- The Steam Deck will soon be launched
- Users find out which games are currently verified to be playable on the console
- This number is still very small but should rise as time passes
With the Steam Deck’s release date approaching, users wonder which games from Steam’s library will be playable on launch.
Users Find Which Games Are Already Verified for the Deck
The Steam Deck is one of the most anticipated products this year and despite it being delayed multiple times during 2021, Valve has finally announced a release date for the console. With it shipping for reserved customers first, many are wondering what kind of games will be able to be played on it at launch.
It didn’t take too long for Steam users to find out what games have already been verified for the console. According to data pulled from SteamDB over the weekend, there are currently 106 titles graded for Steam Deck compatibility.
However, this number is a bit misleading. Of the 106 compatibility graded games, only 60 are verified, meaning these games are ready to roll on day one for certain. The 40 or so other games are classified as “playable”, which means they have not yet passed all compatibility checks, but one is still able to play them on the console. This means that players, wishing to have a go at any of these 40 unverified titles, might need to put in some extra effort to get the games running on the Steam Deck.
What about the Many Other Steam Games?
It has to be said that Steam has over 50 000 titles, so porting just 106 to the Deck is barely a drop in the ocean. However, with almost a month left before the console’s debut, it’s safe to say that that number will surely rise rapidly. Currently, some of the games that are now allegedly fully compatible with the device include popular titles like Dark Souls 3, Death Stranding, Life is Strange 2, Psychonauts 2.
Porting more games, however, might be difficult, as even if the Deck is essentially a handheld PC, it does not run Windows. Instead, it has its own proprietary Linux-based operating system, which also had its hiccups recently, which played a part in the console's delay. Hopes are that updates to the OS will not only allow for easier porting of games more games from Steam's extensive library but also optimization, therefore an extension of the Deck’s battery life.
The first batch of Steam Deck reservations rolls out on February 25 with two more batches expected to be shipped out sometime in Q2 2022.
