Is it Steam Deck Compatible
Covers Crimson Desert's Steam Deck compatibility status, Proton support, performance expectations, Denuvo considerations, and recommended settings for handheld play.
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As of launch, Valve has not assigned Crimson Desert a formal Steam Deck verification rating. The Steam store page lists the game's compatibility status as Unknown. This does not mean the game cannot run on the device; it simply means Valve has not completed its testing and certification process.
YesCrimson Desert can run on Steam Deck through ProtonValve's compatibility layer. The game did not initially work on Steam Deck during the pre-release review period. Valve pushed a fix to the Proton Hotfix branch (which is now the default) shortly before launch, enabling the game to boot and run.
However, the experience has significant limitations. rated the game "Not Recommended" for full playthroughs on the handheld, citing performance that falls short of a smooth experience in combat-heavy and open-world scenarios.
Frame rate: The game struggles to maintain a stable 30 FPS even on the lowest graphical settings. Frame drops to around 17 FPS have been reported in larger cities and during intense combat with many enemies on screen.
Boss fights: Visual effects during boss encounters cause severe frame rate degradation, making some fights very difficult to play through reliably.
Open-world traversal Using faster movement methods (such as horse riding) causes additional performance drops compared to walking on foot.
Temperature and battery: The device typically runs at 77 to 83 degrees Celsius with a TDP setting of 20 to 24 watts, giving roughly 2.5 hours of battery life.
If you want to try playing on Steam Deck despite the limitations, these settings offer the best balance between playability and visual quality:
Resolution Lowest available (720p or lower)
FSR 3 Upscaling: Performance mode (not Ultra Performance)
Refresh rate cap: 30 FPS
Graphics preset: Low
Frame generation: Disabled (causes significant input lag)
For full PC graphics optimization, see the Best PC Settings Guide and Performance and Graphics Settings articles.
Crimson Desert uses Denuvo anti-tamper DRMwhich has specific implications for Steam Deck and Linux users:
Denuvo allows a maximum of 5 device activations per 24-hour period. Each time you change or update your Proton version, Denuvo treats it as a new device activation.
If you exceed 5 activations in a single day (for example, by switching between Proton versions while troubleshooting), you will be locked out of the game for 24 hours.
The safest approach is to stick with a single Proton version (the default Proton Hotfix branch) and avoid switching between experimental versions.
Given the current performance limitations, Crimson Desert on Steam Deck works best as a companion experience alongside a primary PC or console playthrough. Exploration, puzzle solving, and story progression in calmer areas are generally playable. However, demanding combat encounters and boss fights are likely to be frustrating due to frame rate instability and input lag.
Performance may improve in future patches as Pearl Abyss continues to optimize the game, and Valve may eventually issue a formal Steam Deck rating after further Proton updates.