I found a second game doing roughly the same thing that is also fixed by adding VKD3D_CONFIG=nodxr %command%.
Tracing Decay (1973370) hangs indefinitely on deck after clicking into a level/stage (after Play on Main Menu). It hangs for a while on Windows and on Proton desktop but does eventually load into the game.
If there are further games that need this, please open a PR with a similar workaround.
proton 8.0-4x1 2026-08proton 8.0-5x1 2026-08VKD3D_CONFIG=nodxrx2 2026-08VKD3D_DEBUGx1 2026-08VKD3D_CONFIG=nodxr %command%x2 2026-08
Description
Paranoid is hanging on some kind of shader/loading stutter after starting the game from the main menu on Proton versions after 8.0-4. If left running, game will eventually crash with an Unreal error. This only happens on the Steam Deck; running on desktop (or on Windows) there is a slowdown on the loading screen, but you can successfully get into the game. The issue appears to have started between vkd3d-proton versions vkd3d-1.1-3622-g88e4f300 (Proton 8.0-4) and vkd3d-1.1-3809-g0e681135 (Proton 8.0-5). Including VKD3D_CONFIG=nodxr %command% in the launch options allows the game to run successfully - you get past the hang and into the game.
Software Information
Paranoid (946920) - default settings. Launch game, skip opening cinematic, select Continue or New Game from Main Menu - game will eventually hang while loading.
System Information
OLED Steam Deck, Proton stable versions 8.0-5, 9.0-4, 10.0-4, 11.0-1, and 11.0-2 (in testing)
vkd3d-proton versions vkd3d-1.1-3809-g0e681135 - vkd3d-1.1-5153-g212991fc
Log with +dxgi, "VKD3D_DEBUG": "warn, trace" included.
paranoid_hang.log