Valve Launches Game Compatibility Assessment System for New Devices on SteamOS

Valve has announced a new compatibility rating system for games on SteamOS, ahead of the launch of the Lenovo Legion Go S portable gaming PC. The company has expanded its Deck Verified program and introduced compatibility categories specifically for SteamOS. These updates are set to be rolled out in the coming weeks.

The compatibility assessment for SteamOS applies to all devices running this operating system, excluding the Steam Deck. The new compatibility categories indicate whether a game is functional on SteamOS. These assessments take into account the verification results for the Steam Deck, as well as the game’s features, launcher, and anti-cheat support. If a game and its related software are supported, it will receive the «Supported» label; otherwise, it will be marked as «Not Supported.»

According to Valve’s estimates, over 18,000 games on Steam will instantly receive a compatibility designation for SteamOS. Ongoing testing of games will continue, with simultaneous categorization for both Steam Deck and SteamOS.

Game developers on Steam are not required to take any additional actions—if their game has already been verified for the Steam Deck, it will automatically receive a compatibility classification for SteamOS as well.

Valve has pointed out that performance and input testing results are not taken into account due to the impracticality of testing every game on all possible devices.

Previously, Lenovo introduced the Legion Go S— the first portable gaming PC pre-installed with SteamOS, which is not manufactured by Valve but is certified by them. During the Legion Go S presentation, product manager Alex Zhu highlighted that the device was designed as an alternative to the Steam Deck.