Embark on a Gaming Odyssey: Hellblade 2 on Steam Deck
The latest installment in the Hellblade series, Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2, has finally arrived, and we’re excited to put it to the test on the Steam Deck. As the ultimate handheld gaming PC, the Steam Deck promises to deliver an unparalleled gaming experience on-the-go. But can it handle the demands of this visually stunning game?
Hellblade 2 on Steam Deck: A Challenging but Rewarding Experience
In our testing, we found that Hellblade 2 pushes the Steam Deck to its limits, barely scraping by with a minimum playable performance threshold of 30fps. While this is a commendable effort, it’s clear that the game is not optimized for handheld gaming just yet.
“The Steam Deck struggles to handle Senua’s latest adventure, and the compromises needed to get the game running at 30fps aren’t worth making.” - Our Verdict
To achieve a stable 30fps, we had to make some significant compromises on the game’s graphics settings. Our recommended settings for playing Hellblade 2 on Steam Deck include:
- Custom Upscaler: AMD FSR 3.0
- Upscaler Quality Mode: Performance
- Post-Processing Quality: Low
- VSync: On
- Shadow Quality: Low
- Effects Quality: Standard
- Reflection Quality: Low
- Global Illumination Quality: Low
- Volumetrics: Low
- Texture Quality: Low
- View Distance: Low
- Foliage Detail: Low
Even with these compromises, the image quality of Hellblade 2 on Steam Deck leaves much to be desired. The game’s linear design makes it easy to get lost, especially when critical details are unclear.
Hellblade 2 Graphics Settings on Steam Deck
In terms of performance, the Steam Deck’s GPU is pushed to its limits, sitting at 99% usage at all times. CPU usage is around half this figure but can jump up to 65% during combat. This translates to a battery life of around 2 hours and 15 minutes on the Steam Deck OLED.
While Hellblade 2 may not be the best fit for the Steam Deck just yet, we’re excited to see how future updates will improve the gaming experience. For now, we recommend sticking to playing this title on a gaming PC.
Check out our picks for the best Steam Deck games with every entry hand-picked and tested by us.
