We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Steam Deck compatible?

Although the asymmetrical horror is playable on the Valve handheld, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is best paired with your gaming PC for now.

A close-up of Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on the screen of a Steam Deck.

Is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Steam Deck compatible? Those looking for their next horror fix on the Steam Deck might have to look elsewhere, as although The Texas Chain Saw Massacre runs on the Steam Deck, its performance will leave you hungry for a more optimized experience.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre system requirements ask for 30GB of install space, which isn’t as a lot compared to some of the best Steam Deck games, but it’s still a big chunk of your handheld’s storage. Check out the best microSD for Steam Deck to make extra room, and if you’re still dining out on the 64GB model of the PC gaming handheld.

YouTube Thumbnail

Is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Steam Deck compatible?

Yes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is playable on the Steam Deck, however the game is currently ‘unsupported’ according to Valve.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre could be one of the best horror games on the Steam Deck, but there are a few things holding it back. Developer Gun Interactive has been vocal online about its compatibility with the PC gaming handheld. As recent as August 25th, when being asked numerous times on Twitter about the handheld, Gun Interactive has stated that the “game isn’t officially supported” on the PC gaming handheld.

The lack of official support was evident through our own experiences testing out the game. While we were able to play through matches within The Texas Chain Saw Massacre successfully on the Steam Deck, the device did struggle. The fame rate regularly dropped to below 40fps, and the main menu was pretty illegible and confusing to navigate on the handheld’s small screen.

What are the best Texas Chain Saw Massacre Steam Deck settings?

Here are the best Texas Chain Saw Massacre Steam Deck settings:

  • Upscaling: Disabled
  • Image quality: Native
  • Anti-Aliasing: Medium
  • Effects: Medium
  • Foliage: Medium
  • Post Processing: Medium
  • Shadows: Medium
  • Textures: Medium
  • View Distance: Medium
  • VSYNC: Off

To have a fulfilling experience with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on the Steam Deck, we recommend turning off FSR within the game’s settings, and switching most of the graphical options to ‘medium’. While this still won’t bring you the most stable of frame rate experiences, it will mean you don’t have to worry about significant performance drops while escaping the families clutches, or taking down your victims.

While other team-based horror games like Dead by Daylight play exceptionally well on the Valve handheld, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre appears better suited to your gaming PC for the time being. Hopefully in the future, Gun Interactive can optimize the game for the Steam Deck enough for Valve to gift it with a “playable” or even “verified” commendation, until then, it remains officially “unsupported.”

If you’re still hungry to find out more about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, check out our interview with developer Sumo Digital, so you can get a taste of what to expect. If you’re still not convinced, read our Texas Chain Saw Massacre review as an appetizer, and fill up on why we think it’s a “thrilling horror homage.”