The Steam Deck is the new console with which Valve plans to revolutionize portable gaming. Of course, one of the big questions lies in how the big titles will adapt to this new format; and it is that not all of them will have compatibility from day one with the Steam Deck. Fortunately, there are ways to know which of the titles in your library are supported for the laptop.
Steam has enabled a verification system so that we can get out of doubt quickly. Thus, with a collection of different icons, we can see if the game is enabled to be played on the Steam Deck; or if it is still in the process of adaptation.
Not all games need to be ported to the Steam Deck to work. Nevertheless, some of them could take advantage of some changes to deliver the best possible experience on the Valve laptop. Also, the company has shared some requirements to verify games on the Steam Deck.
How to find out which games are supported on the Steam Deck
Until now there are several ways to check the compatibility of a game with the Steam Deck. The first of them is a tool released by Valve itselfwhich will allow us to quickly check the titles available on the platform and their support status for the console.
To use this option, however, you must have a Steam Deck in your possession; and it is that this form of verification works directly within the operating system of the console. If you do not have it, you can go directly to the other two verification formats that we will leave you later.
Steam has enabled a quick verification system for games. You just have to go to the game store or your library from the laptop. Inside her, Steam will automatically display a series of icons which will indicate whether the game is fully supported, partially supported, or not playable on the console.
- verified: there are no problems with the title in question. You can play without problems and without prior adjustments before starting to enjoy.
- playable: The game is still compatible with the Steam Deck. However, you may need to make some adjustments before starting your first game and getting optimal performance. Titles that require prior configuration of their graphics, controls, touch screen and more fall into this category.
- not supported: The game cannot run on the platform. Among the reasons we can find games that need VR systems, and that is that the Valve console is not compatible with these devices.
- Unknown: Valve has not yet tested its compatibility with the Steam Deck. If you decide to buy a title with this label; you will be leaving to chance the chances that their performance will end up falling into one of the three categories explained above.
How to find out which games can be played on the Steam Deck with SteamDB
The database Steam DB it also offers us a way to verify the compatibility of games with the Steam Deck. The unofficial website has a fairly complete search engine, and we can filter the results according to one of the four verification states of the game. Using it is very simple.
- Enter SteamDB from the browser.
- Type the name of the title you want to check into the search bar.
- On the left side of the screen you will see the Platforms category; from here select Steam Deck Verified, Steam Deck Playable (the two options compatible with the Steam Deck); although selecting Steam Deck Unsupported you will be able to see those titles that are not compatible.
- Once you have followed the steps, the website will show the titles compatible with the Steam Deck.
How to find out which games in your Steam library are compatible
Valve has released another tool so that we can check the compatibility of our games with the portable console. It is a website in which, with only log in, we will be able to check if the games in our library are compatible with the Steam Deck.
Of course, being an official website, your Steam credentials will be protected; so don’t worry about possible data theft. Also, just by logging in, the tool will organize the titles in your library into four categories.
Until now, Valve has tested more than 400 titles on its console; a fairly small fraction of the 64,679 games within the platform. However, the company is constantly updating the list; so in a few years we could find an answer to the compatibility of almost its entire library of games.
Requirements to pass Steam Deck verification
There are a number of conditions for a game to be verified on the console. We collect them below:
- OS– First of all, titles that want to be verified for the Steam Deck will need to be compatible with Proton. Also, all systems within titles, including anti-cheat systems, must be Proton compatible.
- easy access: Some games on Steam have launchers to access their various settings. If a title with a launcher wants to be verified on the platform, you will have to make sure that the launcher can be controlled with the console controller.
- Tickets: Games will have to support controllers. For this, the icons will have to be precise and, if necessary, the title will have to show an on-screen keyboard automatically.
- Screen: This last section is also very important. To be verified on the Steam Deck all titles must be set to the resolution of the console; 1280×800 or 1280×720. On the other hand, this configuration must be free of problems and the text must be legible on the screen.
Titles that meet these requirements will be able to pass Valve’s verification process. Also, in case of finding an unsupported game, the platform will explain in text the reasons why it has not been able to pass the Steam Deck verification.