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The system requirements of Starfield are demanding but that’s what the Steam Deck is made for, right? By playing Bethesda’s game and exploring the galaxy from your Steam Deck, a world of adventure would be unlocked from your sofa. So, let’s see if Steam Deck users have something to look forward to.
What does pose a slight issue is that Starfield’s system requirements state that you need 125GB of storage space to explore the planets. For all the 64GB Steam Deck model users, this, in theory, would not iwork. Games with similar minimum and recommended specs have struggled to run at a consistent 30fps, which could indicate that the Starfield experience on Steam Deck may be closer to the console counterpart rather than PC. For those after 60 FPS, it would probably be worth leaving it to your gaming PC instead.
Starfield settings for Steam Deck
If you’re playing Starfield on your Steam Deck, you’re going to need to turn all of the graphics settings down to low.
You’re going to need to lower the render resolution scale as low as possible, and also disable any unnecessary effects such as GTAO, Crowd Density, Motion Blur and Shadows.
Realistically, you’re not going to enjoy a great time playing the game with graphics such as these – but portable Bethesda games are still insanely fun.
- Dynamic Resolution – Off
- Shadow Quality – Low
- Crowd Density – Low
- Motion Blur – Off
- GTAO Quality – Medium
- Contact Shadows – Medium
- Volumetric Lighting – Low
- Upscaling – FSR2
- Film Grain – Off
Alongside that – it’s crucial you run the game off an SSD, rather than attempting to run it from an SD card.
We’d recommend updating any graphics drivers as soon as possible. We’re also keeping an eye out for the next Starfield patch, which will hopefully increase performance across the board for the game.
Is Starfield on Steam Deck?
Right now, you can play Starfield on Steam Deck, though you’re going to be hard pressed playing it past 30FPS. Alongside that, there’s a slew of issues including crashing and more. It’s said though, the Proton is the best way to go.
Bethesda studios have stayed fairly quiet about a Steam Deck version of the game, but Starfield’s game director, Todd Howard did say that “we’ll talk about that later down the road” – which, prior to the leak, gave some fans that at least the handheld was being considered for support.
In the meantime, we’re here to make sure you are equipped for everything Starfield. We’ve got you covered on the Starfield Creation Engine, the factions list and even a planet guide. For those playing on PC, make sure your rig meets the minimum requirements ahead of jumping into Starfield Early access.
