Many Steam games run well on the Steam Deck, but performance and ease of use vary by title. Valve’s Verified badge is the best sign that a game should work well out of the box; Playable games may need adjustments, and an Unknown rating means Valve has not reviewed the title. Check the individual game’s rating and notes before you buy or install it.
What Steam Deck compatibility ratings tell you
Valve’s ratings are a practical guide to whether a game works on the handheld, not a promise that every scene will run at a particular speed. The categories describe the expected experience:
- Verified: Valve says the game “works great on Steam Deck, right out of the box.” It meets the program’s compatibility criteria without requiring the player to troubleshoot first. Valve’s compatibility page
- Playable: The game functions, but may require a manual adjustment. Valve’s examples include selecting a community controller layout or using the touchscreen to navigate a launcher.
- Unsupported: The title currently does not function on the device under Valve’s review.
- Unknown: Valve has not completed a compatibility review. This is not evidence by itself that the game fails.
Ratings can change: Valve says it may retest games as Steam Deck software and Proton support improve. For that reason, use the current rating and its specific notes rather than relying on an old listing or a badge remembered from an earlier check. Valve Steam Deck compatibility · Steamworks compatibility documentation
What Valve checks beyond frame rate
The Deck Verified review looks at four areas: input, display, seamlessness, and system support. Valve’s current Steamworks documentation sets a playable-framerate criterion of 30 fps at 800p for Verified review. That is a review criterion—not a guarantee that every scene, update, or player configuration will hold 30 fps.
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- 1TB NVMe SSD
- 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display with premium anti-glare etched glass, 7.4" Diagonal display size up to 90Hz refresh rate
- Wi-Fi 6E
- 50Whr battery; 3-12 hours of gameplay (content-dependent)
- Carrying case with removable liner
| Review area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Input | Whether the game supports the built-in controls, uses appropriate button prompts, and opens the on-screen keyboard when needed. |
| Display | Support for the Deck’s default 1280×800 or 1280×720 resolution, sensible defaults, and readable text. |
| Seamlessness | Whether compatibility warnings interrupt play and whether a launcher can be navigated with a controller. |
| System support | Whether the game and its required components work on the Deck, including Proton and middleware such as anti-cheat when the game runs through Proton. |
These checks explain why a game can run but still receive Playable: a launcher may be awkward without a touchscreen, text may be difficult to read, or controls may need setup. Valve’s Steamworks criteria
Why games have different results
The Steam Deck runs SteamOS. Games without a native Linux build may run through Proton, Valve’s compatibility layer for Windows games. Whether they work depends in part on whether Proton supports the Windows features the game needs and whether its required middleware is compatible.
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- International (UK) Version
- 7.4” diagonal, HDR OLED, 1280 x 800 x RGB, up to 90Hz Refresh rate, High performance touch, <0.1 ms Response time, 1,000 nits peak brightness (HDR), 600 nits (SDR)
- SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
- 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels), microSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
- 6 nm AMD APU, CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32
Valve identifies some anti-cheat systems and media codecs as possible sources of incompatibility. Proton is an ongoing project, so support can evolve; a game’s rating or practical behavior may change after updates. Valve’s Proton documentation · Steamworks compatibility documentation
Even when a game launches, the handheld experience may not suit every player. Controller support, legibility, launcher navigation, and the amount of setup required all matter alongside performance. When comparing two games, check their current badges and notes, whether they work with the built-in controls, how readable their text is, and whether they have Proton or middleware issues. Recent game-specific reports can provide useful context, but they do not replace the rating or guarantee the same results on every setup.
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- Operating System: SteamOS 3.0
How to check a game before playing
- Open the game’s Steam Store page or find it in your Steam Deck Library. Valve displays compatibility ratings in both places. Steam Deck compatibility details
- Read the rating notes, not just the badge. Verified is the easiest out-of-box starting point. For Playable, check whether the listed adjustment—such as using a community layout or touchscreen—works for you.
- Interpret Unknown and Unsupported carefully. Unknown means Valve has not completed its review; Unsupported reflects the result of Valve’s review, but the issue or later updates may affect the current practical outcome. Check for newer information if the game matters to you.
- If you want to troubleshoot, try a compatibility tool. In the Library, open the game’s Menu > Properties > Compatibility and select the option to force a specific Steam Play compatibility tool. This is an optional experiment, not a guarantee the game will work. Steam Support: Steam Play compatibility tools
Do ratings differ between LCD and OLED Decks?
Valve says games reviewed in the Deck Verified program maintain the same compatibility rating on Steam Deck LCD and OLED. That means the badge carries across models; it does not establish identical frame rates, battery life, or visual results in every game or configuration. Valve’s compatibility page
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How many games are Verified or Playable?
Valve’s 2026 GDC presentation reports that more than 25,000 games had been rated Playable or Verified for Steam Deck. This is a dated aggregate, not a percentage of Steam’s full catalog and not evidence that any particular game will run well. Steamworks compatibility documentation
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Valve is entering the gaming console marketplace with the new Steam Deck, a console geared towards PC gamers. The Steam Deck can be docked to a monitor, and used as a PC, or docked to a TV.
- Players can play a huge variety of games at any time with the comfort of a console and the freedom of a PC. Not anti-glare screen.
- Like the name suggests, the Steam Deck will include upgraded 1TB storage, and will include a carrying case. A micro SD slot will also enable expanded storage.
- Valve partnered with AMD to create a specialized APU optimized for handheld gaming, and Valve says the chip will deliver performance to run AAA gaming titles.
- The Steam Deck is outfitted with a 7-inch touchscreen, and two trackpads under the control sticks that allow gamers to operate games never designed outside of mouse and keyboard capabilities.
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