Valve introduces new tools for developers on Steam Deck

Valve recently announced that it is rolling out new tools to help developers optimize games for Steam Deck. The announcement was made in a Steamworks Development blog post on April 23, 2026, and is aimed specifically at games classified as "Verified."

Latest data for developers

The first new feature is a tool that tracks a game’s average frame rate over the past 30 days on Steam Deck. This information is currently only available to developers of Steam Deck Verified games. Valve has also said it plans to make the tool available to developers of "Playable"-rated games, giving them access to performance data as well.

The second tool gives players the option to complete surveys after playing a Steam Deck Verified game for at least 10 minutes. In the survey, players are asked whether they agree or disagree with the game’s Verification status. If they disagree, they can choose reasons from a list that includes performance and stability.

This new data is intended to help developers understand whether recent updates have had a positive or negative impact on the Steam Deck experience. Valve hopes feedback like this will help improve the overall performance of games on its platform.

Player and developer reaction

Notably, according to Valve, 95 percent of players who completed the survey agreed with the Verification status of the games they reviewed. That raises questions about who the players are that disagree, and whether the dissatisfaction is mostly tied to a small number of games. Concerns have been raised about games packed with performance issues, such as "Borderlands 4," being marked as Verified while remaining difficult to play on Steam Deck. Situations like this have fueled criticism of the verification system.

Valve’s push to improve the developer experience stems from its ambition to expand the Steam platform further, which will matter even more as it develops other hardware too, such as the Steam Frame VR headset and Steam Machine consoles. These tools could be crucial for developers who struggle to get their games running smoothly across different SteamOS devices.