A Plague Tale: Requiem just earned a Steam Deck Verified badge, as Valve just updated the horror outing’s handheld compatibility status. Naturally, that means it now sits proudly at the ‘Great on Deck’ table, and you shouldn’t have to worry about hardware hiccups when playing on the go.
Rather than simply taking Valve’s word for it, I decided to check out A Plague Tale: Requiem on Steam Deck. After all, that Verified badge doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to boost fps, and A Plague Tale: Requiem system requirements aren’t exactly lightweight. As you may already know, the storefront badge is more of a helpful heads-up than a definitive compatibility status, designed to help the handheld feel like its own platform rather than a dinky low-spec PC.
Sadly, my experience playing A Plague Tale: Requiem on Steam Deck got off to a ratty start, as the game actually froze. Crashing isn’t something I’d normally associate with a Verified game, but I’m willing to put the occurrence down to bad luck.
Steam Deck performance isn’t a complete disappointment, as I was able to hit around 40fps maximum while testing. That’s with every setting cranked down low and FSR turned on, which ultimately produces messy visuals and artefacts. You can improve visuals by switching the built-in upscaler off, but as you’d expect, it’ll cost you valuable frames.
Battery life is a bit of an issue while playing A Plague Tale: Requiem on Steam Deck, as the game’s impressive visuals will push the handheld’s APU fairly hard. That’s not to say other games won’t also guzzle power, particularly if they’re bigger releases with demanding specs. Nevertheless, it still feels like something that’ll disrupt your playthrough, as you’ll quickly find yourself tethered to a charger after a very short walk through the intro section.
That’s not to say A Plague Tale: Requiem is terrible on Steam Deck, and nothing should stop you from reaching the end credits on the portable. If anything, the experience illustrates the complexity of Valve’s Steam Deck verification system, as it’s easy to interpret. Again, Verified status doesn’t mean you’ll be able to play without frame rate caveats and compromised visuals, and it pretty much signifies that you can simply run the game without much disruption.
Our tests aside, A Plague Tale: Requiem can now be found within the Great on Deck section of the Steam storefront. It’s still impressive to see the adventure running on Valve’s portable PC, even if the game relies on having a charger nearby. We’ll perhaps laugh at the above concerns once the Steam Deck 2 eventually becomes a thing, and those of you who can’t abide the lower settings might be better off waiting for the Asus Rog Ally (if you’re willing to pay top dollar for a handheld).
Looking for add-ons for Valve’s handheld? Our best Steam Deck accessories list will help you craft the perfect portable setup.