Control Resonant is rated Unsupported on Steam Deck by Valve, and the reason Valve gives is graphics performance. The game will launch on a Deck, but early testing shows it cannot hold a stable 30 frames per second even at its lowest settings, so we would not buy it to play on Deck right now.
Stronger Windows handhelds fare better, and Xbox Play Anywhere gives one more handheld route. Here is the whole picture.
Valve’s Rating
Valve’s compatibility report for Control Resonant returns Unsupported for Steam Deck, with the reason listed as graphics performance. That is Valve’s harshest category, and it is different from “Playable”, which usually means small annoyances like tiny text.
Two other ratings in the same report are worth knowing:
- SteamOS devices in general are rated compatible at a basic level, with the note that the game starts and runs.
- Steam Machine gets the top Verified rating, with the default controller setup, button glyphs and default settings all passing.
In other words, the game runs fine under SteamOS on hardware with enough graphics power. The Deck’s GPU is the problem, not Linux or Proton.
The Promise That Disappeared
This rating stings because Remedy had said otherwise. Reports from June quote the game’s official Steam FAQ, which then answered the Steam Deck question with: “Yes. CONTROL Resonant will support Steam Deck at launch.”
That answer is no longer in the official FAQ. The FAQ was edited to remove it without any announcement. Remedy has not made a public statement on Deck support since launch, so we cannot tell you whether a performance patch aimed at the Deck is planned.
What Remedy has said, in the same FAQ, is that it “will continue supporting the game post-release with updates and improvements as needed.” Treat that as a general promise, not a Deck commitment.
What Early Testing Shows
One review that tested the full game on Steam Deck reported that it cannot hold 30fps even on the lowest preset with Ultra Performance upscaling, with hitching and some freezing during traversal. Their conclusion was that the only acceptable setup right now is the game’s handheld preset with upscaling on Balanced, and even that is a compromise rather than a comfortable experience.
That is consistent with Remedy’s own PC specs. The minimum tier targets 1080p at 30fps on Low with FSR upscaling on a GTX 1070 class card, which is well above what the Deck’s GPU delivers. Our PC requirements guide has the full tier table.
If You Try It Anyway
If you already own it on Steam and want to experiment, these are the settings that matter most:
- Start from the handheld preset in the graphics options rather than tuning from Low.
- Set upscaling to Balanced. Early testing found that dropping all the way to Ultra Performance did not rescue the frame rate anyway.
- Turn off ray tracing and path tracing entirely.
- Cap the frame rate at 30 in the Deck’s performance menu so the frame pacing is at least consistent.
- Lean on Assist Mode. The game has no difficulty presets, but the sliders in our Assist Mode guide can widen the Perfect Dodge Window and slow enemy projectiles, which takes the edge off a shaky frame rate in fights.
Steam’s standard refund policy covers purchases played for under two hours, so test early if you are unsure.
Other Handhelds
ROG Ally and similar Windows handhelds. The same review found the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme considerably better at 1080p on the handheld preset, though it still hit freezes the reviewer tied to memory, suggesting models with 24 GB of memory will run it noticeably better.
Xbox Play Anywhere. The Xbox store listing marks the game as Handheld Optimized, and a single Xbox store purchase covers both console and PC through Xbox Play Anywhere, as our Game Pass and Play Anywhere guide explains. That makes the Xbox app the natural storefront for a Windows handheld owner.
Streaming. Control Resonant supports GeForce NOW at launch, which sidesteps the Deck’s hardware entirely if you have a good connection. Buyers on Xbox can also stream their owned copy through Xbox Cloud Gaming with a qualifying Game Pass tier.
For everything else, see our Control Resonant hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Control Resonant Steam Deck Verified?
No. Valve rates it Unsupported on Steam Deck, citing graphics performance.
Will Control Resonant run on Steam Deck?
It launches, but early testing reports it cannot hold 30fps even at the lowest settings. The handheld preset with Balanced upscaling is the least bad option.
Did Remedy promise Steam Deck support?
Its Steam FAQ previously said the game would support Steam Deck at launch. That answer has since been removed.
Can I stream it instead?
Yes. It supports GeForce NOW, and Xbox buyers can stream their copy through Xbox Cloud Gaming with a qualifying Game Pass tier.
Does it run on ROG Ally?
Better than on Deck, according to early testing, though freezes were reported on models with less memory.