Avowed is tracking to be one of the best RPGs of 2025 and if players use the right settings, the Steam Deck stands as a great way to play the game.
There’s no shortage of great games to play on the Steam Deck, and that includes some modern classics. Unfortunately, some titles are just too technically demanding, or just aren’t optimized well enough, to run on the hardware. The “Great on Deck” billing is also a poor barometer for this, with titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2 receiving this title despite looking like a slideshow at times.
Thankfully, that’s not the case with Avowed. Obsidian Entertainment took a page out of Skyrim’s playbook and delivered a solid alternative to the aging RPG. Here’s how to play the game on handhelds, and what to expect from it overall.
Avowed can be played comfortably on Steam Deck, with the right settings.
Some modern releases play very well on the Steam Deck with very little tinkering. Meanwhile, other titles like Starfield are only really playable in the sense that the game opens. Relative to playing on an Xbox Series X console or a proper gaming rig, playing Avowed on Steam Deck is a sub-optimal experience. It’s certainly not a bad experience, though.
In certain spots and with proper settings, Avowed can hit above 50 frames per second on the Steam Deck. It struggles to maintain that once there’s any on-screen action, and will sometimes drop below 30 FPS even on the lowest settings.
All that said, by playing with a capped framerate, players can enjoy a mostly smooth experience. This will potentially improve over time as patches bring performance improvements to the game.
Players can use AMD FixelityFX 3 upscaling and low graphics settings for best performance on the Steam Deck. Here’s the line-by-line recommendation:
While some gamers bristle at a capped framerate, Avowed’s FPS jumps around enough that players will feel it.
Low graphics quality with AMD FidelityFX3 with balanced super resolution quality offers the best mix of visual fidelity and performance, assuming 30 FPS frame limit. Without the frame limit, the framerate can jump and remain somewhat steady between 40 and 45 FPS. However, the framerate is guaranteed to dip below 30 during combat. Because of that, a 30 FPS frame limit keeps the game feeling steady.
Players can potentially wring more frames out of their Steam Deck by dropping Avowed’s FSR super resolution quality down to ultra performance and changing the frame limit to unlimited. However, this will sometimes feel clunky as the game runs at 45 frames per second, then dips under 30 when a fight breaks out, then jumps back up after.
On principle, some players will still opt for uncapped frame rates. For everyone else, the above settings will be the best option.
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