Can you play Sonic Frontiers on Steam Deck? Answered

The arrival of Sonic Frontiers on home consoles worldwide came and went in a flash. Although its release was somewhat divisive, having the Blue Blur grace our screens again was a sight for sore eyes. This latest title by Sega also reached a wide audience as it was made playable through multiple platforms. However, a question that’s often asked and that still remains is, can Sonic Frontiers be played on the Steam Deck? Read on to find out.

Related: Action vs. High-Speed modes in Sonic Frontiers – What’s different?

Is Sonic Frontiers playable on the Steam Deck?

Sonic Frontiers can be played on the Steam Deck, so handheld console players can easily take the Blue Blur with them wherever they go. However, we should warn you beforehand that Sega’s most recent release is currently showing up as “Unsupported” on Valve’s portable platform, which means that the game can potentially run into issues when played on the Steam Deck. Although some titles can still run smoothly on the platform even with “Unsupported” compatibility, Sonic Frontiers is not one of those titles.

The game’s Steam Deck version is plagued with glitches and bugs, such as noticeable FPS drops and frozen screens during combat. Adjusting the settings and lowering its visual quality can help make your playthrough slightly smoother, but this is only a temporary fix. This is because once you load into another area, the game immediately relapses into a stuttering, unplayable mess.

If you want to experience Sonic’s latest adventure on a handheld console, we recommend purchasing it on the Nintendo Switch instead. Even though it still has slight issues, the problems you’ll face on the Switch pale compared to the obstacles you’ll experience on the Steam Deck. With that said, playing the game on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC is still the way to go, as these systems can handle the heavy graphical output of Sonic Frontiers.