Can Baldur’s Gate 3 run on Steam Deck? Best settings & performance explained

Getting Baldur’s Gate 3 to run on Steam Deck is rather tricky considering how demanding it is, but we’ve got all of the best settings so you can achieve the ideal performance on the go.

While Baldur’s Gate 3’s status as a CRPG indicates that it is best played on a computer, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your travels through the Forgotten Realms while on the go with Valve’s portable PC.

Furthermore, it is actually quite surprising how well the game runs on the handheld system, but there are a few tweaks and settings that you will have to employ if you’re looking to have as seamless an experience as possible.

We’ve got all of the best settings for Baldur’s Gate on Steam Deck below, so make sure to carry on reading if you want to see what kind of performance you’re likely to get on the system.

Can you play Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam Deck?

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Thankfully, Baldur’s Gate 3 runs surprisingly well on Steam Deck – letting you play at a fairly solid 30fps without too much of a visual compromise.

It is only rated as ‘Playable‘ as opposed to the more ideal ‘Verified’ in Valve’s eyes, but this likely comes from the fact that the game has an external launcher and some instances where you will have to bring up the system keyboard.

To make sure that the game is running as smoothly as it possibly can though, ensure that you use all of the best settings below.

Best settings for Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam Deck

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Here are all of the best settings for Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam Deck that you will want to apply:

More settings below…

Continue reading for more of the best Baldur’s Gate 3 settings on Steam Deck…

Some of these settings can be adjusted if you want to increase the graphics, or you’re experiencing drops in more intensive areas. We have tested those settings in some of the more demanding early areas of the game like Emerald Grove and a consistent 30fps was achieved.

One particular setting that could be easily changed is the FSR version. We recommend setting it to Ultra Quality as the visual difference below this was quite noticeable, but if you don’t notice too much of a difference, feel free to drop it to Quality or Balanced for increased performance.

We very much recommend that you install the game onto the device’s native NVMe storage, as that will help with load times and general in-game performance. However, we also understand that the game is rather large, and cannot physically fit on one of the three Steam Deck models (which was the case for our 64GB device), so a good MicroSD card will suffice too.

In terms of battery life, you’re likely looking at around one and a half hours of playtime at 100% battery, which is obviously rather short. If you plan on taking any long journeys or want to play for an extended period of time, we recommend also picking up a portable battery bank for some extra charge.

How to fix Baldur’s Gate 3 stuck on Steam Deck loading screen

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If you’re encountering a problem where Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t launch on Steam Deck, and is stuck on the Steam logo screen, all you need to do is set the game’s compatibility to Proton Experimental.

In order to do this, all you need to do is follow the step-by-step process below:

• Select Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Steam Deck homepage
• Press the cog icon on the far right, and go to the ‘Properties…’ menu
• Navigate to the ‘Compatibility’ tab and select ‘Proton Experimental’ from the drop-down menu

Hopefully, after this your problem will be fixed – but you might also need to restart your device again if it persists after changing this setting.

So, that’s everything you need to know to get Baldur’s Gate 3 running on Steam Deck, with a full list of the best settings to ensure a smooth experience.

If you’re after more news and guides, make sure to check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 homepage as we’ve got plenty more to help you out.