Valve’s Steam Deck has provided players with a convenient way to play their favorite games in the Steam Library on the go, but not all Steam games are compatible with this handheld console. Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world game set in Harry Potter universe, and fans want to know if the title will be playable on the Steam Deck. This guide outlines if you can play it on the device, so you don’t buy it and end up with a game you can’t access.
Related: Hogwarts Legacy PC requirements: Minimum and recommended specs
Is Hogwarts Legacy compatible with the Steam Deck?
Yes, Hogwarts Legacy is compatible with Steam Deck. Fans have been playing the game on their handheld devices since the early access date ahead of its official release. While, understandably, the game doesn’t look its best on Steam Deck, it’s still more than functional, providing a better experience than on some consoles, given its speedy loading time.
Even before Hogwarts Legacy’s release, Twitter user David M. Kelly posted a comment under a Hogwarts Legacy tweet, asking if the game will be supported on the Steam Deck. The WB Games Support Twitter account responded, citing that it had reached out to the Hogwarts Legacy team and can confirm that the game will be Steam Deck verified on launch.
There are four categories of Steam Deck compatibility — verified, playable, unsupported, and unknown. Verified means the game works as intended on the Steam Deck and should play just as well on the device as on a PC. Playable means the game works on the Steam Deck but likely has some bugs or glitches that prevent it from being an ideal playtime. Unsupported means the game cannot play on the Steam Deck, and unknown means the game hasn’t been tested to see if it’s compatible yet. Hogwarts Legacy has the green tick and is supported. This means that all the controls are mapped, and you shouldn’t see a cursor appear on the screen at any time. You can even tap the screen to fire a wand blast.
Best Hogwarts Legacy settings on Steam Deck
Hogwarts Legacy has many settings you can tweak to get the most out of it on your Steam Deck. However, pushing the graphics and framerate too high will compromise the experience with stuttering, pop-in, and slow load times. The best settings to use for the game at the time of writing are low on everything that has that option. You should also select the 60 FPS setting within the game and cap your Steam Deck at 40 FPS. At these settings, you’ll get a consistent 40 FPS whether you’re exploring the open world or a densely packed area like Hogwarts or Hogsmeade.
This means that the graphics aren’t going to look as good as they do on PS5 or a high-end PC, but you’ll be able to run around Hogwarts without the game freezing when you approach a staircase or open a door. Using these settings, you should get between 1.5 and 2 hours of battery life out of your Steam Deck before you need to charge it again.
Related: What is J.K. Rowling’s involvement in Hogwarts Legacy? via DotEsports
Hogwarts Legacy is an action, role-playing game where you play as a student in the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your goal is to attend classes, meet new friends, and uncover plots with the Professors that could endanger the balance of the Wizardly world. Though the Harry Potter franchise continues to face the shadow cast by the original author’s controversy, the developers have stated that she is not involved. The game features a stacked cast of voice actors, including famous English actor Simon Pegg.
