Arc Raiders on Steam Deck: Deck Rating, Settings and What Players Report

Steam Deck verdict box

Did the rating change?

Yes. GamingOnLinux reported on November 21, 2025 that Valve had published a Verified rating for ARC Raiders. On November 2, 2026, Valve's compatibility report for the game returns Playable. We could not find a dated notice of when it changed. Valve ratings can change after big updates, and Embark released its Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026, but we have no source linking the two.

What testers report

Two named tests, both from around launch, so treat them as a guide and not a promise for the current build.

Steam Deck HQ (October 30, 2025)

• Called it "playable on the Steam Deck, though you may experience the odd stutter here and there."
• Had to force Proton GE or the Proton 10 beta in Steam settings at the time.
• Kept Low settings, switched upscaling from TAAU to FSR 3 Balanced, and locked the Deck to 40 FPS.
• Measured power draw of about 18 to 21 W, and estimated about 2.5 hours of battery on Steam Deck OLED and about 1.5 hours on LCD.
• Reported occasional lag spikes they attributed to the server side.

GamingOnLinux (November 21, 2025)

• On default settings, it "remained above 30FPS apart from some rare momentary drops."
• Recommended Textures on Medium and View distance on High at a minimum, with TSR upscaling.
• Saw less than an hour of battery on Steam Deck LCD.
• Reported crashes back to the library "a fair bit" on LCD and said you are "at quite a heavy disadvantage" in PvP on Deck.

The two tests disagree on stability, which is common with a live game that patches often.

Suggested starting settings

Based only on the two tests above:

1. Start from the default preset (it picked Low for Steam Deck HQ).
2. Set upscaling to FSR 3 Balanced or TSR.
3. Cap the frame rate in the SteamOS quick menu at 40 FPS on OLED, or 30 to 40 on LCD.
4. Raise Textures to Medium and View distance to High if you can hold your cap. Longer view distance helps you spot players.
5. If the game will not launch, try a different Proton version in the game's Properties, then retry.

Battery and heat

Both tests point the same way: this is a short-session game on Deck. Plan on roughly one to two and a half hours depending on model and settings. Plug in for long sessions.

Is it worth buying for Steam Deck only?

Our honest read of the sources:

• Yes, as a second screen if you already play on a desktop PC and want to run a few raids on the couch. Your Steam purchase covers both.
• Think twice if the Deck is your only PC. Valve rates it Playable, testers report stutters, and both note a disadvantage against players on desktop PC and console in PvP. Read our verdict, Is ARC Raiders worth it?, first.

If you are checking a desktop, see Can your PC run ARC Raiders?

Which key works on Steam Deck

Steam Deck runs your Steam library, so you need the Steam version. An Xbox key will not add ARC Raiders to Steam. Check that any listing says Steam, and check its region. Our guide to redeeming a Steam key covers the errors.

• Price: From $31.65, checked Nov 2, 2026
• AskLoot game page: /game/arc-raiders/steam

Sources

All checked on 2026-11-02 unless dated.

• Valve, Steam Deck compatibility report for ARC Raiders, app 1808500 (Playable; test results): https://store.steampowered.com/saleaction/ajaxgetdeckappcompatibilityreport?nAppID=1808500
• Steam store page, ARC Raiders (system requirements, broadband): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1808500/ARC_Raiders/
• Steam Deck HQ, "ARC Raiders is Here, And It's A Good Time On The Steam Deck" (October 30, 2025): https://steamdeckhq.com/news/arc-raiders-tested-on-steam-deck/
• GamingOnLinux, "ARC Raiders is now Steam Deck Verified" (November 21, 2025): https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/arc-raiders-is-now-steam-deck-verified/
• Embark Studios, "Frozen Trail, 2.0 Update" (October 8, 2026): https://arcraiders.com/news/frozen-trail-2-0-update

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