Olivia Richman 
Deadlock is Valve’s newest game but what are the best settings to use it on Valve’s handheld, the Steam Deck?
A blend of MOBA and hero shooter elements, Deadlock is getting high praise from content creators and eta participants alike. Unfortunately, its official release date is unknown and it may not get an official one for some time. In the meantime, the beta is available for anyone that has a friend in the game, and the right hardware to play it.
However, the Steam Deck isn’t technically the right hardware. Determined players can still enjoy the game on the portable PC, however.
Is Deadlock playable on the Steam Deck?
Deadlock can be played on Steam Deck, but it requires the use of workarounds.
Deadlock’s beta can be played on the portable PC, although it wasn’t made with this platform in mind. In fact, it’s technically not supported at all. Players who attempt to queue for a game using the Steam Deck will be met with an error message, telling them the platform is unsupported.
The Steam Deck has a variety of ways to work around this, though. Players who know their way around Steam’s launch settings may have already done this.
How to play Deadlock on the Steam Deck
Players are able to play Deadlock on the Steam Deck by changing the game’s launch options.
Deadlock doesn’t have matchmaking at all on the Steam Deck because Valve currently doesn’t support the platform in its testing. Here’s how players have worked around it:
- Go to Deadlock’s Properties
- Click General and check out Launch Options
- Type in SteamDeck=0 %command%
- Launch the game in Steam Deck
There are currently some issues with running Deadlock on the platform, including a lack of official controller support and subpar performance. The controller support issue can be dealt with using community control maps. Performance issues will continue on until Valve improves the game.
Best Steam Deck settings for Deadlock
Players can get decent performance out of Deadlock using modest graphic settings.
Deadlock isn’t made for Valve’s portable device just yet, but it still can run with the right workarounds and settings. Here are the best game settings if you want to try Deadlock on Steam Deck:
- Resolution: Use native resolution (1280×800)
- Rendering: Direct3D11 (DirectX 11)
- Upscaling Technology: Stretch
- Anti-Aliasing: FXAA
- Screen Space AO: Off
- Distance Field AO: Off
- Texture Quality: Low
- Render Quality: 80%
Additional settings include putting the framerate limit to “Uncapped.” While this allows players to get the most possible frames while playing, the wild swings between framerates can be jarring.
