Stellar Blade isn’t verified on Steam Deck yet, so we put it to the test – it at least deserves a playable rating
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Stellar Blade is a sci-fi action title that attracted a great deal of attention when it was launched as a PlayStation 5 exclusive in 2024. This was thanks to its stunning visuals, detailed character designs, and engaging gameplay. The title will soon be leaving PlayStation exclusivity behind, but can the humble Steam Deck handle it? We played it to find out.
The title is not set to be fully released on Steam until June 11, but a demo is already available that provides a glimpse of what players can expect. It also serves as a great test bed for the Steam Deck’s performance. It will come as no surprise that attempting to run Stellar Blade on Steam Deck at max settings is a fool's errand. It does run, but only just barely, and the experience is stuttery and basically unplayable.
Worthy of Steam Deck Verification?
However, despite the game not yet having a shiny Steam Deck Verified badge, it does already have a Steam Deck preset option. We’ve already seen the devs showing it off on X (formerly Twitter), so that’s not a massive surprise. This sets everything up as follows:
| Graphics Preset | Steam Deck |
| Resolution Scaling | AMD Fidelity Super Resolution 3 |
| Anti-Aliasing | AMD Fidelity Super Resolution 3 |
| Base Sharpness | 0 |
| Rendering Scale | 100% |
| AMD Fidelity Super Resolution 3 | Performance |
| AMD FSR 3 Sharpness | 3 |
| FSR Frame Generation | Off |
| Environment Object Detail | Low |
| Character Object Detail | Medium |
| Environment Texture | Low |
| Character Texture | Low |
| Clutter Density | Low |
| Shadow Quality | Very Low |
| Lightning Quality | Low |
| Ambient Occlusion | Low |
| Chromatic Aberration | On |
Despite these modest settings, the game still looks great. The metallic textures on the uniforms of Eve and her friend Tachy, in particular, look great. Movement is smooth, and no obvious stuttering or screen tearing when using these settings. Objects and environment pieces in the far distance can look blurry and pixelated, and the motion blur can be a bit much in fast-paced scenes on such a small screen.
In terms of framerate, the game usually hovers somewhere in the mid-40s to low 50s. During particularly intense scenes, such as the run through the explosive barrage during the opening sequence, it can dip down into the low 30s.
Console players will be familiar with games that run at 30 FPS, but this might be a bit on the low side for PC players used to silky smooth transitions and big framerate numbers. Despite the relatively low FPS, the game felt fluid and comfortable to play, with no lag to speak of. Controls were likewise responsive, and it automatically switched to a gamepad-style layout for the Steam Deck, complete with the correct button prompts.
The Steam Deck did get pretty hot during play, and it did eat up quite a lot of battery, so setting TDP limits is a good idea if you plan to play for a while. This is where software like Nvidia’s GeForce Now can come in handy, though we think Stellar Blade runs well enough on the handheld to be suitable for playing natively.
It is clear that developers Shift Up have given some thought to Steam Deck optimization for Stellar Blade. It isn't perfect, but it’s still very playable and fun. If you can accept the small compromises, then it should be fine to play, even on aging hardware like the Steam Deck.
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