Skip to main content

The Steam Deck’s ‘verified games’ process is very confusing

Over the past weekend, I had my first moment of natural bliss with my Steam Deck. I was sitting around bored on a Saturday and remembered that I’d been meaning to play Strange Horticulture, an murder-mystery game about running a plant shop. The only problem is that it’s exclusive to PC at the moment and I simply wanted to lay on my couch and relax. That’s when I remembered I now had a Steam Deck.

I booted the system up and found the game on the Steam store, keeping my fingers crossed that it had been verified for the device. Sure enough, I found some friendly green text on the game’s store page, letting me know it would work just fine as a handheld game. I was ecstatic as I bought the game on the device itself and cozied up on my couch as it downloaded. What a future I was living in!

Recommended Videos

Unfortunately, my utopian gaming moment quickly got a dose of reality. While the game ran smoothly on Steam Deck, it certainly hadn’t been optimized for it. That made me realize that Valve’s game verification process might not be as useful as it seems yet.

A strange process

In Strange Horticulture, players run a plant shop while trying to solve an occult mystery. The core gameplay loop is that customers request specific plants and players need to correctly identify it from rows of unlabeled plants. To do so, they’ll have a few tools, like a plant guide with a page detailing each one’s properties. Once a plant has been identified correctly, players can attach a label to it and type in the correct name. On top of all that, there’s a puzzle element where players find locations on a map using a set of letters and clues they receive through the game.

It’s a fantastic deduction game, but one I wish I hadn’t played on Steam Deck. The text is ridiculously tiny across the board when viewed on a s7-inch screen. I had to squint to see location names on the map or read tiny dialogue options. The Steam Deck’s keyboard is so cumbersome that typing out plant names took three times as long on the handheld as it would have on a PC. Luckily, the game features an “auto-label” option, though using it takes away some of the satisfaction and limits how players can create labels.

A table filled with papers in Strange Horticulture.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s clear that the game hasn’t been optimized for Steam Deck, but what baffles me is why it received verified status while some other games I’ve played have a second-tier “playable” label instead. Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs especially smooth on the device. It aced its benchmark test when I ran it and was generally a natural experience in handheld mode. Even so, it has a yellow label indicating that the game will work on the device, but may need some workarounds.

When I expand the compatibility details, I’m told the game requires use of a keyboard if I want to log into my Square Enix account. That’s more or less the only knock against it. Another note says that the game “displays compatibility warnings when running on Steam Deck, but runs fine,” which doesn’t seem like much of an issue compared to some of the issues I bumped up against in Strange Horticulture. I’m especially puzzled as to why using a keyboard to sign in to an account is a problem, but using it as a core tool in another game is fine.

The Steam Deck's UI appears on a screen.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

I’ve noticed lots of little inconsistencies with the process during my time with the device. Dicey Dungeons is perhaps the best game I’ve played on the Steam Deck in terms of how naturally it translates to a touchscreen, but it isn’t verified. A yellow note tells me it displays some PC interface during the game, but the only “issue” I see is that a small mouse appears on screen when using the touchpad. The bar seems to be a movimg target from game to game.

I understand why that would be the case. Valve has the not-so-simple task of testing an impossible number of games on its device. Naturally, its going to take time to get the process right. I just hope it evolves quickly, because I’m already feeling skittish about buying games with the intention of playing them on a portable. Even if they’re verified, they might not be an ideal experience.

Topics
Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
7 free game demos you need to check out during Steam Next Fest
steam next fest october 2024 game recommendations permafrost

The last Steam Next Fest event of the year is upon us. Valve holds one of these events every few months on Steam and encourages developers to share demos and early looks at their upcoming PC games. Only indie developers participated initially, but more high-profile studios chipped in recently. That’s only makes it harder to find some of the best games on offer, as hundreds of demos are available.

I played several demos featured in October 2024’s Steam Next Fest ahead of the event, and I want to spotlight my favorites. From strategy RPGs to dumb physics-based platformers, these seven Steam Next Fest demos are worth checking out.

Read more
A new Steam message reminds you that you don’t own your games
The Steam Deck OLED on a pink background.

Players began to notice a new message in their Steam carts on Thursday. Before completing a purchase, they saw a new message situated underneath the "Continue to payment" button, complete with a little computer graphic. It said: "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam," with a link to the subscriber agreement.

In clearer language, Valve finally makes it clear that you don't own the PC games you buy. Instead, you're granted a license for the software.

Read more
10 essential Steam Deck games you’ll keep coming back to
Hades 2 key art from its first trailer.

I can't imagine life without my Steam Deck. Valve's handheld PC has fundamentally changed how I play games with a massive chunk of my playtime now happening on the device. I don't travel without it and I'm even using my Nintendo Switch less and less because of it. It's a life-saver for someone who travels and commutes quite a bit.

Because I'm so often on the move, I like to keep a few games always installed on my Steam Deck. It's a small handful of titles that I can bring up any time when I'm not sure what to play. These tend to be "infinitely replayable" titles, like roguelikes, that can kill a long flight or train ride with ease. If you're looking for some standby games that you can always go back to when you need something to play, I recommend keeping these games installed on your Steam Deck at all times.
Vampire Survivors

Read more