What does the Steam Deck require to run my game well?

Full controller input (the Deck has no mouse by default), acceptable performance on its hardware, text that's readable at its screen size, and proper handling of suspend/resume (since players sleep and resume the device constantly). These are also what Deck Verified status checks. Meeting them is mostly the work of supporting the Deck, and capturing Deck-specific crashes and performance helps you target what actually needs fixing.

How do I find Deck-specific issues in my game?

Capture crashes and performance from Deck players, tagged by device, so Deck-specific problems, crashes, poor frame rates, input issues, stand out from the rest. The Deck is specific hardware that can have issues not present on your dev machine, so field data from real Decks is how you find them. Combine that with hands-on testing on an actual Deck to catch input and readability problems firsthand.

How Do I Support the Steam Deck?

Q: How do I support the Steam Deck?

Meet the Deck's practical requirements, full controller/gamepad input (it's controller-first with no mouse by default), acceptable performance on its hardware, text readable at its screen size, and proper suspend/resume handling, and capture crashes and performance from Deck players to find Deck-specific issues. Test on a real Deck where possible, and use field data to cover what you can't test. For most PC games on Steam, this is an extension of your existing platform, not a major port.

Quick answer: Meet the Deck's practical requirements, full controller input, acceptable performance on its hardware, readable text, and suspend/resume handling, and capture crashes and performance from Deck players to find Deck-specific issues.

The Steam Deck is a meaningful, growing audience for PC games, and supporting it well, ideally earning Deck Verified, expands your reach. Supporting it is mostly meeting practical requirements and catching Deck-specific issues. Here's how to support the Steam Deck.

Meet the Deck's Practical Requirements

Supporting the Deck mainly means meeting its requirements: full controller/gamepad input (the Deck is controller-first, no mouse by default), acceptable performance on its hardware, text readable at its screen size, and proper handling of suspend/resume. Address these and your game works well on Deck.

These requirements are also what Deck Verified status checks. For most PC games already on Steam, supporting the Deck is an extension of your existing platform rather than a new port, mostly a matter of meeting these practical bars rather than a major undertaking.

Capture Deck-Specific Crashes and Performance

The Deck is specific hardware, so it can have specific issues, crashes, poor frame rates, input problems, that don't appear on your dev machine. Capturing crashes and performance from Deck players, tagged as such, surfaces Deck-specific problems so you can fix the right things.

Bugnet captures crashes and performance tagged by device, so Deck-specific issues stand out. Knowing what actually breaks on the Deck, from real Deck players, is what lets you meet the requirements efficiently rather than guessing at what needs attention.

Test on a Real Deck, Cover the Rest With Data

Ideally test on an actual Steam Deck to catch input, performance, and readability issues firsthand. Where you can't test everything, field crash and performance capture from Deck players covers what you missed, so your coverage is hands-on testing plus real-world data.

Bugnet's Deck performance and crash data tells you how your game runs on real Decks, complementing your own testing. Supporting the Steam Deck is meeting the practical requirements, capturing Deck-specific issues, and testing on a real Deck while covering the rest with field data, which together get you to a good Deck experience.

Meet the Deck's requirements, controller input, performance, readability, suspend/resume, and capture crashes and performance from Deck players to find Deck-specific issues. Test on a real Deck, cover the rest with field data.