It's 2026, and Steam Deck users are still mad as hell about Valve's Verified and Playable ratings. If you've got a Steam Deck, you're probably already aware that this is a pretty common occurrence, and, in fairness, it has been since the launch of the handheld. I've even experienced it myself, with last year's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered dropping to frustratingly low frames-per-second more often than I'd like, and now the issue is rearing its head once again.
The new frustrations surround one upcoming game in particular: Halo: Campaign Evolved, which currently has the Verified status in advance of its July 28 launch. However, some of those who have already played the game on Valve's handheld, including Steam Deck HQ, are suggesting that the game is "rough" and unworthy of its rating. This, in turn, has led to countless Reddit users once again questioning the behind-the-scenes rating system for the Steam Deck.
On the r/SteamDeck forum, the top comment on a post detailing Halo: Campaign Evolved's performance best exemplifies the wider attitude of users: "Steam really dropped the ball on the whole 'Verified' thing." As ever, the comment section is also packed with responses suggesting that Valve should adopt a community-rated approach to rating the playability of new games on the platform. That would have its own complications, though, with countless examples of review bombing on Steam's marketplace, with Slay the Spire 2 proving a notable recent example.
In fairness, it's hardly a surprise that the further we get into the Steam Deck's life cycle, the more we're seeing iffy performance on the handheld. In terms of performance firepower, Valve's handheld is starting to struggle to compete with some of the slightly more modern Steam Deck alternatives, such as the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X or Lenovo Legion Go Gen 2. It's for that reason that I'm desperate for Valve to hurry up and announce the Steam Deck 2. That doesn't seem all that likely anytime soon, though, with the company having only just launched the Steam Machine and component costs still sky-high.
It's also worth noting that while there are a lot of users frustrated with Valve's rating system, not everyone agrees. Some think it works well and don't mind sacrificing frame rates to play their top picks from our guide to the best Steam Deck games on the go. Ultimately, it's an issue that's likely to become more divisive, especially with major Steam launches on the horizon for 2027, including Fable and Resident Evil: Veronica.