Steam Deck Users Should Be Wary Buying Steam’s Big New Release

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Players hoping to enjoy the new Steam release on their Steam Deck should be cautious. While the game hasn’t been officially tested by Valve for compatibility with the handheld device, early players who have tried it are reporting significant issues. Steam currently lists the game’s Deck compatibility as ‘Unknown’.

According to Steam Deck HQ, *Borderlands 4* has fairly high system requirements on Steam, which means it doesn’t run well on the Steam Deck. This could prevent it from being officially ‘Steam Deck Verified.’ Gearbox hasn’t said anything about this, and it seems they didn’t consider the Steam Deck during development, as the game performs poorly on the handheld.

Can’t Even Handle Lowest Settings

Steam Deck HQ reports that the game initially runs around 22 frames per second, which isn’t ideal, but playable if consistent. However, the frame rate is unstable, frequently dipping and surging. Loading new areas causes particularly severe drops, sometimes falling into single digits, even with all graphics settings turned down to their lowest.

Steam Deck players should avoid using frame generation features, as they can severely impact gameplay, causing noticeable delays and choppiness that make games difficult to play.

It looks like *Borderlands 4* is now fully playable, meaning it will probably be labeled as such soon. But being playable doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fun. Fortunately, Gearbox can still improve the game’s performance with updates. While the game currently has optimization issues, it hasn’t significantly affected its review scores. However, due to the game’s high demands, it’s unlikely to run well on the Steam Deck, which has limited processing power.

If you’re interested in games that work great on the Steam Deck, keep an eye out for Steam Deck Verified titles. A major release expected in September 2025 will be Verified, and a popular game from 2012 recently received the same certification.

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2025-09-15 03:09