Steam Deck Now Has Over 500 Playable Games
As we reported back in October, Valve has implemented a “Deck Verified” program that throws Steam games into one of four categories: verified, playable, unsupported, or unknown. “Verified” means the game automatically suits the Steam Deck, while “playable” means it will require some tweaking on the player’s end—such as through the game’s options or a specific controller configuration—to work. (“Unsupported” and “unknown” are pretty much self-explanatory.)
As of this weekend, 520 games are considered verified or playable by launch, according to a new report by GamingOnLinux. The list consists of 309 verified titles and 211 playable ones (as well as 60 unaccounted-for games that were found to be unsupported). This is up from 243 verified titles on Thursday, making for a daily review rate that GamingOnLinux estimates will give new Steam Deck owners about 1,000 titles to enjoy on launch day. Bayonetta, Dark Souls II and III, a handful of Final Fantasy titles, and Stardew Valley are just a few of the games that have made their way onto the verified list, while Slime Rancher, Grand Theft Auto V, and (thank goodness) the dating sim I Love You, Colonel Sanders! can be found on the playable list.
Some have pointed out that a handful of the games on Valve’s verified or playable lists are no longer available for purchase on Steam. While there’s always the chance that the publishers of each of these games may individually decide to put them up for sale again, it’s more likely that Valve is depending on the Steam Deck’s early adopters to already possess relatively expansive libraries, thus justifying the purchase of the Deck by being able play a wider range of games. Still, it can be frustrating for those just beginning to build their library to see that many freshly-verified titles are virtually unattainable.
Despite the exciting progress Valve’s Deck Verified program has made so far, reviewing each and every game from Steam’s 50,000-title library takes a great deal of time, and the program still has a long way to go. But look on the bright side: it’s hard to get tired of a console when hundreds of “new” games become available to play each week.
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