At the Game Developers Conference 2026, Valve disclosed the requirements for its new “Steam Machine Verified” compatibility badge, which will apply to games for future Steam Machine devices. The minimum performance benchmark for this certification will be native 1080p resolution at a consistent 30 frames per second.
This requirement differs somewhat from initial reports about the system’s capabilities, which had suggested support for 4K at 60 fps using upscaling technologies like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. Effectively, this new benchmark indicates that 4K gaming on the device will be possible, but likely with the aggressive application of image scaling settings.
Valve also confirmed that all games with the existing “Steam Deck Verified” compatibility status will automatically receive the “Steam Machine Verified” status. This means they will adhere to the same control and input requirements established for the portable Steam Deck system.
However, the company clarified that even if a game is not supported on Steam Deck due to insufficient performance, it can still undergo separate testing for Steam Machine. If such a project can achieve the minimum standard of 1080p and 30 fps, it will be eligible for the corresponding status.
Other features of the certification program include:
- All “Deck Verified” games are automatically considered “Machine Verified.”
- The same control requirements as for Steam Deck are used.
- The minimum performance threshold for the badge is 30 fps at 1080p.
- The system’s estimated performance is approximately six times higher than that of Steam Deck.
- Testing does not include verification of display resolution or interface readability.
- An updated API has been added for precise hardware detection.