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What each service measures
| Service | What it assesses | How to read the result |
|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck Verified | Valve’s assessment of a game’s experience on Steam Deck, including controls, display and legibility, seamless interaction, and Proton or system support. | Valve uses Verified, Playable, Unsupported, and Unknown. Verified means the game works well out of the box; Playable can mean that adjustments are needed. Check the listed criteria instead of reading the label as a simple launch/no-launch verdict. |
| ProtonDB | Community reports about Linux and Steam Deck compatibility. | Reports can describe actual play, relevant context, and workarounds. Aggregates change as new reports arrive, so report recency and detail matter; they are not a controlled score against either of the other services. |
| AWACY | Anti-cheat compatibility status. AWACY stands for “Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?” | Its documented status vocabulary includes Broken, Denied, Planned, Running, Supported, and Unknown. This is a focused anti-cheat check, not an assessment of controls, display, performance, or the complete Deck experience. |
Why the results can disagree
The services differ in scope, evidence, specificity, and recency. Valve evaluates a defined set of Steam Deck experience criteria. ProtonDB reflects user reports, which may describe particular setups or workarounds. AWACY addresses anti-cheat behavior. A favorable ProtonDB report alongside an anti-cheat warning is not necessarily a contradiction: one may describe a game running in a particular context while the other flags a restriction on online play.
Likewise, a supported anti-cheat status does not prove that a game’s full Deck experience is good. And a Playable label does not automatically mean a game fails: inspect which requirement needs attention and whether the adjustment matters to your use.
How to check a game before playing
- Start with the Steam listing. Open the game’s page in Steam and review its Deck compatibility status and any criteria or notes. Valve explains its categories and review process on its Steam Deck Verified page.
- Read recent ProtonDB reports. Search for the same game and prioritize reports that describe a relevant device, runtime, and game version. Look for repeated observations and practical workarounds rather than relying only on an aggregate summary.
- Check AWACY when anti-cheat matters. For a multiplayer title, consult its current anti-cheat status. Treat the status as evidence about anti-cheat, not a verdict on every aspect of play.
- Treat Unknown and absent reports as uncertainty. They indicate that useful evidence is missing; they do not establish either success or failure.
- If troubleshooting, test changes one at a time. Steam Support explains how to view compatibility details and force a per-game Steam Play tool in its Steam Deck software information and troubleshooting guide. Forcing a tool is an experiment, not a guarantee that the game will work.
Why the “55% gap” is unverified
No common game population, denominator, date, status mapping, or calculation is established for a 55% difference among Steam Deck Verified, ProtonDB, and AWACY. The percentage therefore cannot be read as a measured gap from the available evidence. ProtonDB’s changing site-wide counts are not a substitute: they are not a shared set of games scored under comparable definitions.
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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
A defensible percentage would need a dated, defined group of games; a clear rule for which statuses count as success; a method for handling unknown and missing entries; and a reproducible calculation. Without those, the number should not be used as a compatibility statistic.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why compatibility information can change
Valve describes its review process as ongoing, and ratings may be updated. Game updates, compatibility-tool changes, and new community reports can also change what a current check shows. Valve says tested titles maintain their ratings across Steam Deck LCD and OLED models; for an individual game, consult its current compatibility details and reports for the way you intend to play.
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.
Rank #3
- Operating System: SteamOS 3.0
Rank #2
- 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
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