The best way to run Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 for Steam Deck

KCDKingdom Come Deliverance 2 is receiving rave reviews, but some players wonder how it runs on the Steam Deck.

Like its predecessor, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 proves there’s still a hunger for grounded RPG games. Far from being a power fantasy, Warhorse Studios prides itself on making the player work for their success once again. Starting destitute, players must do exciting tasks like “get a job” and “find a place to sleep” before they can go around challenging people to swordfights.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Official Gameplay Showcase

The grounded aspect of KCD2 does mean players have to do some slow-paced work from time to time.  This makes KCD2 a great game to play around the house or on the go. While smaller than the average AAA title, it’s still a sizeable game that requires at least 100 GB of free storage.  Fortunately, players can optimize KCD2 on the Steam Deck and avoid performance issues.

Can Steam Deck run KCD2?

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is ranked as “Playable” on Steam for Steam Deck. As a fresh release, many players are still figuring out how to run KCD2 properly on Steam Deck. As the dust settled, players figured out the best settings for their devices to run KCD2. Many of the early performance issues were linked to launch wrinkles more than the Steam Deck itself.

There are some subtle differences between the KCD2’s performance on the LCD Steam Deck and the OLED Steam Decks. On the high graphics settings, the LCD version may sometimes stutter as it tries to load in objects, whereas the OLED runs a bit smoother. Both devices performed about the same when optimized for low-end gameplay, with slight dips when in complex areas.

The best settings to run Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on Steam Deck

It’s best to run Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on low or medium graphics for maximum performance on the Steam Deck. As a sprawling RPG, KCD2 was bound to have multiple moving parts. These can prove stressful for an unoptimized Steam Deck.  Though it’s possible to play the game on high settings, it will be a poor experience due to graphical glitches, performance issues, and a higher chance of crashing.

Follow the settings below for the best KCD2 experience on Steam Deck.

Low Settings (Performance)

Players can run Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on low settings for the Steam Deck if they just want performance. Fortunately, KCD2 on low settings still looks comparable to Medium graphics, minus some details. To make the most out of Performance Mode, go into KCD2 and toggle these settings:

• Resolution – Native
• VSync – Off
• Frame Rate Limit – 75
• Technology – FSR 3.1
• Motion Blur – Off
• Textures – Low
• Object Detail – Low
• Character  Detail – Medium
• Vegetation Detail – Low
• Volumetric Effects Detail – Medium
• Particles – Low
• Lighting – Medium
• Global Illumination – Medium
• Post Processing – Off
• Shader Quality – Low
• Shadows – Medium

Medium Settings (Balanced)

For players who want an aesthetically pleasing experience without visual glitches, they should run Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on medium for Steam Deck.  Toggle these settings below for the best-looking KCD2 on a reasonable performance.

• Resolution – Native
• VSync – Off
• Frame Rate Limit – 60
• Technology – FSR 3.1
• Motion Blur – Off
• Textures – High
• Object Detail – High
• Character  Detail – High
• Vegetation Detail – Medium
• Volumetric Effects Detail – High
• Particles – Medium
• Lighting – High
• Shadows – Low
• Global Illumination – Medium
• Post Processing – Off
• Shader Quality – Medium

While there may be dips, the overall experience is wholesome compared to high or ultra. As more patches arrive for KCD2, the handheld experience will likely get even better.