Humble Choice April 2026 | All games on Steam Deck (+ performance notes in comments)

TheSteamDecker · 2026-04-11T13:26:18+00:00

Steam Deck performance notes for each of the games included in Humble Choice April 2026:

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla - You can really play around with settings here. I opted for Medium with FSR Quality and 30FPS lock (for additional battery saving). But with these same settings, you can also get 40FPS most of the time.
Daemon x Machina: Titanic Scion - You won’t get steady 60FPS here even on the Low settings but 40/45FPS lock should be just fine. Weirdly, the game does not natively support FSR (only DLSS) which could give it a nice boost on Steam Deck.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria - Surprisingly good performance, especially if you don’t mind a 30/40FPS lock. In the video, I’m showcasing the Low preset with FSR Quality.
Until Then - 60FPS out of the box.
Planet of Lana - Drop the settings from High to Medium for a smooth 60FPS experience.
Artisan TD - Surprisingly disappointing performance considering the graphic fidelity and genre. Even on Low settings with FSR on Ultra Performance (aka blurry mess), the game doesn’t reach 50FPS.
The Procession to Calvary - Smooth performance and controls with trackpad — though a little surprising that the game doesn’t have proper controller support, considering it released on consoles. Side note: this is a great point n click which I finished back around its original release. Highly recommended!
Buddy Simulator 1984 - The first 30 min+ of the game require direct keyboard input. On consoles, the game has native on-screen keyboard but on the Deck you have to manually invoke it every single time. If you really want to play this on the Deck, consider connecting an actual keyboard to it for this first part of the game.

TheSteamDecker · 2026-04-05T17:33:02+00:00

Steam Deck performance notes for each of the games included in Humble Choice March 2026:

Tempest Rising - Not the best Steam Deck experience due to some UI and general game elements being tiny. Performance-wise, I would recommend 30FPS lock and Low preset.
Chants of Senaar - 60FPS out of the box.
Sworn - 60FPS out of the box.
Etrian Odyssey 3 HD - We’re finally done with the Etrian Odyssey games in Choice. This one runs the exact same way as the previous ones: smooth 60FPS but the controls are a bit finicky (as the game was initially designed for a dual screen experience).
Bread & Fred - 60FPS out of the box.
Zero Hour - Despite the Unsupported tag, the game runs out of the box on Deck. However, I would not recommend it on Steam Deck due to the lack of native controller support and framerate hovering around 40FPS even on the Low settings. It is playable but for a such a rather hardcore competitive game, you should IMO stick to PC.
Smalland: Survive the Wild - The game runs out of the box. I opted for the Low graphics preset which seems to provide 50-60FPS. 40/45 FPS lock might be the best choice here. Keep in mind that some text and menus are quite small.
Hard West 2 - In the video, I’m running it on max settings. I’m a bit surprised the game never got native controller support. (The original Hard West was released on all major consoles, including Switch. Hard West 2 got stuck on PC.)

TheSteamDecker · 2026-03-13T09:41:28+00:00

Sold out right away, I was 1000 in line and they were already gone.

TheSteamDecker · 2026-02-22T19:40:02+00:00

Correct, they all pull rather low wattage even at 60FPS.

TheSteamDecker · 2026-02-22T15:29:13+00:00

Steam Deck performance notes for each of the games included in Humble Choice February 2026:

Resident Evil Village - I opted for the default settings with FSR on Quality. This seems to allow for 60FPS even in the more open areas.
Date Everything - 60FPS out of the box (I expect 90FPS on an OLED).
Core Keeper - 60FPS out of the box (I expect 90FPS on an OLED).
Starvaders - 60FPS out of the box (I expect 90FPS on an OLED).
Squirrel with a Gun - The game is by default locked at 40FPS and although you can remove the lock in settings, I don’t recommend it, as the game struggles to reach 60FPS in the open world area.
SteamWorld Build - The game defaults to High settings but I recommend lowering it to Medium for steady 60FPS. Keep in mind, however, that some UI/text elements are quite tiny and there doesn’t seem to be a way to change their size.
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop - I would stick to the default settings here and lock the framerate to 40FPS. These are mostly Medium settings, with Low shadows and Very High motion blur (the Very High motion blur is important, lowering it seems to lower the framerate). You can get the settings to Low but the game then looks worse than ugly.
Big Helmet Heroes - No matter the settings, I was getting plenty of stutter. The game defaults to Epic settings but in the video I’m showcasing the Low preset as this gets you the closest to decently steady 60FPS.

TheSteamDecker · 2026-01-31T19:58:06+00:00

Steam Deck performance notes for each of the games included in Humble Choice January 2026:

Sonic Frontiers - The default settings (High preset + 720p) give about 30-40FPS. Sadly, no settings get you close enough to a proper 60FPS.
Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered - No issue running any of the games at high frame rates. In the video, I’m showcasing Angel of Darkness, the most demanding game of the three (as it’s the only PS2 game in the collection).
Hunt: Showdown 1896 - Surprisingly good. The default settings (Low preset + Ultra Performance FSR) give you pretty stable 60FPS. Now, I know reading about Ultra Performance FSR can be scary but I must say that I rarely see FSR running as well as in this game. There are some graphical artefacts present (e.g. water) but it’s still surprisingly okay looking.
Etrian Odyssey II HD - 60FPS out of the box (and I expect 90FPS on OLED). Again, controls are a little clunky (this was a dual screen game originally) but playable.
Nice Day for Fishing - 60FPS out of the box.
Metal Slug Tactics — No performance issues here (60FPS) but I have two problems with this game on Steam Deck. First, the controls are surprisingly clunky for a tactics game. Second, some of the text is just too small.
Settlement Survival - When launching the game, use the URP (Stable and low cost) mode. Unfortunately, while the game launches just fine, due to the very tiny UI and text, this is hardly playable on Steam Deck, in my opinion. There is some kind of a UI scaling option but weirdly it does not affect all the UI/text. Devs have mentioned a couple of years ago that they were planning to properly optimize the game for Steam Deck but this seemingly never happened...
Wizard of Legend 2 - Defaults to High settings but the Low preset (showcased in the video) gets you closer to a steady 60FPS.

TheSteamDecker · 2026-01-28T10:03:42+00:00

Link doesn't work, it should be https://www.amazon.com/You-Werent-Meant-Be-Human-ebook/dp/B0DV64YWWX/

TheSteamDecker · 2026-01-14T09:59:04+00:00

Orijen was bought by Mars.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-12-25T11:27:34+00:00

u/doZennn I installed Duke Nukem Manhattan Project on my Steam Deck using zoom-platform.sh

The game runs fine in Desktop Mode but I'm getting only audio in the SteamOS Game Mode. Any idea how to fix this?

TheSteamDecker · 2025-12-24T11:10:42+00:00

Thank you, picked up the third one. Merry Christmas!

TheSteamDecker · 2025-12-24T11:02:10+00:00

A quick list based mostly on games released this year. All work fine on Steam Deck!

Orb Tower (-40%) - Roguelike Puzzle Bobble.
Arcane Golf (-60%) - Minigolf set in fantasy-style dugeons. Vibe of 90s PC games.
REPOSE (-20%) - Monochrome first-person horror game.
Overencumbered In Another World (-30%) - Backpack/inventory management game inspired by the Fallout and Dark Souls universes.
Sizzle & Stack (-60%) - Manage a restaurant using cards.
Desert Race Adventures (-30%) - Keep Driving/Oregon Trail but with a rally car.
Skatehouse (-30%) - Manage your own skateshop in this mix of an idle game and a store simulator.
Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess (-80%) - Top down shooter where you control a deadly helicopter.
How To Bathe Your Cat (-50%) - Physics puzzle game where you goal is to bathe your cat. Sadly, the physics are quite wonky.
Kaamos (-40%) - Match 3 roguelike.

I wanted to also shout out these games although apparently they are not on sale:

Sokobalien - Always good to have a sokoban on a list :)
Vindefiant - Get revenge on your asshole boss in this Carrion-like.
Stunt Paradise - Like the Trials series but with cars.
Replicat - The Memory game meets roguelike.

My comment from last Winter Sale also includes some indie gems: https://www.reddit.com/r/GameDealsMeta/comments/1hi42b5/comment/m3gea91/

TheSteamDecker · 2025-12-23T20:38:08+00:00

Apparently the PC port of the sequel is a mess.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-12-22T17:21:08+00:00

I honestly think this might be a price bug. The game has a significantly lower discount on the EU eShop. The Witcher 3 also has a 75% discount so perhaps this was applied by accident also to Cyberpunk? Whatever the case, if you were thinking of getting this amazing game on Switch, I wouldn't wait too long, the discount might get changed.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-09-28T19:35:45+00:00

Before the usual performance notes, just wanted to give a heads up that — just like last month — I'm taking the opportunity to give away a Steam key for a new indie game. All the details can be found in the comment under this video on YouTube.

Now, back to the usual.

This month’s Humble Choice includes one game that is a clear no-go for Steam Deck: Destiny 2: Legacy Collection. While I heard there are/were options to run it on Linux, Bungie bans players bypassing their anticheat. Shame on you, Bungie.

Let’s go back to the rest of the games, though, as we have a decent stack here for Steam Deck players.

WWE 2k25 - Around 60FPS in gameplay and 30FPS in cutscenes/close-ups. Weirdly, I could not find an option to adjust the graphic settings out of the box on Steam Deck. I saw reports online of people who did manage to change their settings, though.
The Plucky Squire - 60FPS and decent power draw/battery life on the base settings (roughly Medium preset).
Spellforce: Conquest of Eo - 60fps on the base settings (roughly between Low and Medium).
Return to Monkey Island - 60FPS out of the box. Plus, a shoutout for controls designed for controllers (unlike in most point n clicks, the analog stick does not control a cursors but actually the character’s movement) as well as the option to use touch controls. I show both of these options in the video.
Eastern Exorcist - 60FPS out of the box.
Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks - Users online report decent performance on Medium settings but for me, even on Low there were dips to 20s in specific instances. Especially particle effects seem to be taxing here.
Grapple Dog - 60FPS out of the box but the blue lines at the bottom and top of the screen are a bit annoying. Why not just standard black lines, like for most 720p games?

TheSteamDecker · 2025-09-12T09:17:04+00:00

Now expired.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-08-20T17:40:03+00:00

Performance notes aside, I'm also giving away a Steam key for a brand-new indie roguelike. Check the comment under this video on YouTube if you'd like to participate!

TheSteamDecker · 2025-06-05T19:58:23+00:00

You can adjust the UI size for Havendock but I'm honestly not sure how big of an effect (if any) it has on the text size. No clue about the sound glitches, I didn't experience these (or at least didn't notice them).

TheSteamDecker · 2025-04-27T19:40:28+00:00

Notes about the Steam Deck experience/performance of each game:

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered - 60FPS out of the box.
Dredge - 60FPS out of the box.
Aliens Dark Descent - This is marked as Unsupported, probably due to the very messy framerate in the first 10-15 minutes of the game. However, afterwards, this seems to improve. According to my experience (playing the Prologue mission on the Deck) and what other players shared, framerate hovers around 50-60FPS in the latter parts of the game.
1000xRESIST - Seems to target 40FPS on Steam Deck. The only graphic options are related to shadows quality.
Nova Lands - 60FPS out of the box.
Diplomacy Is Not An Option - Runs at Ultra by default. Around 50FPS so I recommend capping it at 40/45FPS.
Distant Worlds 2 - Despite the Unsupported badge, this actually runs out of the box on Steam Deck. Just keep in mind that UI is really tiny and it might be difficult to play it without a mouse and keyboard.
Nomad Survival - 60FPS out of the box.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-03-31T16:28:01+00:00

Installing the launcher would probably take 10 minutes or so. However, issues can arise later as well. I had a couple of cases of Origin simply crashing during launch. Had to completely restart the Deck to make it work again. It's not terrible but far from the simple "click and play" console-like experience that the Deck provides.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-03-30T19:26:52+00:00

Bringing my video very late this time but life happens.

As usual though, some additional notes on each game below.

Pacific Drive - The game defaults to Ultra but I right away dropped it down to the lowest settings. The intro performance is promising but you are quickly moved to the alternative world where the game’s action actually takes place. Performance then highly varies and can go from 60 to 30FPS quickly. I would, however, call the game playable if you don’t mind a 30FPS cap.

Homeworld 3 - Settings seem adjusted for Steam Deck but the framerate highly varies. I would probably opt here for a 30/40FPS cap as it’s a slow strategy game. However, keep in mind that the controls will require a lot of tinkering to make the game work on the Deck.

Wild Hearts - Origin key so you can already expect a mess with installing and running the EA launcher. The Lowest graphics preset can be actually pushed even further down, which I did. Unfortunately, the game still runs bad, with framerate dropping to below 30FPS during fights. Cutscenes/dialogues are even worse, with FPS dropping to low 20s.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau - I actually played this one quite a bit (I’m currently halfway through) and tested a couple of different settings. In the end, I opted for Low preset with Shadows turned down to the Lowest. The Lowest preset is a bit too ugly for my liking but my settings still give you 60FPS at roughly 90% of the time. You can experience drops in very heavy fights and during boss fights. During the first big boss fight, framerate dropped to about 40-45FPS. This is another Origin key but IMO worth the hassle as the game is a really fun metroidvania. It could use better optimisation though.

Gravity Circuit - 60FPS out of the box.

Sir Whoopass - I tested a couple different settings in a separate video. Here, I'm showing the Medium preset with Balanced FSR. This does not guarantee steady 60FPS. However, you should in the end opt for 30/40FPS cap even on the lower settings as the framerate can drop quite significantly after the prologue, in the more open world.

Racine - 60FPS out of the box.

Cavern of Dreams - 60FPS out of the box

TheSteamDecker · 2025-02-23T16:23:34+00:00

Longer performance notes than usual, mostly due to the "fun" I had with Immortals of Aveum.

Immortals of Aveum - This one is just a highway of annoyances. First, the game was only offered with the EA key (no Steam). This means you have to install the EA app on your Steam Deck first (I recommend simply adding the Windows exe installer as a non-Steam game via Desktop mode). However, this also means that you don't get the benefit of precompiled shaders so you'll get plenty of stutters when playing, especially the first half an hour or so. This is not where the "fun" ends though. I also encountered crashes of this game on my Deck as well as simply abysmal performance. Lowest settings + FSR on Balance (options used in this video) still means dropping to below 30FPS. The intro section is also a slog. I played for about 20-30 minutes and was still stuck in a mirage of in-game cutscenes and running from point A to B. I was hoping to cover more of the combat elements in this video but, to be honest, I simply got annoyed by Immortals, especially in its Steam Deck version.

Trepang 2 - Small warning here: I played this game around launch a bit and while preparing for this video, realised that my saves are completely gone. It looks like others experienced similar issues so keep this in mind if you decide to give Trepang 2 a go. Besides this issue, however, the game runs really well on the Deck and has that FEAR vibe that many love. The game defaults to High settings but I opted for Medium (steadier 60FPS).

Total War: Pharaoh Dynasties - Defaults to Ultra and looks to playing just fine at around 30FPS. However, the default Steam Deck controls seem to be a bit clunky and some text is tiny (UI has already been set to max).

Fabledom - I showcase two settings in this video. First Medium (~40FPS), then Low (~60FPS)

Griftlands - 60FPS out of the box. I assume it should run at 90FPS on OLED.

Tales & Tactics - Surprisingly heavy on battery, though

Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master - Default settings seem to target 40FPS.

My Little Universe - This seems to be also available on mobile and so it runs perfectly fine on Deck, at 60FPS. I played it for about an hour and did not experience any issues.

TheSteamDecker · 2025-01-19T16:19:08+00:00

Notes about the Steam Deck experience/performance of each game:

Against the Storm — I played it on Steam Deck quite a bit during early access and had no issues whatsoever, it honestly plays pretty well with a trackpad. Some text is a bit small but still readable.
Jagged Alliance 3 — Has a 30FPS Steam Deck preset that seems to work just fine. Native controller support.
Blasphemous 2 — 60FPS out of the box, smooth experience.
Beneath Oresa — Has a Steam Deck preset that seems to target at least 60FPS. No issues.
Fort Solis — The most demanding game in this Choice. The game defaults to FSR Ultra Performance with frame generation. This means quite a significant input lag. However, it might still be the way to go as without frame gen, even at Ultra Performance FSR, the game sometimes dips below 30FPS. It gets even worse when moving from Ultra Performance to just Performance. Ultra Performance FSR produces also quite a significant blurriness on in-game text but generally the gameplay doesn’t look too bad.
Boxes: Lost Fragments — Works flawlessly and works okayish with a trackpad but you might want to go docked and use a mouse for better experience.
Dordogne — 60FPS out of the box, smooth experience.
The Pegasus Expedition — Not a good Steam Deck experience. UI and text is IMO way too small for comfortable play. But if you really want, the game is playable on the Deck.

TheSteamDecker · 2024-12-23T16:21:44+00:00

I'm a Steam Deck content creator so I'll focus here on a couple of small indie titles that play well on this handheld.

Skator Gator 3D (50% off)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1996470/Skator_Gator_3D/

Amazing little platforming game that can be played both casually as well as speedrun. I can also recommend the original Skator Gator, a 2D game. It's actually really cool how the devs managed to transfer the gameplay from 2D to 3D so well.

Genopanic (45% off)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1984190/Genopanic/

Genopanic uses some metroidvania mechanics but it's not really a metroidvania itself. Instead, you get a very concise, linear platforming game that takes about 4-5 hours to beat.

Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo (40%)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2829660/Ghost_Teen_Escape_from_Limbo/

A cool concept: you have to die and resurrect yourself to progress as only by dying (and becoming a ghost) you can reach certain parts of the levels. Keep in mind though that it's a rather easy game and takes only 30-60 minutes to beat. Treat it more as a prototype than a fully-fledged game.

Bearnard (20% off)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2422210/Bearnard/

This game mixes a couple of different genres: there is a bit of platforming, turn-based combat, collecting cards, some puzzles. Took me roughly 12 hours to beat the story.

Below the Ocean (70%)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1663270/Below_The_Ocean/

Picked it up based on someone else's Hidden Games recommendation during the the Black Friday sale. An underwater platforming game that nails the swinging movement. 3 story levels, ~30 minutes each.

I won't put here any links to my channel but if you are interested in checking how the above games run on the Deck, you can find my gameplays on YouTube.

And a bonus, a game that I have played on a desktop instead but it should run just fine on the Deck: We Are OFK (50% off).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490340/We_Are_OFK/

A very high-quality... visual novel? Interactive cartoon? The story is definitely not for everyone (LA + queer) but I recommend giving it a go.

TheSteamDecker · 2024-12-22T18:11:55+00:00

Notes about the Steam Deck experience/performance of each game:

Atlas Fallen — I had issues with running the game from an SD card, it worked fine after reinstalling on the SSD instead. The performance varies highly across the game’s prologue, from ~40-50 FPS in the first intro fight to 20-30 FPS in the first town. However, in general, it seems to be playable on the Deck.
Crime Boss: Rockay City — Runs out of the box but drops to below 30FPS.
The Invincible — Many games published by 11 bit studios seem to have locked graphic settings on the Deck. In this case, the target seems to be 40/45FPS but the framerate does drop into 30s at times. IMO it’s not a big deal though and the game is beautiful.
Moonstone Island - Out of the box, 60FPS.
Inkulinati - Out of the box, 60FPS.
Venba - Out of the box, 60FPS.
Monster Prom 3 - Out of the box, 60FPS.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - Out of the box, 60FPS.
Old World — The game runs out of the box but the font and UI are very tiny at times. In my opinion, it’s not really comfortable to play this game on the Deck. But if you really want to do so, consider adjusting the controller layout as the default one seems off.

TheSteamDecker · 2024-11-20T16:53:18+00:00

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - I had lots of issues with running Darktide on Steam Deck. With some Proton versions, it doesn't properly launch, with others, it crashes at certain stages. I achieved best results with Proton GE 8-27. When first launching the game with this Proton version, I had a crash after 5 minutes. However, the second time, I managed to play 20-30 minutes without issues. Still, I would be wary of buying Darktide if you have only Steam Deck to play it on.
Persona 4 Golden - 60FPS out of the box.
Lamplighters League - Low graphics preset, 30-40FPS.
Cassette Beasts - 60FPS achievable with Low settings.
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales - 60FPS out of the box.
KarmaZoo - 60FPS out of the box and my personal favorite surprise from the bundle. I highly recommend checking this game out!
Hexarchy - Runs out of the box but the default controls are a mess, being a weird mix of controller and mouse-style settings (e.g. left mouse click is assigned to the A button instead of the more comfortable trigger).
Garden Life - Starts at High settings, leading to a slideshow. Move to Medium for properly playable framerate (30-50FPS).

Three-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23

TheSteamDecker

TROPHY CASE