Starfield on Steam Deck: Performance, Best Settings, and Compatibility Guide

You're in the right place if you have the question of whether Starfield is playable on Steam Deck. We provide answers regarding Starfield's compatibility with Steam Deck.

While Starfield is now available, many people are interested in playing the game on Valve's handheld console, Steam Deck. However, the answer to whether you can play Starfield on Steam Deck is not as straightforward as we would like. Bethesda's epic space RPG game is indeed playable on Steam Deck, allowing you to explore the outer reaches of space on the go. However, there are some significant compromises that you may need to consider.

So, to answer the question, Starfield is playable on Steam Deck, but with potential compromises.Starfield is now available on the Steam Deck, but currently, the system's performance is limited to 30fps. Players have reported that using Proton Experimental can improve the game's performance and fix some in-game crashes.

To optimize the settings for Starfield on the Steam Deck, it is recommended to lower all graphical settings to the lowest level. Additionally, enabling supersampling with FSR 2 and disabling motion blur and film grain can further enhance the game's performance. These settings will help maximize the overall gaming experience on the Steam Deck.

Starfield's poor performance on the Steam Deck can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, Starfield is partially CPU-bound, which means that the game heavily relies on the processing power of the CPU. This limitation has also affected the performance of Starfield on the current lineup of Xbox consoles, as the CPUs used in these consoles were planned and confirmed back in 2018 or 2019, resulting in a locked framerate of 30fps.

The Steam Deck, equipped with a custom AMD chip called Van Gogh, faces similar challenges when it comes to performance. The unique architecture of the Steam Deck's hardware requires additional optimization and effort from Bethesda in order to ensure smooth performance on the platform.

It wouldn't have been surprising if the game was initially unplayable on the Steam Deck, as this issue has been observed in other games like Returnal and The Last of Us due to hardware instability. However, it seems that fans will still be able to play Starfield on the Steam Deck, albeit potentially with an inconsistent framerate.

Overall, while the game may experience some performance issues on the Steam Deck, Bethesda has made efforts to make it playable on the platform.

There are many games available to play on the SteamDeck, including Starfield. Besides, there are several games that require an internet connection or have multiplayer cooperative gameplay, which demand stable network connectivity, low latency, and optimal ping. To address these network requirements, the GearUP Console Booster is a reliable tool. Specifically designed for console gaming, it optimizes your connection path by utilizing a global network of nodes. It helps bypass network congestion, reduce latency, and minimize other network issues, earning high praise from numerous players.