Valve has detailed how it plans to evaluate game compatibility for its upcoming Steam Machine, signaling that most titles already approved for the Steam Deck are likely to run on the more powerful living room-focused device.
Although the Steam Machine will run the same SteamOS software as Valve’s handheld, the company says performance expectations will differ because of higher specifications and use on larger displays. In an interview with Game Developer, Valve designer Lawrence Yang said the company would assess each title individually to determine whether it delivers a suitable living room experience. Yang said “the vast majority of candidates with the Steam Deck verified badge should pass,” though Valve will still review performance on the compact PC.
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Many of the criteria will mirror the Steam Deck Verified program, including support for controllers and other input devices, but some requirements will be relaxed. Text readability, a key concern on the Steam Deck’s 7-inch display, is less critical on televisions. However, games must still run properly on Linux through SteamOS, either natively or via Valve’s Proton compatibility layer, meaning some Windows titles with unsupported digital rights management will remain excluded.
The Steam Machine is expected to feature a six-core AMD Zen 4 processor and RDNA 3 graphics, making it significantly more powerful than Valve’s handheld. Even so, concerns have emerged over memory limitations, particularly the reported 8GB of graphics memory, which could make consistent 4K performance at 60 frames per second difficult in demanding games.
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Valve has not said whether it will flag titles that struggle at higher resolutions, though it may recommend optimized settings for certain games. Yang did not confirm whether the Steam Machine remains on track for an early 2026 release, as some industry watchers have suggested higher component costs could lead to delays.
Source: Game Developer