Valve testing ALL Steam games for Steam Deck compatibility

Valve is currently testing every Steam game for compatibility with the new Steam Deck, and it's posting its findings in a huge public database.

Valve today launched a new platform aimed at transparently informing Steam Deck owners which games they should play on the handheld-PC hybrid. Games that meet certain performance and experience targets become verified on the database and on the official Steam Deck storefront. Every game will have a compatibility icon telling you certain limitations that might be in place.

"With Steam Deck, we're bringing your Steam Library to a new form factor-a portable gaming PC. While many games run great on Deck out of the box, this shift means there are some games that, while they may be great on a desktop PC, aren't a great experience on Steam Deck, Valve says.

"We want it to be easy for you to find great gaming experiences on Steam Deck, so we've designed a system to do just that."

There's four criteria to become fully Steam Deck verified:

• Input - The title should have full controller support, use appropriate controller input icons, and automatically bring up the on-screen keyboard when needed.
• Display - The game should support the default resolution of Steam Deck (1280x800 or 1280x720), have good default settings, and text should be legible.
• Seamlessness - The title shouldn't display any compatibility warnings, and if there's a launcher, it should be navigable with a controller.
• System Support - If running through Proton, the game and all its middleware should be supported by Proton. This includes anti-cheat support.

"Valve is reviewing the entire Steam catalog on Deck. After each game is reviewed, it is categorized for its level of compatibility of Steam Deck. You'll see these categories on Steam, when you're browsing your library or shopping for games on Deck.

"This is an ongoing evaluation of the entire catalog and a game's rating can change over time - titles will be re-reviewed as the developer releases updates or the Deck's software improves.

The Steam Deck will start shipping in Holiday 2021 and also features mouse-and-keyboard support via a dock solution similar to the Nintendo Switch.