The Steam Deck has 16GB of unified memory shared between the CPU and GPU, with the GPU able to access up to 8GB depending on workload.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree recommended requirements suggest the game needs 16GB of RAM and 8GB of GPU memory for optimal performance, which makes the Steam Deck’s hardware just sufficient for running the game, provided the settings are correctly configured.

Best Settings for 30 FPS

Achieving a stable 30 FPS on the Steam Deck requires a mix of high, medium, and low settings. Here’s the optimal configuration:

  • Resolution: 1200×800
  • Frame Rate: 30 FPS
  • Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
  • TDP Limit: 9
  • Half Rate Shading: Off
  • Scaling Filter: Linear
  • Terrain Quality: High
  • Antialiasing Quality: High
  • SSAO: Medium
  • Depth of Field: Off (optional)
  • Motion Blur: Low (optional)
  • Shadow Quality: Low
  • Lighting Quality: Medium
  • Effects Quality: Medium
  • Volumetric Quality: Medium
  • Reflection Quality: Low
  • Water Surface Quality: High
  • Shader Quality: Low
  • Global Illumination Quality: Low
  • Grass Quality: Medium

Lowering the resolution to 1152×720 can help achieve higher frame rates, but for a stable 30 FPS, 1200×800 is recommended.

Locking the frame rate to 30 FPS helps avoid fluctuations that can cause jitteriness and improves battery life.

Best Settings for 40 FPS

If you prefer a higher frame rate and are willing to accept some instability, you can target 40 FPS with the following settings:

  • Resolution: 1152×720
  • Frame Rate: 40 FPS
  • Refresh Rate: 40 Hz
  • TDP Limit: 12
  • Half Rate Shading: Off
  • Scaling Filter: Linear
  • Terrain Quality: Low
  • Antialiasing Quality: Low
  • SSAO: Medium
  • Depth of Field: Off
  • Motion Blur: Low
  • Shadow Quality: Low
  • Lighting Quality: Low
  • Effects Quality: Low
  • Volumetric Quality: Low
  • Reflection Quality: Low
  • Water Surface Quality: High
  • Shader Quality: Low
  • Global Illumination Quality: Low
  • Grass Quality: Medium

While these settings allow for 40 FPS gameplay, the frame rate may dip to around 36-37 FPS in more demanding areas.