Buzz
Palworld has captivated gamers worldwide with its innovative spin on the classic monster-catching genre, drawing comparisons to Nintendo's iconic Pokémon franchise. Although the game is available on PC and Xbox via early access, many Steam Deck users are curious if they can enjoy it on their portable devices. The simple answer is yes, but for a smoother experience, some adjustments to the settings are necessary.
Is Palworld compatible with Steam Deck?
Although not labeled as "Great on Deck," Palworld is marked as "playable on Steam Deck" on Valve's Steam platform. This indicates that while the game can technically run, tweaking certain settings is essential for optimal performance. You could launch the game immediately after downloading, but expect potential issues like frame rate drops, stuttering, and occasional freezes.
How to optimize Palworld performance on Steam Deck
To enhance Palworld's performance on Steam Deck, adjust certain in-game settings to better suit the device's limited hardware capabilities. While numerous recommendations exist, the settings I’m sharing are based on my personal experience playing Palworld on my Steam Deck:
VSync: Disabled
Motion Blur: Disabled
Max FPS: 60
Anti-aliasing: TSR or TAA (both have minimal impact on frame rate)
View Distance: Medium
Grass Density: Medium
Shadow Quality: Medium
Effects Quality: Medium
Texture Quality: Medium
It’s important to note that achieving 60 FPS (frames per second) on the Steam Deck while playing Palworld is unlikely. The game lacks optimization for such performance, and the Steam Deck’s hardware isn’t robust enough. Some user mods, like the Steam Deck Essentials mod, push settings even lower than the base game allows, but even these won’t deliver a steady 60 FPS. Additionally, such mods might degrade visual quality more than desired, in my view.
Instead, I suggest targeting a consistent 30 FPS. The settings listed above should achieve this even on the older LCD Steam Deck. The OLED model may perform slightly better due to hardware optimizations by Valve, but don’t expect drastic improvements. I didn’t cap the FPS at 30 to allow the system to exceed it when possible. Allowing it to reach 45 or 50 FPS during certain moments won’t cause issues, but you can cap it at 30 if you prefer unwavering stability.
Many Reddit users suggest setting the View Distance to Low. However, I found the frequent pop-ins of grass, rocks, and other objects too distracting for the minor FPS boost of five to six frames. After 10 hours of handheld gameplay on the Steam Deck, I rarely experienced drops below 30 FPS. While it may not be the ultimate gaming experience, maintaining 30 FPS on the Steam Deck for a newer title is still commendable.
I disable VSync and Motion Blur entirely. VSync attempts to synchronize the display's refresh rate with the FPS, often causing more problems than it solves in this scenario. Motion Blur, on the other hand, degrades the visual clarity of in-game movement. Disabling it can also help mask some of the lower-resolution transitions, if desired.
Note that these settings won’t completely eliminate graphical hiccups on the Steam Deck. Even with all settings on Low, FPS may occasionally dip below 30. That said, I found these configurations to be highly playable while preserving the game’s visual appeal.
Known issues when playing Palworld on Steam Deck
If you intend to play Palworld on the Steam Deck, there are a few key points to keep in mind.
First, if you’re gaming on battery power, expect only one to two hours of playtime before needing to recharge. Palworld consumes the Steam Deck’s battery rapidly. While the OLED model might offer slightly better battery life, I highly recommend keeping a charger nearby for extended play sessions.
Furthermore, if you’ve installed CryoUtilities on your Steam Deck, you can optimize the game by restricting its memory usage. This is an advanced method to boost performance, requiring careful adherence to the creator’s documentation. If you’re not confident in this process, it’s best to avoid it. For those interested, you can follow a guide like this to configure it properly.
The performance of Palworld on Steam Deck may improve once FSR 2 (FidelityFX Super Resolution) is implemented. Currently, the game only supports DLSS (deep learning super sampling). Mods enabling FSR exist, but they require manual adjustments to game files. DLSS and FSR are Nvidia and AMD’s upscaling technologies, designed to enhance frame rates by rendering at lower resolutions and using AI to upscale. While they significantly boost FPS and stability, they may slightly reduce visual quality.
Palworld currently has compatibility issues with the Steam Deck’s virtual keyboard, preventing players from customizing world or character names. No fixes are available yet, so you’ll need to accept the default names if the keyboard fails to function.
Lastly, Palworld suffers from a significant memory leak issue. Over time, the game consumes increasing amounts of the Steam Deck’s RAM. To avoid problems, I recommend saving and closing the game every few hours until the developers address this issue.
