beta failing at the login/launcher — switch builds if it won't get in.
Login / Autolog softlock: EA's online services are retired, so the game may hang on the EA login or "Connecting to Autolog servers…". Use Fusion Fix's Skip Intro (bypasses login prompts); if it still hangs, block the game's network access to force offline play. Online-dependent menus (e.g. exiting Challenge Series) may still hang.
Crash: mission 'Business or Pleasure' can crash around checkpoint 18-19; workaround is to drop graphics (and resolution) to the lowest values for that section.
Controller: the game may not detect a pad on its own under Proton — enable Steam Input for the title (Controller settings) so the Deck gamepad is mapped.
Steam appid: the original PC release (delisted) was app 24770; left blank here since there is no live store/ProtonDB listing. Set steam_appid if you confirm your install matches.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options, Proton version)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.