Steam Deck is getting old and you can see it struggle in the last year or so to run the latest games at a playable frame rate. However, it is still one of the most popular handhelds on the market right now. But with the release of Doom The Dark Ages it is clear that our boy needs to retire soon.
Doom is playable on Steam Deck but to get it to that point you need to run it at the lowest settings possible. On top of that the game refused to launch on Steam Deck’s Stable OS Channel.
At the lowest settings we got drops into the low 20s when there is too much happening on screen but the game manages to hold 30+ FPS overall.
Important: The game does not launch on the Steam Deck’s stable OS channel. You must switch to the Preview OS channel. Recommended OS Version: SteamOS 3.7.6 (Steam Deck Beta Channel)
Display Settings for Doom The Dark Ages on Steam Deck
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Window Mode | Fullscreen |
| Monitor | Monitor 0 [Default] |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Refresh Rate | 120 |
| Vertical Sync | Off |
| Present From Compute | On |
| Resolution Scaling Mode | Static |
| Resolution Scale | 1.00 |
| Resolution Scaling Target FPS | 60 |
| Performance Metrics | Off |
Graphics Settings for Doom The Dark Ages on Steam Deck
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Field of View | 90 |
| Chromatic Aberration | Off |
| Depth of Field | Off |
| Sharpening | 1.50 |
| Film Grain | 0.00 |
| Upscaler | FSR |
| DLSS Super Resolution | Balanced |
| DLSS Sharpness | 50% |
| DLSS Frame Generation | Off |
| FSR | Balanced |
| FSR Sharpness | 0% |
| FSR Frame Generation | Off |
| XeSS | Balanced |
| Enable HDR | Off |
Keep motion blur off and use the following graphics preset:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Overall Quality Slider | Custom |
| Texture Pool Size | 2048 |
| Shadow Quality | Low |
| Reflections Quality | Low |
| Lights Quality | Low |
| Particles Quality | Low |
| Decal Quality | Low |
| Water Quality | Low |
| Volumetrics Quality | Low |
| Texture Filtering Quality | Low |
| Geometric Quality | Low |
The game’s performance lacks a punch so raising any of these settings significantly reduces performance, especially in demanding areas.
- General FPS Range: 25 – 45 FPS
- Typical Range: 27 – 38 FPS during most gameplay
- Heaviest Areas: Drops into low 20s
The game is playable on Steam Deck and even Steam Deck OLED but only if you make compromises. Smoothness and visual clarity are decent, but don’t expect high frame rates or ultra graphics.
