Valve’s Steam Machine Verified target is 30 frames per second at 1080p, with controller expectations based on Steam Deck’s program. Valve also says every Steam Deck Verified game will be Steam Machine Verified. The badge does not require a particular display resolution or text-legibility test for Steam Machine.
What Steam Machine Verified requires
Valve’s GDC 2026 presentation set out six headline points for the badge. Its current Steamworks checklist explains how several of those requirements work in practice.
- 30 FPS at 1080p: Valve’s performance target for a default configuration is a playable frame rate of 30 FPS at 1080p.
- Steam Controller support: The game must support Steam Controller inputs. Its default controller configuration must let players access all game content without first changing in-game settings to enable controller support.
- Input-aware interface: On-screen control glyphs should match the active input, and games that require text entry must provide a way to enter text using a controller.
- No unsupported-device warnings: The game must not tell users that SteamOS or the device hardware is unsupported.
- Usable launchers and Proton handling: Launchers must meet Valve’s relevant criteria and be navigable by controller. Proton-specific blocking issues must also be addressed. Proton is Valve’s compatibility layer for running games without native Linux builds.
- Hardware detection: Valve said it updated an API to detect hardware.
Valve also described Steam Machine performance as “six times Steam Deck” in its GDC presentation. That is Valve’s characterization, not an independently measured benchmark, and it does not replace the specific 30 FPS at 1080p target.
Do Steam Deck Verified games work on Steam Machine?
Yes. Valve says every Steam Deck Verified game is also Steam Machine Verified. Beyond that carry-over, ratings are device-specific: a Steam Deck or Steam Machine result does not automatically establish the rating for another device.
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Valve’s documentation treats Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and third-party SteamOS gaming devices as separate configurations for review. The Deck-to-Machine rule is the stated exception.
Does the badge require 4K or readable text at a particular size?
No Steam Machine display-resolution or text-legibility test is part of Valve’s stated criteria. Valve explains that resolution and text size vary according to the connected display. That makes the Steam Machine check different from Steam Deck’s screen-size-specific legibility assessment; the Deck threshold should not be applied to Steam Machine.
Rank #2
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What the different compatibility ratings mean
Valve reviews games against its criteria and shares detailed results with developers through Steamworks. Developers can review those results before publication, after which the rating appears on the Steam storefront and in libraries. The result affects how a game is presented, but does not decide whether customers can access it.
| Rating | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Verified | Passes all compatibility checks without requiring user configuration. |
| Playable | Functions, but may require manual work from the user. |
| Unsupported | Does not function because of compatibility or hardware issues. |
| Unknown | Has not completed review. |
What the badge does—and does not—tell players
For players, Verified is a compatibility-review result, not a promise of 4K output, a particular text size on every screen, or a recommendation to buy a game. The published performance target is 30 FPS at 1080p; the six-times comparison is Valve’s own presentation claim. The badge also does not prevent access to a title with a different rating.
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Valve’s GDC 2026 Steam Hardware presentation and its Steamworks compatibility documentation describe the announced standards. The operational checklist is the more detailed reference if it differs from the presentation.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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