Steam Deck is a relatively robust system, but does it have what’s required to run Doom: The Dark Ages?
DOOM: The Dark Ages launched on PC with enforced ray tracing, which means you can’t turn the feature off. Some older PC builds won’t be able to boot the game successfully without proper ray tracing capabilities, and higher-end PC builds can have performance issues as well.
In addition, the FPS uses Denuvo on PC, and the anti-piracy measure has been known to cause performance issues. So, even if your PC meets the minimum requirements, there is a strong chance that these issues make it challenging to have a smooth experience. With that in mind, is the Steam Deck a viable alternative to playing on PC?
Can you play Doom: The Dark Ages on Steam Deck?
Doom: The Dark Ages is compatible with Steam Deck.
Players can purchase the Standard Edition for $69.99 or the Premium Edition for $99.99 and add the game to their Steam Deck library.
How Does Doom: The Dark Ages Perform on The Steam Deck
Due to poor performance, we do not recommend playing Doom: The Dark Ages on Steam Deck.
A Reddit user created a thread claiming, “Doom The Dark Ages on Steam Deck is a nightmare even at low-quality and linear levels.”
To back up the claim, a second player explained, “The recommended spec is a 6-core (Steam deck has 4) and a 2060 super GPU. Steam deck is equivalent to a GTX 1050 BUT only renders 720p (800p).”
Steam Deck HQ confirmed that even with the best performance possible for the Steam Deck, the framerate dropped into the low 20s and struggled to maintain 30 frames per second. Turning down the resolution didn’t work either.
“The only way to get to 30 FPS at all was by turning the resolution down to 960×540,” Steam Deck HQ confirmed. “This makes the game extremely blurry and pixelated, not to mention it still had drops into the mid-20s every now and then.”
So, although it would be great to play Doom: The Dark Ages on the go, the Steam Deck is not powerful enough to guarantee consistent performance.
In other gaming news, GTA 6 could be delayed again, Naughty Dog has been preparing the lead voice actor of Intergalactic for more hate, and Stellar Blade has an official release date.
Which platform will you play this game on? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Forums.
