Today I've got another performance roundup for you featuring several games on the Steam Deck, including Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 and 2.8, Monster Hunter Stories, Drug Dealer Simulator 2, Knight of the Dead, and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Let's dive into each game and see how they perform on this versatile handheld device.
Monster Hunter Stories
Starting with Monster Hunter Stories, I'm happy to report that it runs fantastically well right out of the box. On the Steam Deck OLED, it achieves a perfect 90 frames per second (fps), while on the Steam Deck LCD, it maintains a solid 60 fps when capped. If you uncap the frame rate, you can get up to 120 fps, but I recommend capping it at 45 fps. This setting helps save on wattage and extends your playtime. Even though it runs at a resolution of 1280 by 720, capping the frame rate at 45 fps brings the wattage down to around 14 watts in the open world, allowing for 3.5 to 4 hours of battery life. During battles, the wattage can drop below 13 watts, slightly extending the playtime. Overall, capping the frame rate at 45 fps provides a stable and enjoyable experience.
Drug Dealer Simulator 2
Next up is Drug Dealer Simulator 2. While I appreciate getting a key to test this game, it does not run well on the Steam Deck. It struggles to maintain even 25 fps, often dropping below 30 fps, even on the lowest graphic settings. Additionally, it consumes around 22 watts, which is quite high. The game doesn't support controllers, so you'll need a keyboard and mouse layout. Although the base layout works okay, you'll need to map the Z key for certain actions. There are no community layouts available at the moment, making it a suboptimal experience on the Steam Deck.
However, there's a silver lining. Drug Dealer Simulator 2 is available on GeForce Now, which you can run on the Steam Deck via the Chrome browser. On GeForce Now, the game runs at a perfect 60 fps with higher graphic settings, offering a much better experience.
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remix and 2.8 Prologue
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 runs perfectly out of the box with no issues. The same goes for Kingdom Hearts 2.5 and 2.8 Prologue, as they share similar graphic settings. These games run at a perfect 60 or 90 fps, but I capped them at 60 fps to conserve power. This keeps the wattage around 9 watts, giving you 5 to 6 hours of gameplay.
Night of the Dead
Night of the Dead, another game I received a key for, also has its challenges. It doesn't have proper controller support and needs to be played on the lowest graphic settings to run smoothly. On medium settings, the game struggles to maintain 30 fps, often dipping into the low 20s. Performing basic actions like chopping trees can drop the frame rate further. Lowering the settings to the low preset improves performance to between 30 to 40 fps, but requires a full game restart.
The game is quite involved with its survival mechanics, and building up for the first night can take several hours. While some compare it to 7 Days to Die, I find Night of the Dead has better graphics but a clunkier menu system. Community mappings for controller support help, but you might still need to tweak them.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
Finally, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader performs decently on the Steam Deck. This turn-based strategy game features a lot of dialogue, most of it voiced, which is a nice touch. The game has a preset for the Steam Deck, and apart from a few minor tweaks, it runs well, maintaining between 30 and 40 fps. The game caps out at around 22 watts, so capping the frame rate at 30 fps helps reduce wattage and extends playtime to about 3 to 3.5 hours. The visual quality is important in this game due to its strategic nature, and the frame rate dips are more a part of the game than a performance issue.
Let me know if you plan to dive into any of these games, especially with the Steam Sale now on. I’ll also be doing a Steam Sale video soon, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to check out the Steam Deck companion app on iOS and Android.