The Challenge of Playing Avowed on Steam Deck
Avowed, the latest RPG from Obsidian, has garnered attention for its rich open world and engaging gameplay. However, if you are hoping to enjoy this title on the Steam Deck, you may be in for a disappointment. Despite being able to run Avowed on older GPUs, such as the 9-year-old GTX 1070, the Steam Deck struggles significantly. The game has yet to receive a definite compatibility rating, leaving many players questioning whether it’s worth trying.
Performance Struggles and Frame Rates
In testing, the Steam Deck’s performance with Avowed was far from ideal. Even when every graphical setting was minimized and the FSR performance mode was enabled, the game managed to attain only a sluggish 20-25 frames per second during open-world exploration. With these numbers, engaging in combat feels virtually impossible, making it hard to enjoy the acclaimed gameplay that Obsidian promises.
Comparative Graphics and Settings
While other recent RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3 have managed to hit decent frame rates on the Steam Deck, Avowed does not join their ranks. Going as far as lowering the resolution to below the Steam Deck’s 1280×800 native display could yield further performance improvements, but it leads to an experience resembling poorly optimized Nintendo Switch ports.
In conclusion, for those who hope to take Avowed on the go, the current performance on the Steam Deck indicates that it may be wise to wait for a patch or consider playing it on a different platform for a better experience.
