Players are itching to go back to Baldur's Gate 3, after its release date has been confirmed, after years of waiting. Since the title has been in Early Access for a while, people have also been testing it on Valve's Portable console. Let's take at Baldur's Gate 3 on Steam Deck and the best settings for it.
Gamers have been speculating if the series would finally see a third chapter, and after 23 years the wait is nearly over. It also has some system requirements which are not that high anyway, which might make it a good title for the Steam Deck.
So what about those gamers who want to play it portable? Let's check out how to play it on Steam Deck.
Baldur's Gate 3 performance on Steam Deck
Players have reported positive experiences with Baldur's Gate 3 on the Steam Deck, noting that the game runs smoothly.
The Steam Deck's impressive 16GB of RAM allows it to meet nearly all the recommended system requirements, enabling the game to run at medium graphics settings without significant issues.
While the performance is generally satisfactory, there are a few recommendations to enhance your gameplay:
- Play near an outlet. Baldur's Gate 3 drain the battery of the device quickly, so bringing it with you on long trips is definitely not a great idea unless you have a power bank for your Steam Deck.
- Be patient with Larian's launcher as it is a bit difficult to work with on a small screen.
- Run the DirectX 11 version, as that has better performance overall.
As far as FPS is considered, most reports suggest that Baldur's Gate 3 on the Steam Deck delivers a playable experience, with framerates typically reaching the high 30s or even 40s.
Baldur's Gate 3 Steam Deck best settings
The Steam Deck runs Baldur's Gate 3 well, but to truly maximize its capabilities, some adjustments to the SteamOS settings and in-game configurations are necessary.
Here are the best Steam Deck settings for Baldur's Gate 3:
- Use per-game profile: On
- Resolution: 1280x800
- Frame Rate: 30 FPS
- Refresh Rate: 40
- Half Rate Shading: On
- TDP Limit: 10-12
- Scaling Filter: Linear
- Vsync: Off
- Overall Quality Preset: Medium.
- Instance Distance: Low
- Shadow Quality: Low
- Cloud Quality: Low.
For better viewability on the smaller Steam Deck screen, in the "Interface" menu, change dialogue & overheard text to 57px.
The settings outlined here ensure optimal playability and a well-balanced combination of graphics and performance, while also maximizing the battery life of the Steam Deck.