The Path of Exile 2 launch is coming up fast, but there’s one big question mark hanging over the game for handheld gamers. That’s because, at this point, Path of Exile 2 Steam Deck compatibility is still classed as Unknown. That’s despite, the game’s developers confirming that they were working on ensuring the game can be played on the Steam Deck with no issues whatsoever during the Summer.
With the Path of Exile 2 release date coming in December, we were expecting to find out the game’s status on the best handheld gaming PC by now, as the team at Grinding Gear Games tried to make the game playable on Valve’s portable from day one. However, even now, Steam Deck compatibility is still classed as Unknown.
It’s a head-scratcher of a situation, as the Path of Exile 2 system requirements aren’t exactly tough at the minimum specs level. You can run the game on an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960, which came out nearly ten years ago. Given that the Steam Deck resolution is only 1,280 x 800, we were hoping Path of Exile 2 would have a Steam Deck Verified rating by now.
There’s some hope, though, as Path of Exile 2 was demonstrated running on the Steam Deck earlier in 2024. This news came from Noah Kupetsky at SteamDeckHQ, who tried the PC demo of Path of Exile 2 during Summer Games Fest and asked the question regarding Steam Deck compatibility. The team member to whom Kupetsky was talking confirmed that the team is working on it, and in an ideal world the game will be playable on the handheld “without issue.”
That’s potentially great news for game fans who want to take their progress with them on the go, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the game will get full verification. We’ve seen it too often recently where great games, Ghost of Tsushima for example, fall short of receiving a Steam Deck Verified rating for minor issues.
Also, given the game’s fine detail when it comes to character skill progression and gear, the on-screen text is likely to prevent it from getting a Verified rating, just as it does with the original game, which currently has a Playable status on the Steam Deck.
Even if a text-size slider is included, Steam Deck compatibility is judged based on how the game boots and plays in default settings at either 800p or 720p. The text size from the original game would need to be increased as part of the default configuration for the game to earn a Steam Deck Verified rating.
If you’re looking for more titles to play on your handheld, check out our guide to the best Steam Deck games you can play right now, where we’ve hand-picked and tested every game on the list for peace of mind. You can also check out our guide to the best microSD for Steam Deck guide, if you’re looking to expand your storage and install more games.