How to Read Steam Deck Compatibility Badges Before You Buy
Understand what Verified, Playable, Unsupported and Unknown actually promise—and what they do not tell you about frame rate, battery life or the best settings.
Published September 21, 2026Updated September 21, 2026
Category
Setup
Difficulty
Beginner
Reading time
5 min
Published
September 21, 2026
HandheldAtlas guide
Complete walkthrough
Steam Deck compatibility badges answer an important question: how much work should it take to launch and control a game on Valve's handheld? They do not provide a complete performance review. Reading the badge details before buying helps you separate a minor inconvenience from a real blocker—and keeps a green checkmark from being mistaken for a frame-rate guarantee.
The four compatibility ratings
Verified
Valve says a Verified game passes all compatibility checks and should work without configuration. On Steam Deck, that includes full controller support, suitable controller glyphs, automatic on-screen keyboard behavior when text entry is needed, readable text and a playable default graphics configuration.
Valve's current Steam Deck performance criterion for the default configuration is 30 FPS at 800p. Treat that as a compatibility floor for Valve's review, not a promise that every scene will hold a locked 30 FPS or that 40/60 FPS modes will work.
Playable
A Playable game functions on Steam Deck, but may need some manual work. Valve's examples include selecting a community controller layout, manually opening the on-screen keyboard or using the touchscreen in a launcher.
Open the compatibility details instead of stopping at the yellow badge. A one-time keyboard prompt is very different from unreadably small text, a launcher that needs touch input or an awkward control scheme.
Unsupported
Unsupported means Valve found that the game does not function on the reviewed hardware because of Proton or hardware incompatibility. The badge does not automatically tell you whether the blocker is anti-cheat, middleware, a launcher, a graphics feature or another issue, so read the detailed reason.
Do not assume a community tweak fixes an Unsupported result. Check recent official notes and reliable testing before buying specifically for Steam Deck.
Unknown
Unknown means Valve has not completed a compatibility review. It is not evidence that the game works badly, and it is not evidence that it works well. Research the game further before relying on it for a trip or buying it for handheld play.
Check the details before buying
1Open the game's Steam store page on Deck or in the desktop client.
2Select the compatibility badge or its information panel.
3Read every listed issue, especially controller, keyboard, launcher and text-size notes.
4Check whether the game received a major update after Valve's review. Compatibility can change when a launcher, anti-cheat system or renderer changes.
5Look for a recent result on your exact handheld, not only a generic “runs on handheld” claim.
6Compare the documented resolution, power mode, graphics settings, upscaling and frame generation before using an FPS result to set expectations.
Steam also surfaces compatibility information in the Library and lets users filter the store by rating. That makes the badge useful for discovery, but the detail panel is what tells you whether “Playable” is acceptable for your use case.
Compatibility is not a benchmark
A compatibility review answers whether the interface, input and default experience meet Valve's requirements. It does not promise:
a locked frame rate throughout the full game;
a particular battery runtime;
the best graphics settings;
identical results after every game or SteamOS update;
the same performance on Steam Deck LCD, Steam Deck OLED or another SteamOS handheld;
performance parity between native Linux and Proton paths.
Steam Deck OLED uses the same performance class as the LCD model, but the devices have different displays and batteries. Other handhelds may use different resolutions, processors, power profiles and drivers. Never transfer an FPS figure from one exact model to another without a separate test.
A quick buying rule
Verified: lowest expected setup friction; still check measured performance for demanding games.
Playable: read the reason and decide whether the required interaction is acceptable.
Unsupported: identify the blocker and look for current, reproducible evidence before purchasing for Deck.
Unknown: treat the result as untested, not failed.
For a performance decision, pair the badge with an exact-device benchmark or a documented preset. A trustworthy result should identify the handheld model, output resolution, power mode, graphics profile, upscaling or frame-generation state and the evidence behind the measured average.
Valve Verified and HandheldAtlas evidence are different
Valve's Verified badge is a Steam compatibility rating. HandheldAtlas uses separate evidence labels for performance data. A third-party result should be marked External Source, while an Atlas Verified result must follow Atlas methodology. Neither label should be substituted for the other.
Sources and scope
This guide follows Valve's official Steamworks compatibility documentation, checked on September 21, 2026. Valve now describes compatibility reviews across Steam Deck, Steam Machine and other SteamOS hardware. The device-specific badge and detail panel remain the authority for the hardware being reviewed.
