Valve is expanding its compatibility efforts beyond the Steam Deck. Here’s everything you need to know about the newly announced SteamOS Compatibility system.
What Is SteamOS Compatibility?
SteamOS Compatibility serves as an extension of the Steam Deck Verified system but focuses on devices running SteamOS that aren’t Steam Decks. At launch, the only device falling under this category is the Legion Go S, but Valve expects more devices to follow.
Ratings are determined by evaluating a subset of Steam Deck Compatibility test results, focusing on:
- Game functionality
- Launcher behavior
- Middleware and anti-cheat support
If everything checks out, a game will be labeled SteamOS Compatible. If not, it will be marked SteamOS Unsupported.
Key Differences from Deck Verified
Unlike Steam Deck Verified, the SteamOS rating does not evaluate performance or input support, as hardware configurations outside of the Steam Deck may vary too widely to guarantee a uniform experience.
How Many Games Are Compatible?
Valve expects more than 18,000 titles on Steam to carry the SteamOS Compatible label at launch.
No Extra Work for Developers
Developers don’t need to take any new steps. If a title already has a Steam Deck rating, it will automatically receive a SteamOS rating. New titles will be reviewed through the same queue, and both ratings will be generated at the same time.
Where Will You See This?
SteamOS Compatibility ratings will appear in the Steam Store and Steam Client for users on SteamOS devices that are not Steam Decks. If you’re on a Steam Deck or using a traditional OS, you’ll continue to see the Deck Verified results as usual.
Coming Soon
Valve is still updating the Steam client and store UI to reflect these new labels. The rollout is expected in the coming weeks.
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