Steam Deck and neon: what to change first in demanding games

01//Check the rating first

Valve's rating tells you if a game has been checked for controls, text size and performance. Verified games need little work. Playable games run but may require touching the keyboard or squinting at small text. Unsupported games may not run at all.

02//Start with upscaling, not presets

Turn on FSR or the game's own upscaler before lowering every setting. Upscaling from a lower internal resolution gives the biggest gain with the smallest visual loss on the Deck's small screen.

03//Cap the frame rate

A stable 30 or 40 fps feels better than an unstable 50. Use the Deck's frame limiter in the performance menu, and set the refresh rate to match on an OLED model.

04//Lower crowd and volumetric effects

Dense cities and fog are expensive. Crowd density, volumetric clouds and screen-space reflections are good first cuts in most of these games.

05//Watch the battery

Demanding games can empty the battery in under two hours. Reducing the TDP limit and screen brightness extends play time significantly with little impact at 30 fps.