Speaking as someone who played my Game Boy under the bed covers at night a lot growing up, I can say with confidence that portable consoles are actually great for horror games. The smaller screen creates a palpable feeling of isolation and pressure that’s quite addicting. If you want that kind of experience from The Callisto Protocol, you can try playing on a Steam Deck. So, can you play The Callisto Protocol on Steam Deck?
Can you Play The Callisto Protocol on Steam Deck?
The answer is yes… mostly. At the time of writing, The Callisto Protocol has not been officially Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve’s techs haven’t yet stress-tested the game on the Steam Deck hardware. That said, Steam users have reported testing the game out on a Steam Deck on its Steam forums, and have confirmed that they can boot and run it.
Related: The Callisto Protocol – Should You Buy on Xbox or PS5?
The key phrase there is “run it.” Note how I did not say “run it well.” The Callisto Protocol is an extremely processor-intensive heavy game even at the best of times, to the point that even a high-end PC can have problems getting it to run cleanly. Given its naturally lower processing power, a Steam Deck will struggle a fair amount when trying to play The Callisto Protocol.
Steam Deck Benchmarks
According to Steam Deck users who have tried running the game, the best performance they’ve managed to get is 30 FPS on the medium graphical preset with all advanced options disabled. Others have reported a slightly-higher 40 FPS when running on the lowest possible graphical preset. On the bright side, though, these users have reported that the framerates, low as they may be, do hold fairly steady with minimal stuttering and lagging.
So while you won’t be able to play The Callisto Protocol in its ideal state on a Steam Deck, you should still be able to play it, period. Honestly, I think a little jank enhances the handheld horror experience, like the glitchy videotape in The Ring.
