Steam Deck Settings:
- Press the three-dots icon button on the right.
- Now, scroll down to the Battery icon > Go to the Steam Deck’s Performance tab.
- Hit the Advanced View option to get some of the useful settings that you should check.
- Set the Use per-game profile to select specific changes only for Elden Ring.
- Set the Framerate Limit to 30 FPS for a stable experience.
- Make sure to select Scaling Filter to FSR for better performance without sacrificing the overall visual quality.
Elden Ring Graphics Settings:
Now, head over to the in-game graphics settings menu, and adjust the changes as follows.
- Antialiasing Quality: Low to Medium
- Reflection Quality: Low to Medium
- Shader Quality: Low to Medium
- Shadow Quality: Medium
- SSAO: Medium
- Texture Quality: Medium
- Depth of Field: Off
- Motion Blur: Off
- Lighting Quality: Medium
- Effects Quality: Medium
- Volumetric Quality: High
- Water Surface Quality: Low
- Global Illumination Quality: High or Medium
- Grass Quality: High or Medium
These changes in the graphics settings might help you to achieve better performance while playing Elden Ring on Steam Deck.
2. Fix Elden Ring Crashing on Steam Deck
It’s highly recommended to check for some of the common workarounds below to ensure there is no issue with the Steam Deck console itself. Sometimes the software-related issues or glitches on the Steam Deck can cause game crashes, white screen, performance issues, etc.
- First of all, you should restart your Steam Deck via the Software Updates section to ensure there is no temporary system glitch present. [You can also go to Steam > Power > Restart]
- Any installed third-party applications can cause conflicts with the game to launch. Try disabling or uninstalling the suspicious application and then try again.
- If in case, your Steam Deck is powered on but unresponsive or stutters a lot then you should try force restarting the console. Press and hold the Power button for at least three seconds to check. If it remains unresponsive, try long-pressing the Power button for around 10 seconds to forcefully reboot the system again.
- Check for SteamOS updates on Steam Deck. To do so: Press the Steam button on the left side > Go to Settings > Head over to the System tab > Select Check for Updates on the right side > If there is an update available, tap on Apply. Wait for the software update to complete and then tap on Restart to apply changes.
- Ensure that the Steam Deck is sufficiently charged.
- Check for the available data storage on your Steam Deck. It uses built-in storage out of the box that you can manage from Steam > Settings > Storage. If the available storage space becomes low, delete or uninstall unnecessary apps/games from the console to free up some space.
- Sometimes, a corrupt MicroSD card on the Steam Deck console can also cause multiple issues with the Elden Ring game crashing while it is starting. It’s worth mentioning that you should fully format the MicroSD card before start using it with your Steam Deck. To format a microSD card, insert it into the memory slot on the bottom side > Go to Steam > Settings > System > Format SD Card. It may take a couple of minutes to complete the format.
- Any UHS-I (class 3 or better) microSD card is supported. Steam Deck does not support UHS-II. If your MicroSD card is old enough or gets corrupted often, it’s time to get a new one.
- Try accessing the Desktop Mode to check whether the Elden Ring still crashes. To access Desktop Mode, go to Steam > Power > Switch to Desktop. You can now go to the desktop by using the right Trackpad to move the mouse, R2 to left-click, and L2 to right-click. While in Desktop Mode, Steam Deck functions will work like a normal PC. You can try launching the Elden Ring game in Desktop Mode and check for the issue.
- Don’t expose your Steam Deck handheld device for a longer period to avoid the overheating issue. Whereas an extreme humidity level can also affect the console’s performance. So, keep the Steam Deck console in a normal environment. The Steam Deck’s safe storage temperature range is between -20° to +60° C (-4° to +140° F). The Steam Deck’s safe operational ranges are Humidity up to 85%, Altitude up to 3500m, etc.
3. Fix Elden Ring Not Launching or Loading on Steam Deck
If, in case, your Elden Ring game doesn’t launch on Steam Deck for some unexpected reasons, then follow the steps below to try fixing it.
- It would be best if you restarted your Steam Deck via the Software Updates section to ensure no temporary system glitch is present. [You can also go to Steam > Power > Restart]
- Any installed third-party applications can cause conflicts with the game’s launch. Try disabling or uninstalling the suspicious application and then try again.
- Check for SteamOS updates on Steam Deck. To do so, Press the Steam button on the left side > Go to Settings > Head over to the System tab > Select Check for Updates on the right side > If an update is available, tap on Apply. Wait for the software update to complete, then tap Restart to apply changes.
- If, in case, your Steam Deck is powered on but unresponsive or stutters a lot, then you should try to restart the console by force. Press and hold the Power button for at least three seconds to check. If it remains unresponsive, forcefully pause the Power button for around 10 seconds to reboot the system.
- Eject and Re-insert the Micro SD card on the Steam Deck manually. You might have to go to the Desktop Mode and then try ejecting the MicroSD card safely and gently without damaging it physically. After removing it, re-insert it, and check if the problem is still bothering you.
- Check whether your Deck is verified for the Elden Ring game to play seamlessly without any further modifications. The Steam ‘Deck Verified’ system has four categories to indicate how well games will work on it. If a game is Playable or Unsupported,, you can see what requirements of Verified are not currently met by referring to the Steam Deck Compatibility section on the game’s Steam Store page.
- Verified: The game works great on Steam Deck by default. No additional modification is necessary.
- Playable: The game works but may require some manual configuration from the user. This could include adjusting controller configurations or using a mouse or touchscreen to navigate a launcher.
- Unsupported: The game is currently not considered playable on Steam Deck.
- Unknown: We haven’t tested this game for compatibility yet. Feel free to try it, but we don’t know how it works.
- You can also opt into the Steam Deck Beta to see if Steam has recently shipped any changes that address the problem. Go to Steam > Settings > System > Beta Participation to do that.
4. Fix the White Screen Problem with Elden Ring on the Steam Deck
Some of the unfortunate Elden Ring players are having the white screen issue on Steam Deck after try launching the game. Now, if you’re also one of the victims to encounter the same issue, make sure to follow the steps below.
- Check for SteamOS updates on Steam Deck. To do so, Press the Steam button on the left side > Go to Settings > Head over to the System tab > Select Check for Updates on the right side > If an update is available, tap on Apply. Wait for the software update to complete, then tap Restart to apply changes.
- It would be best if you restarted your Steam Deck via the Software Updates section to ensure no temporary system glitch is present. [You can also go to Steam > Power > Restart]
- If, in case, your Steam Deck is powered on but unresponsive or stutters a lot, then you should try to restart the console by force. Press and hold the Power button for at least three seconds to check. If it remains unresponsive, forcefully pause the Power button for around 10 seconds to reboot the system.
- Eject and Re-insert the Micro SD card on the Steam Deck manually. You might have to go to the Desktop Mode and then try ejecting the MicroSD card safely and gently without damaging it physically. After removing it, re-insert it and check if the problem still bothers you.
It’s better to properly adjust the Steam Deck’s performance settings and even the Elden Ring graphics settings to get a higher FPS count during the gameplay. You should follow method 1 above to improve the gaming performance like we’ve mentioned. First, tweak the performance settings on the Deck itself and then use the recommended in-game graphics settings to run the game smoothly.
If none of the methods worked for you well enough, then contact Steam Support to create a support ticket for the same. The chances are high that Steam support will assist you further on it.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.
