Baldur’s Gate 3 has officially launched on Steam. But how well does the game run on the Steam Deck? MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann tried out the game and explained how well it works.
You can now play Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Steam Deck. The system requirements of Baldur’s Gate 3 are moderate and the game also runs on older systems. But what about the Steam Deck?
For a test I installed Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Steam Deck (256 GB). My first impressions are positive, but it’s not perfect.
Starting difficulties and high temperatures
Does Baldur’s Gate 3 run without problems? No, the game doesn’t run for me with Steam’s default settings. I get to see the Steam start icon spinning and nothing else happens.
Only with the “experimental Proton Build” from the developer mode does it run without any problems and start properly.
Even after the first bugfix for Baldur’s Gate 3 everything still works.
Change Proton version: Properties > Compatibility > Force Steam Play to use a specific compatibility tool and then select the correct version.
How is the performance? Basically, the game runs at a stable 30 FPS on my Steam deck. The problem, however, is the consistently high temperatures. Officially, AMD’s APU in the Steam Deck is also designed for temperatures above 90 degrees.
Good port with easy to read menus and controller controls
How else does it play? Otherwise, Baldur’s Gate plays pretty well on the Steam deck. The game natively supports controller support and the game immediately recognizes Steam Deck inputs. So I don’t need a community layout to play.
The in-game menus are easy to read and the interface is pleasantly recognizable despite the small display. Other games, such as XCOM 2, are much harder to read because the text in the alien strategy game is really small.
Especially the first areas in Baldur’s Gate 3 are very dark on the Steam Deck, here I either had to increase the brightness or look for a dark corner to play.
Overall, it’s worth turning the gamma settings you see on first launch a little higher than usual.
Is the Steam Deck for Baldur’s Gate 3 worth it? In view of the high temperatures and the comparatively short battery life, Baldur’s Gate 3 is not a game that I would play permanently on the Steam Deck. I’d rather stick with comparatively undemanding indie titles or older AAA games.
The high temperatures already bothered me with New World on the Steam Deck. The high noise level in particular is no fun without good noise-cancelling headphones.
No question, I enjoy it and apart from small problems the port is really good and runs stable on my device.
Is there an alternative? I also tested Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous on my Steam Deck. Here the temperatures are below 80 degrees and I can still get a stable 40 FPS with medium details.
Especially if you have a powerful gaming PC at home anyway, the Steam Deck is not a permanent option for Baldurs Gate for me.
Is the game even worth it? You can read about whether the game is worthwhile for you in the following article on MeinMMO. Here we explain the advantages and disadvantages of the RPGS in a detailed overview:
Is Baldur’s Gate 3 worth it for you? The short check before release