Can The First Descendant Run on Steam Deck? A Portable Powerhouse?

Find out if Nexon's new looter shooter, The First Descendant, is compatible with the Steam Deck and how to optimize its performance on Valve's handheld console.

Can The First Descendant Run on Steam Deck?

As a gamer on-the-go, I’m always excited to try out new titles on my trusty Steam Deck. Nexon’s latest looter shooter, The First Descendant, has caught my attention, and I was curious to see if it’s compatible with Valve’s handheld console.

Gaming on the go

After diving into the game, I’m happy to report that The First Descendant runs great on the Steam Deck, despite not having an official rating from Valve yet. The system requirements are quite reasonable, requiring only 50GB of storage, making it accessible to most Steam Deck users.

“I was surprised by how well The First Descendant performed on the Steam Deck, even on the lowest settings.” - Me

To get the best performance, I recommend tweaking the graphical settings. Here’s what worked for me:

VSync: On
Visibility: Low
Anti-Aliasing: Low
Post Processing: Low
Shadows: Low
Global Illumination: Low
Reflections: Low
Textures: Low
Effect: Low
Vegetation: Low
Shader Quality: Low
Object: Low
Physics: Medium
Motion Blur: On
Additional Options: AMDFSR: Quality
Frame Generation: Off
Ray Tracing: Off

With these settings, I managed to achieve a stable 54fps, although it did drop to around 35fps in public hub areas. Enabling Frame Generation can boost the frame rate to 70fps, but it introduces noticeable stuttering.

The First Descendant in action

GPU and CPU usage is almost always maxed out, drawing around 22.6w, which translates to around two hours of gameplay on an OLED model. Visually, the game looks great, comparable to Warframe in terms of graphical quality and performance on the Deck.

If you’re running low on storage space, consider checking out some of the best MicroSD cards for the Steam Deck to free up some space.

The First Descendant may not have an official Steam Deck rating yet, but it’s definitely playable. If you’re a fan of looter shooters, give it a try and see how it performs on your handheld console.

Conclusion

The First Descendant is a great addition to the Steam Deck library, offering a fun and engaging gaming experience on the go. With some tweaks to the graphical settings, you can enjoy a smooth and stable performance. So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of The First Descendant today!

Gaming anywhere, anytime