The Steam Deck promises to cram a gaming PC into a handheld format, and now Valve is testing out what games work well on the platform.
Valve is introducing a system of symbols to tell players how individual games perform on Steam Deck. There are four tiers of compatibility within this new system.
Verified
- A green check indicates the game passed Valve's tests for controller input, display, seamlessness, and system support.
Playable
- A yellow symbol means the game is playable, but may need some tweaking to be an enjoyable experience. Valve says this may mean selecting a community-made controller configuration, using the touchscreen, and more.
Unsupported
- A gray symbol means the game does not work on Steam Deck. An easy example of this is Half-Life Alyx, which requires a VR headset to play.
Unknown
- A question mark means Valve has not checked the game for compatibility yet.
This system will also impact how games are displayed in the Steam Store on the handheld. Only games that are Steam Deck Verified will be displayed on the store. The badges will also be displayed on the thumbnail for each game in your Steam Library, telling you how it will run before you launch.
Valve says they plan to release compatibility for many games in the Steam catalog before the Steam Deck launches. The review will also continue beyond launch. You can find more information on this process on the official Steam Deck website.
For more, check out our Steam Deck hands-on from earlier this year. Or, check out Valve's official Steam Deck teardown to get a look at the inside of the device.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.