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Get yourself a microSD card

We’d highly recommend purchasing a microSD card to give you access to more games. Internal storage fills up fast which can really suck.

Stream your games

There’s another way to counter the storage space issue on the Steam Deck and that’s making use of Steam’s Remote Play functionality. Stream games from your PC.

Adjust the brightness

Although it’s tempting to crank the brightness up, we’d actually suggest turning it down. This will save you some battery life and lengthen your fun.

Performance tweaks

Try tweaking both the FPS and refresh rate under the performance settings to either smooth out your experience or increase your battery life.

Change game graphic settings

If you try to play games on ultra settings, you’ll likely find that the Steam Deck doesn’t perform as well as you’d like. Try turning the graphics down a bit.

Connect other devices

Steam Deck has the ability to work with a variety of devices including mice, keyboards and headsets. Turn the Bluetooth on and make the most of it.

Check for updates

We’d recommend regularly checking for updates. Do this by clicking the Steam button on the left side, then navigating to updates.

Check game compatibility

Use the data Steam gives you to find the playable games before you buy but also don’t be put off trying “unsupported” games because some work with minor tweaks.

Remap your controls

When in a game press the Steam button and push right twice to remap controls and add extra actions to the rear paddles. This will give you more control easily.

Force quit

If you’ve found that your Steam Deck has frozen while you’re playing, then you can press the Steam button and B button together to force close any game.

Shortcuts

There are a few different shortcuts on the Steam Deck that you can access with a couple of button presses. Just press Steam button and A to see the full list.

  • Steam button + X = show keyboard Steam button + Left Joystick up = turn brightness up Steam button + Left Joystick down = turn brightness doiwn Steam button + D-Pad Right = enter key Steam button + D-Pad down = tab Steam button + D-Pad left = Escape Steam button + L2 = Right mouse click Steam button + R2 = Left mouse click Steam button + L1 = turn on Magnifier

Optimise your game settings

ShareDeck and Steam Deck HQ are two options of sites with user-submitted settings that might help you with optimised settings for your games.