If you own a Steam Deck, you might've played FromSoftware's previous title, Elden Ring, on it. Elden Ring was a behemoth of a game yet the Steam Deck managed to run it smoothly. Keeping that in mind, you might also be interested in knowing if FromSoftware's next release, Armored Core 6, can run on the Steam Deck.
Armored Core 6 is a next-gen game meaning it's heavy-duty enough to demand the specs of the PS5 and the new Xbox Series X | S. The game supports a 120 FPS setting as well as raytracing options for PCs with higher budget specs. So will FromSoft optimize and make Armored Core 6 available on the Steam Deck?
While you're here, also check out our Armored Core 6 guides on the system requirements for PC and the download size.
Will Armored Core 6 run on the Steam Deck?
The answer is yes. Armored Core 6 will be optimized and made available on the Steam Deck. In an interview with the folk over at Digital Trends, the game's director, Masaru Yamamura, and producer Yasunori Ogura gave players the assurance that Armored Core 6 will be "fully supported" on the Steam Deck.
“Obviously, seeing how well Elden Ring performed on the Steam Deck, we were very happy, and we wanted to at least create that as a baseline going forward for this handheld,” is what Ogura told Digital Trends. “So it is fully supported for Steam Deck … we just want to reassure players that it will be fully supported.”
So there, you have it. Armored Core 6 will be fully supported on the Steam Deck. However, its status as Verified is still up in the air. The Steam Deck has a verification system where Valve themselves give it a badge of approval, guaranteeing that it runs on their device natively and seamlessly. Luckily, FromSoft's titles have a solid track record of receiving the Verified badge, and hopefully, Armored Core 6 can run as smoothly as Elden Ring.
Speaking of performance, we can't guarantee how well Armored Core 6 will run on the Steam Deck, as the game is a lot more demanding in terms of system requirements than most other FromSoft titles. Large sprawling maps crawling with hundreds of enemies are sure to put a great deal of stress on the Steam Deck. We doubt it will be able to keep up with features such as raytracing or upscaling. However, it will be a smooth experience that should run stable at 30 or 60 FPS.
We'll update this piece with the performance on the Steam Deck once Armored Core 6 is released. In the meantime, be sure to check our guides on the pre-order bonuses
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon page.