Is Defense Grid: The Awakening playable on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck verdict
Runs great
Yes — Defense Grid: The Awakening runs great on the Steam Deck.
Defense Grid: The Awakening runs great on the Steam Deck. Valve rates it Playable on the Steam Deck. The Linux/Proton community rates it Gold on ProtonDB across 53 reports. As a indie game with full controller support, it's a comfortable fit for handheld play.
Game info
- Genres
- Indie, Strategy
- Developer
- Hidden Path Entertainment
- Publisher
- Hidden Path Entertainment
- Release
- December 8, 2008
- Price
- $9.99
- Metacritic
- 81
System requirements
Windows specs from Steam — the Deck runs these through Proton.
- Supported OS: Windows XP, Vista
- Processor: 1.8GHz CPU or higher
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Hard disk space: 1GB available space
- DirectX version: DirectX 9.0c or higher, June 2008 version or later
- Video: Video: DirectX 9 video card with shader 2 support such as the following:
ATI Radeon 9600 or newer (9600-9800, X300-X1950, HD 2400-HD 4870)
NVIDIA GeForce 6100 or newer (6100-6800, 7100-7950, 8300-8800, 9600-9800, or GTX 216-280)
- Supported OS: Windows XP, Vista
- Processor: dual core 2.0GHz CPU or higher
- Memory: 1GB RAM XP, 1.5GB RAM Vista
- Hard disk space: 1GB available space
- DirectX version: DirectX 9.0c or higher, June 2008 version or later
- Video: DirectX 9 video card with shader 3 support and 256MB VRAM such as the following:
ATI Radeon X700 or newer (X700-X1950, HD 2400-HD 4870)
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or newer (7600-7950, 8300-8800, 9600-9800, or GTX 216-280)
- Controller: Optionally supports Microsoft Game Controller for Windows
Is Defense Grid: The Awakening compatible with Steam Deck?
Does it run?
- Valve rating
- Playable
Community rating · 53 reports (ProtonDB)
Does it run well?
Runs well with the default settings.
- ✓Controller glyphs don't match the Deck
- ✓Full controller support out of the box
- ✓Interface text is legible
- ✓Good performance with default settings
- ✓External controllers not supported for the main player
Defense Grid: The Awakening performance & FPS on Steam Deck
We don't have enough Steam Deck framerate reports for Defense Grid: The Awakening yet. Runs well with the default settings.
Tips for playing Defense Grid: The Awakening on Steam Deck
- •Button prompts may show Xbox or PlayStation icons instead of Steam Deck glyphs.
- •Default settings already run well — no major tweaks needed to play comfortably.
Frequently asked questions
›Is Defense Grid: The Awakening playable on Steam Deck?
Defense Grid: The Awakening <strong>runs great</strong> on the Steam Deck. Valve rates it <strong>Playable</strong> on the Steam Deck. The Linux/Proton community rates it <strong>Gold</strong> on ProtonDB across 53 reports.
›Is Defense Grid: The Awakening Steam Deck Verified?
Not Verified, but Valve rates Defense Grid: The Awakening as Playable on the Steam Deck.
›How many FPS does Defense Grid: The Awakening get on Steam Deck?
We don't publish a single FPS figure — framerate depends on your settings, the scene and your TDP limit. Valve reports good performance with the default settings.
›How long does the battery last playing Defense Grid: The Awakening on Steam Deck?
Battery life isn't fixed — it depends on your brightness, TDP cap and framerate target, typically landing anywhere from 2 to 6 hours on the Steam Deck. We don't have a measured figure for Defense Grid: The Awakening specifically.
›Can you play Defense Grid: The Awakening on Steam Deck?
Yes. Defense Grid: The Awakening runs on the Steam Deck straight from Steam — no manual Proton setup or config files needed.
›Can the Steam Deck run Defense Grid: The Awakening?
Yes — Valve reports that Defense Grid: The Awakening performs well on the Steam Deck with its default settings.
Similar indie games on Steam Deck
Community configurations
Found a setup that works great for Defense Grid: The Awakening on Steam Deck? Share it and help the community grow.