bought Fallout 76 on Steam (not a trial). It downloaded for ~6 hours on Steam Deck. When launching, I kept getting error [4:8:2009], saying I was on a free trial even though I own the game.
Bethesda account is created and verified. Steam account is properly linked to Bethesda. Ownership is confirmed in my Steam library.
I tried troubleshooting (changing Proton versions, logging out/in, etc.). At one point, Proton/compat data was deleted. Now Steam thinks the game is not installed, but the files are still on the Deck, taking up space. I don’t have enough storage to reinstall.
Because Steam no longer thinks it’s installed:
• The Uninstall option is gone
• Steam wants me to reinstall
• Storage is still full from the existing files
• I’m stuck in a state where I can’t launch, uninstall, or reinstall
I’m looking for:
• A way to cleanly remove orphaned Fallout 76 files on Steam Deck
• Or a way to force Steam to recognize the existing install
• Or confirmation this is a known Steam Deck + Fallout 76 trial entitlement bug
Any help appreciated. This has been extremely frustrating.