The ideal Starfield Steam Deck configurations

Starfield isn't Steam Deck Verified at launch, which is understandable given that it's a AAA open-world game with cutting-edge graphics. Still, Valve's portable has shown to be a formidable opponent on several occasions, handling games that it doesn't seem like it should.

Regretfully, Starfield is not one of such games; also, it overtaxes the Deck. Neither a steady framerate nor enjoyable space exploration will be available to you on the Deck. There are a few methods to make the experience a bit more palatable if you really must play on the Deck.

Steam Deck's ideal Starfield settings

There are several things you should know before loading up Starfield on the Steam Deck. The suggested specifications for Starfield beyond the Deck's capabilities, and gaming will demonstrate this.

The fact that the game needs an SSD even though it is much bigger than 120GB is one of the main issues. As such, you will most likely need to transfer the game on a microSD card unless you have updated your Deck's internal SSD. This approach will function poorly; sometimes, the audio won't load in time to synchronize the lip-synching. If you insist on using the Deck, be prepared to deal with the following issues:

• long loading screens
• unstable framerates
• extreme framerate dips and freezes during explosions and gunfights
• game crashes

Since testing was done before the launch, a day one patch or later updates may be able to fix some of these problems. You'll need to reduce almost every parameter on the Deck in order to improve your experience. You will no longer be able to enjoy Starfield in its entirety visually, and your framerates will remain erratic. Try these configurations:

• Dynamic resolution – On
• Render resolution scale – Lowest
• Graphics preset – Low
• Shadow quality – Low
• Indirect lighting – Low
• Reflections – Low
• Particle quality – Low
• Volumetric lighting – Low
• Crowd density – Low
• Motion blur – Medium or High
• GTAO quality – Low
• Grass quality – Low
• Contact shadows – Low
• VSync – Off
• Upscaling – FSR2
• Enable VRS – On (optional)

Starfield dazzles with its graphics and gameplay, and you can't let the Steam Deck take you away from this. It is strongly advised that you play the game on the Xbox Series X/S or a powerful PC, as Valve's handheld is overwhelmed even at the lowest settings.