Verified means Valve expects a game to work great on Steam Deck without extra setup. Playable means it can be played, but may need a manual adjustment—for example, choosing a community controller layout or using the touchscreen to navigate a launcher. The difference is expected compatibility and effort, not a rating of a game’s quality or performance.
Verified vs. Playable at a glance
| What Valve evaluates | Verified | Playable |
|---|---|---|
| Setup effort | Expected to work well out of the box. | May require a user adjustment before or during play. |
| Controller and launcher navigation | Controller support and icons should be appropriate; launchers should be navigable with a controller. | An adjustment may be needed, such as choosing a community controller configuration or using the touchscreen to navigate a launcher. |
| Display and text | Should support the Deck’s default resolution, use suitable default settings, and present legible text. | May have a display or text-related detail that keeps it from meeting the Verified criteria; check the title’s compatibility details for specifics. |
| Warnings and system support | Should have no compatibility warnings; if it runs through Proton, the game and its middleware, including anti-cheat, must be supported. | May have a compatibility detail or limitation that does not meet the Verified standard. The label alone does not identify which one. |
These distinctions reflect Valve’s Steam Deck compatibility categories. A Playable label does not mean every game has the same issue, or that it runs poorly.
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What Verified checks
Valve assesses games across four areas. A title can be playable while missing one or more parts of the out-of-the-box experience expected for Verified.
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Input
The game should fully support the Deck’s controller, show appropriate controller input icons, and bring up the on-screen keyboard automatically when needed.
#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
Display
The game should support the Deck’s default resolution—1280×800 or 1280×720—use suitable default settings, and display text that is legible on the device.
Seamlessness
Verified games should not show compatibility warnings, and any launcher should be navigable with a controller.
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
System support
If a game runs through Proton, the game and its middleware must be supported by Proton. Valve includes anti-cheat in this system-support check.
Can you play a game marked Playable?
Yes. Playable means the game can be played on Steam Deck, but the experience may require you to intervene. Valve’s examples include selecting a community-made controller configuration and using the touchscreen to get through a launcher. The specific compatibility details for a reviewed title explain what to expect; the category name by itself does not.
To check a game, open its Steam Deck compatibility details in the library or on its store page. Look for the particular input, display, launcher, warning, or system-support note rather than assuming the game has a general performance problem.
Where the rating appears—and what it applies to
Compatibility ratings appear in the Steam Deck library and while browsing or shopping on the device. You can also filter library views by compatibility rating. Valve says its rating applies to tested titles on both LCD and OLED Steam Deck models.
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.
Why a game’s rating or experience can change
Valve says its compatibility review is ongoing: new games and game updates are reviewed, and improvements to Steam Deck can make some previously unsupported games work. Treat a rating as guidance about the expected experience, not a permanent guarantee.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesPlayer feedback can help Valve assess the experience and its review process, but feedback does not directly change a game’s category and is not crowdsourced compatibility testing. Valve explains those limits in its March 25, 2022 Steam Deck feedback announcement.
Quick Recap
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