Is Elite Dangerous playable on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck verdict
Runs great
Yes — Elite Dangerous runs great on the Steam Deck.
Elite Dangerous runs great on the Steam Deck. Valve rates it Playable on the Steam Deck. The Linux/Proton community rates it Gold on ProtonDB across 983 reports. As a action game with full controller support, it's a comfortable fit for handheld play.
Game info
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Simulation, Strategy
- Developer
- Frontier Developments
- Publisher
- Frontier Developments
- Release
- April 2, 2015
- Price
- $19.99
- Metacritic
- 80
System requirements
Windows specs from Steam — the Deck runs these through Proton.
- OS *: Windows 8/10 64-bit
- Processor: Quad Core CPU (4 x 2Ghz)
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 470/AMD R7 240
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 25 GB available space
- VR Support: SteamVR. Keyboard or gamepad required
- OS *: Windows 8/10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad Core CPU or better / AMD FX 4350 Quad Core CPU or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 770 / AMD Radeon R9 280X
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 25 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Supports SteamVR, Oculus Rift and TrackIR
Is Elite Dangerous compatible with Steam Deck?
Does it run?
- Valve rating
- Playable
Community rating · 983 reports (ProtonDB)
Does it run well?
Runs well with the default settings.
- ✓Shows a launcher / extra setup step
- ✓On-screen keyboard doesn't pop up automatically
- ✓Some text may be hard to read on the Deck
- ✓Full controller support out of the box
- ✓Controller glyphs match the Deck
- ✓Good performance with default settings
Elite Dangerous performance & FPS on Steam Deck
Based on 5 Steam Deck community reports. These are the framerates players actually settle on — many cap it to save battery — not the game's maximum. Runs well with the default settings.
Battery & recommended settings
Estimated battery life
- Recommended preset
- high
- Typical power draw
- ~20 W
💡 SteamDeckPlayable tip: System Proton version 9.0-3 Steamos version 3.6
Tips for playing Elite Dangerous on Steam Deck
- •You may need to click through a launcher each time you start the game.
- •Some on-screen text is small on the Deck — bump up the UI scale if the game allows it.
- •Open the on-screen keyboard manually with STEAM + X when you need to type.
- •Default settings already run well — no major tweaks needed to play comfortably.
Frequently asked questions
›Is Elite Dangerous playable on Steam Deck?
Elite Dangerous <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 983 reports.
›Is Elite Dangerous Steam Deck Verified?
Not Verified, but Valve rates Elite Dangerous as Playable on the Steam Deck.
›How many FPS does Elite Dangerous get on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck players most often report playing Elite Dangerous at 30–60 fps (based on 5 community reports). These are usually the framerate players settle on — many cap it to save battery — not the game's maximum.
›How long does the battery last playing Elite Dangerous on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck players report roughly 3h 8m at 60 fps on Elite Dangerous (from ShareDeck community reports). Capping the framerate and TDP lower stretches it further; higher brightness shortens it.
›Can you play Elite Dangerous multiplayer on Steam Deck?
Yes — Elite Dangerous has no Deck-blocking anti-cheat reported, so its online and multiplayer modes should work like on any PC.
›Can you play Elite Dangerous on Steam Deck?
Yes. Elite Dangerous runs on the Steam Deck straight from Steam — no manual Proton setup or config files needed.
›Can the Steam Deck run Elite Dangerous?
Yes. Steam Deck players report running Elite Dangerous at 30–60 fps, based on 5 community reports — that's the framerate players settle on, not the game's ceiling.
Similar action games on Steam Deck
Community configurations
Found a setup that works great for Elite Dangerous on Steam Deck? Share it and help the community grow.