Steam Deck Game Library Reaches Significant Milestone
Valve's Steam Deck has achieved a notable benchmark, with over 30,000 titles now officially designated as either Verified or Playable. This extensive library reflects Valve's ongoing efforts to categorize the vast collection of games available on its platform for optimal handheld performance.
According to recent data, the total number of games rated by Valve for the Steam Deck stands at 30,006. This figure is comprised of 8,939 games that have earned the "Verified" status, indicating a seamless experience out of the box. An additional 21,067 titles are categorized as "Playable," meaning they may require minor manual adjustments from the player to run optimally. Furthermore, 6,848 games are currently listed as "Unsupported," suggesting they may not function correctly or at all on the device.
It is important for players to note that these comprehensive figures include games that have since been delisted from the Steam store. For individuals who previously purchased these titles, the ability to download and play them on their Steam Deck remains intact, ensuring continued access to their owned content.
While Valve formally rates a substantial number of games, the overall Steam catalog contains tens of thousands more titles yet to undergo this official verification process. Players are not restricted to only the rated games; Valve's Proton compatibility layer enables users to attempt running any game from their Steam library on the Deck. However, some publishers implement anti-cheat measures that can directly prevent games from functioning on Linux-based platforms, including SteamOS, regardless of Proton's capabilities.
For users of the Steam Machine, while there isn't a dedicated compatibility rating system or a "Great on Machine" page akin to the Steam Deck, games that are rated as Steam Deck Playable or SteamOS Compatible are generally expected to provide a reasonably good experience on the Steam Machine as well. This offers a useful guideline for Steam Machine owners looking to expand their playable library.
Despite the significant progress, Valve's rating system has faced scrutiny. Reports indicate that some games designated as "Verified" for the Steam Deck can still exhibit performance issues, such as frequent frame rate drops below 30 frames per second or a blurry, low-resolution appearance even when attempting to maintain 30FPS. Conversely, some titles listed as "Unsupported" have been found to run without significant issues. This suggests an ongoing challenge for Valve in consistently applying its own compatibility criteria, an issue that players hope will see improvements in future iterations of their hardware and rating systems.
The accumulation of over 30,000 officially compatible games marks a substantial expansion of the Steam Deck's accessible library, providing a wide array of choices for its users, even as the verification process continues to evolve.