Diablo IV achieves Steam Deck verified status ahead of the game’s Steam launch
Diablo IV is launching on Steam with Steam Deck verified status
Earlier this month, Activision Blizzard confirmed that Diablo IV would be launching on Steam, PC’s most popular game launcher. Now, less than a week ahead of the game’s Steam release, Diablo IV has received Steam Deck verified status. This means that Diablo IV will run well on Valve’s Steam Deck handheld, allowing the game to be played on a portable device.
While Valve’s Steam Deck will allow PC gamers to play Diablo IV portably, the game’s always-online nature will prevent PC gamers from playing Diablo IV on the go. Steam Deck users will need an active WIFI connection to play Diablo on their handhelds, which is a shame.
The Steam version of Diablo IV is due to be released on October 17th. The game is currently available to wishlist on Steam, but pre-orders are unavailable. If you want to buy the game now, you can purchase it on Battle.net. As such, we do not expect pre-orders to be opened for Diablo VI’s Steam version. That said, Steam Deck users will be better off waiting for the game’s official Steam release. Installing battle.net on a Steam Deck can be a chore.
At launch, we created a PC Performance Review and Optimisation Guide for Diablo VI. Overall, we found that the game ran incredibly well on PC, even on lower-end hardware. In time, the game’s PC version is expected to gain support for new features like DirectStorage and ray tracing, shortening loading times and improving the game’s visuals respectively.
Expect more Blizzard games to come to Steam
Diablo IV is not the first Blizzard game to transition to Steam, with Overwatch 2 making the move earlier this year. Currently, Overwatch 2 is Steam’s 64th most played game, with today’s peak player count being exactly 25,000. In time, it is probable that more Blizzard games will be moving to Steam. Perhaps we will see a Steam release of Starcraft II soon, or maybe a Steam version of World of Warcraft.
You can join the discussion on Diablo IV becoming Steam Deck verified on the OC3D Forums.
