Does Crimson Desert run on Steam Deck or ROG Ally?

With Crimson Desert almost here, if you’re a handheld lover, you’re going to be asking the obvious question of if the Steam Deck or ROG Ally actually handle the vast, open Pywel.

Pearl Abyss has thankfully shared not only detailed PC system requirements but also some tidbits on handheld performance targets, and the answer is a bit mixed.

Let’s dive into whether Crimson Desert will run on handheld systems so you can take your adventures on the go.

Will the ASUS ROG Ally run Crimson Desert?

As previously alluded to, Pearl Abyss has published handheld targets for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, which is a pretty big vote of confidence for ASUS handheld play.

According to the official specs, the base model offers a 720p Performance mode using FSR 3 Frame Generation targeting 40 FPS, plus another mode that uses upscaled 1080p from 720p with FSR 3 Super Resolution and Frame Generation targeting 60 FPS.

The ROG Xbox Ally X naturally gets the stronger showing thanks to its beefed up internals, with a Balanced mode targeting 40 FPS at upscaled 1080p from 720p, or a Quality mode at native 1080p targeting 30 FPS.

Pearl Abyss does suggest that these figures were measured with the device plugged in and Turbo Mode enabled, so performance on battery may differ and who knows how long a session you will have.

Is Crimson Desert on Steam Deck?

Right now, Crimson Desert is obviously coming to Steam, but it is not officially confirmed as Steam Deck Verified, and the Steam store page currently labels Steam Deck compatibility as Unknown.

That being said, since the base ROG Ally is similar to that of the Steam Deck, it’s pretty safe to assume that you’ll likely be able to get Crimson Desert running.

This will probably be on those lowest settings we previously mentioned for the ROG Ally, where hopefully, you’ll be able to play it in a 720p Performance mode using FSR 3 Frame Generation, targeting to achieve 40 FPS.

However, until Valve assigns a compatibility badge or we get into real-world testing, we can’t absolutely guarantee our assumptions.