Valve updates Steam to pave the way for new SteamOS devices and systems

Steam game listings are set to receive a SteamOS Compatibility rating, paving the way for more SteamOS devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S.

Valve updates Steam to pave the way for new SteamOS devices and systems
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TL;DR: Valve expands SteamOS support with a new SteamOS Compatibility rating for over 18,000 Steam games, ensuring middleware, launchers, and anti-cheat systems work on the Linux-based platform. This complements the existing Deck Verified rating and signals broader SteamOS adoption across multiple gaming handhelds and PCs.

With Valve's Steam Deck gaming handheld running SteamOS, the company introduced a Deck Verified rating for games on the platform that confirms two things. The first is that the game runs as intended on Valve's Linux-based SteamOS gaming-optimized operating system, and the second is that Steam Deck's custom AMD APU with integrated RDNA 2 graphics is powerful enough to run the game at a playable frame rate.

Games on Steam will now feature a SteamOS Compatibility rating, image credit: Valve.
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Games on Steam will now feature a SteamOS Compatibility rating, image credit: Valve.

With the arrival of the Legion Go S, the first non-Steam Deck portable gaming handheld to be powered by SteamOS, and rumors pointing to a wide release for both SteamOS and potential powerful mini gaming PCs shipping with the operating system, Valve is expanding its ratings. Per a Steamworks community post, Steam game listings are also set to receive a SteamOS Compatibility rating.

This feature is rolling out as we speak, with Valve noting that it's designed to show "whether a game and all of its middleware are supported on SteamOS." This includes things like launchers and anti-cheat support.

"If a game and all of its middleware are supported on SteamOS, we will mark it as SteamOS Compatible," Valve writes. "If not, it's marked as SteamOS Unsupported. Please note that this rating does not include testing results for performance and input, since we will not know (and have not tested) how all titles will run on all potential hardware. We expect over 18,000 titles on Steam to be marked SteamOS compatible out of the gate."

That last bit is crucial because it all but confirms that there will be multiple SteamOS devices and that Valve will open up SteamOS access to more PC gamers. Valve also adds that if a game is Deck Verified, it's automatically SteamOS Compatible, and that 18,000 games will be marked as SteamOS compatible right out of the gate.

This is great news for PC gamers who predominantly game on Steam. The Steam Deck has shown that an operating system in the form of Steam is an intuitive and fantastic way to game without having to deal with underlying OS issues - and for portable devices or dedicated gaming PCs connected to a TV, it's arguably a better option than Windows.