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Steam Deck compatibility labels tell you what Valve has checked and what to expect before launching a game. Verified means it should work well out of the box; Playable means it may need a manual adjustment; Unsupported means Valve currently considers it nonfunctional; and Unknown means Valve has not checked it. The label is a useful starting point, but the compatibility details for the individual game explain what you may need to do.
What the four Steam Deck compatibility labels mean
| Label | What Valve’s rating indicates | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Verified | The game works well on Steam Deck out of the box. | A strong sign of a smooth handheld experience, though not a guarantee about every future update or your personal preferences. |
| Playable | The game works, but may require some manual adjustment. | Check the game’s compatibility details for steps such as choosing a community controller layout or using the touchscreen in a launcher. |
| Unsupported | Valve currently considers the game nonfunctional on Steam Deck. | This describes its reviewed status now; it does not mean a workaround is impossible forever. |
| Unknown | Valve has not checked the game for compatibility. | This is neither a positive nor a negative test result. Consult current player information or try it only if you are comfortable with uncertainty. |
These are Valve’s four categories in its Steam Deck compatibility guidance. A Playable badge is not another way of saying that a game is broken: it signals that some interaction or setup may be less convenient than a Verified game.
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What Verified checks—and what it does not promise
Valve evaluates games against four areas: input, display, seamlessness, and system support. Its criteria focus on whether a game is usable on the Deck, rather than promising a particular performance level.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →- Input: The game supports a controller, uses appropriate controller input icons, and brings up the on-screen keyboard automatically when needed.
- Display: It supports the Deck’s default resolution of 1280×800 or 1280×720, uses suitable default settings, and presents legible text.
- Seamlessness: It does not present compatibility warnings, and any launcher can be navigated with a controller.
- System support: If the game uses Proton, the game and its middleware—including anti-cheat—must be supported by Proton.
Those criteria do not establish a frame-rate target, battery-life estimate, or guarantee that every graphics setting will suit every player. Treat Verified as a compatibility signal, not as a performance benchmark.
#1 Best Overall
- 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
How to check a game’s rating and use it
On Steam Deck, compatibility ratings appear while browsing the Steam store or your library. Reviewed games have compatibility details, and the library can be filtered by rating. The first Steam Store tab focuses on games that work well on Deck; other tabs show the wider catalog.
- Find the game in the Steam store or your library on the Deck and check its compatibility label.
- Open its compatibility details if it has been reviewed. For a Playable game, read the listed manual steps before starting.
- Recheck the listing if the game or Deck software has changed. The rating reflects an evolving review process, not a permanent guarantee.
When choosing between two titles, compare their specific compatibility details and any required manual steps; the category alone may not tell you which experience you will prefer.
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
Does Steam Deck OLED change a game’s compatibility rating?
No. Valve says a title that has been tested carries the same compatibility rating on Steam Deck LCD and OLED models. The hardware version does not change the badge.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteCan a game’s rating change?
Yes. Valve says it reviews compatibility on an ongoing basis. Game updates and improvements to Steam Deck can affect whether a title works, including enabling games previously marked Unsupported. Check the current store or library listing for the game you want to play.
Rank #3
- Operating System: SteamOS 3.0
Valve also distinguishes player feedback from the process that assigns a category. In a March 25, 2022 post about opt-in feedback, it said the collected data would not directly change a title’s compatibility category; the data was intended to help evaluate whether the review process matched player expectations. See Valve’s New Steam Deck Feature: Opt-in Feedback.
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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