Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is facing criticism from potential players on Reddit due to its reported performance issues on the Steam Deck. Reddit users have been vocal about the game’s struggles, claiming that it runs poorly and often fails to maintain a stable 30 FPS – “it does not run well, you will not hold 30fps” one user writes.
This news is particularly disappointing for those who were hoping to enjoy the game on the go with their Steam Deck. The portable gaming console has gained a reputation for its ability to handle demanding titles with the right optimization on the dev’s part, but Space Marine 2 seems to be pushing its limits.
Support to arrive late for Space Marine 2
The game’s publisher, Focus Entertainment, provided an update on the development last week in relation to support for Valve’s popular handheld. While they confirmed that official Steam Deck support is in the works, they also revealed that it won’t be ready at launch. The team is aiming for this by the end of the year, but this timeline raises questions about the game’s initial performance and its potential to achieve Steam Deck Verified status.
The Verified program is a process that ensures games are compatible with the Steam Deck and meet certain performance standards. Given the current reports, it’s unclear whether Space Marine 2 will be able to meet this criteria – meaning it could be even longer than initially expected. Focus Entertainment didn’t specifically mention Verification, instead opting for more blanket “Steam Deck Support” phrasing.
For further reference, we recently reported on the fact that benchmarks show Space Marine 2 to be CPU-intensive, something which will certainly be a hurdle to overcome if it wants to get officially verified. As another Reddit comment explains, “we badly need a better APU, they have a hard time running on heavily cpu [intensive] games.”
With the game failing to run well at the moment, many players are left wondering whether it will be a satisfying experience on the Steam Deck once it does get verified. We’d say that the combination of performance issues and the delayed official support has cast a shadow over the game’s prospects on the device.
