Sat Nov 28 2025
Of Ash and Steel on Steam Deck – Performance & Compatibility Guide
Can the Steam Deck run it? Yes, with caveats. No official Steam Deck Verified badge yet (Steam lists “Unknown”), and early players reported crashes. Here’s what works and what to tweak.
Caption: Valve’s Steam Deck can run Of Ash and Steel with tweaks, but it’s not officially supported.
Does it run?
Launch stability and controller notes.
Out of the box, the game may crash at startup or after the first cutscene on Deck. The developers admitted they could not optimize for Deck at launch (Steam thread). There is no native controller UI yet—Steam Input maps controls, but on-screen prompts stay keyboard/mouse.
Proton GE
Forcing Proton GE 10-25 prevents some crashes (community video).
Swap size
Increasing the Deck’s swap file to 16GB helped many users stop launch crashes (Reddit).
-dx11
Launch option “-dx11” often improves stability over the default DX12.
Performance Tips
Settings and expectations after tweaks.
Graphics
Use Medium or Low presets; drop Shadows/Post-processing for FPS gains. FSR 2 helps at native 800p. Expect roughly 30–40 FPS after tweaks; without them you may see crashes or very low FPS.
Battery & heat
Cap at 30 FPS and lower brightness to extend battery (2–3 hours typical). Heavy areas can still dip into the 20s—save often.
Known Issues
What to watch for on Deck.
Controller prompts
UI shows keyboard prompts (e.g., “Press F”) even when using Steam Input.
Small UI
Inventory text and HUD elements are small on the 7" screen.
Crashes
Even with tweaks, occasional freezes happen in heavy physics areas. Save frequently.
Future Support
Will it become Verified?
The devs have not shipped a Deck-specific patch yet. Interest is high, so optimization could arrive in future updates. Valve’s compatibility rating remains “Unknown” until tested.
For handheld players, this guide will update as patches land. If you want a smoother first run, start on PC with mouse/keyboard or use the Beginner’s Guide to ease into combat before moving to Deck.