The Steam Deck is currently one of the most popular gaming handhelds on the market. It was released in February 2022, and in November 2023, Valve released the Steam Deck OLED model, which proved to be another smash hit. However, it wasn’t a full next-gen device, as it was more of a refresh or an alternative than a replacement.

Ever since then, fans have been eagerly waiting for Steam Deck 2, a successor that would hopefully bring several big improvements in performance, battery, and design. But the thing is, Valve has remained mostly silent on the matter. There have been no official announcements, no teasers, and no clear signs that a new model is coming anytime soon. All we know is that Valve is working on “future new hardware,” and leaks point towards a home console ‘Steam Machine‘, as well as a handheld.

Steam Deck 2 is coming in 2028?

Because of the total silence from Valve, we have to rely on leaks and rumors, and the latest one suggests that the wait for the Steam Deck 2 could be much longer than expected. On the NeoGAF forums, a trusted hardware insider known as KeplerL2 responded to a thread about the possible release date of the next Steam Deck. According to them, the Steam Deck will release in 2028.

This information, to a certain extent, clashes with something Valve designer Lawrence Yang said back in November 2023. In an interview with Bloomberg, Yang explained that Valve wants to wait for a real “next-generation power upgrade” before releasing the Steam Deck 2. He estimated that this kind of performance jump wouldn’t be ready for at least two or three years. He also mentioned that the team would start working on the next model after launching the OLED version.

Based on that timeline, many fans believed we could see the Steam Deck 2 by 2025 or 2026; we estimated sometime during 2026, given the lack of developments so far this year. But if KeplerL2’s claim is accurate, Valve may be holding off until 2028, possibly to take advantage of newer and more advanced hardware that could offer an even bigger jump in performance and efficiency.

A developer at Valve has already confirmed “there is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck,” referring to the AMD Ryzen Z2 series of processors, which are powering the latest 2025 handhelds – including the ROG Xbox Ally & Ally X and MSI Claw A8. As such, we might have to wait for the next generation of hardware, or maybe even two generations.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.