Palworld, having launched on January 19th, quickly soared in popularity, achieving high player counts on Steam. Although it’s primarily available for Xbox and PC, its presence on Valve’s Steam means it’s playable on the Steam Deck for gaming on the move.
Given Palworld’s development on the high-demand Unreal Engine 5, it poses a challenge for the Steam Deck’s Zen 2 chip and RDNA graphics. However, this guide is here to help you optimize your settings for a smooth gaming experience on the handheld device.
Optimal Steam Deck Settings for Palworld
Understanding Palworld’s Performance on Steam Deck
Palworld is still in its early access phase and faces several optimization issues. Despite the Steam Deck surpassing the game’s minimum requirements, players might encounter performance drops. Here’s how to fine-tune the settings for consistent gameplay:
- Presets: Custom
- Screen Mode: Full Screen
- Max FPS: No Limit
- VSync: On
- Motion Blur: Off
- Anti-Aliasing: FXAA
- View Distance: Low
- Grass Details: Medium
- Shadows: Low
- Effects Quality: Low
- Texture Quality: Medium
These settings aim to maintain 30-40 FPS. However, expect some dips during intense gameplay scenes. The absence of AMD FSR and reliance on Nvidia’s DLSS means these settings are crucial for performance.
Tackling Performance Issues with Adjusted Settings
Shadows, in particular, can significantly impact FPS. For more stability, limit FPS to 30 using the Steam Deck’s settings. If performance is your sole priority, consider the following:
- Lower all settings
- Reduce the game’s internal resolution
- Switch from Full Screen to Windowed
- Use the Steam Deck’s FSR to enhance resolution
Though this approach compromises quality, it can boost FPS to the mid-40s or 50s. Be aware that this might blur the in-game text, as there’s no current feature to enlarge fonts specifically for the Steam Deck.
In summary, these are the recommended settings for enjoying Palworld on the Steam Deck. For optimal performance, consider disabling the TDP limit on the device. These guidelines are based on insights from GamingOnLinux.
