How to Increase Steam Deck FPS: 10 Settings That Actually Work
The Steam Deck’s default settings prioritize compatibility over performance. A few changes push frame rates up significantly without touching the game itself. These are the ones that actually work.
Set a TDP Limit Per Game
TDP (Thermal Design Power) controls how much power the processor can draw. The Deck defaults to 15W. For many games, 15W is more than needed, and the extra power draw produces heat without producing frames.
Open the Quick Access Menu (the three-dot button on the right side), go to the Performance tab, and enable Manual GPU Clock Control along with the TDP Limit slider.
Start at 12W and run the game for a few minutes. If performance is stable, drop to 10W. If frame rates hold, you’ve reduced heat and extended battery life without losing anything. If performance drops, go back up to 12W or 15W.
Set this per game using per-game profiles. Press the Steam button, go to your game, and access Properties to enable a per-game profile. The Deck remembers the settings for that title automatically.
Cap Frame Rate at 40fps with 40Hz Refresh
This is the single biggest performance quality improvement on the Steam Deck. In the Performance tab, set Frame Rate Limit to 40 and Refresh Rate to 40Hz.
A game running at a stable 40fps feels smoother than a game swinging between 30 and 55fps. The 40Hz screen refresh rate matches the frame output, eliminating tearing and stutter. The result looks better and runs more efficiently than an uncapped frame rate.
For slower games (turn-based RPGs, strategy, visual novels), 30fps at 60Hz works fine. For action games where motion matters, 40fps makes a real difference.
Enable FSR
FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) renders the game at a lower resolution and upscales it to fill the screen. The GPU works less hard, frame rates go up, and the image quality difference at handheld viewing distance is minimal at Quality or Balanced settings.
Enable FSR in the Performance tab under the Scaling Filter option. Set it to FSR, then adjust the Sharpness slider to your preference (5 is a good starting point).
Performance mode gives the largest frame rate boost but makes the image noticeably softer. Quality mode is the sweet spot for most games.
Lower In-Game Graphics Settings Strategically
Not all settings cost the same amount of performance. Shadows and ambient occlusion are the most expensive settings in most games. Anti-aliasing and draw distance are next. Texture quality and effects cost less.
In any demanding game, set shadows to Low or Medium first. The frame rate gain is larger than setting textures from High to Medium. Then adjust AA. Leave texture quality at Medium or High since the GPU memory handles it differently.
Change the Resolution
The Steam Deck’s native resolution is 1280×800. Dropping to 1024×640 or 960×600 reduces GPU load and increases frame rates. Enable FSR after lowering resolution to clean up the upscaled image.
This is worth doing for demanding games where you can’t hit 40fps with other settings. Many players find the combination of 960×600 + FSR Quality looks better than native 800p at lower frame rates.
Install CryoUtilities
CryoUtilities is a community tool that optimizes the Steam Deck’s RAM and swap file configuration. Install it from the GitHub page (search CryoUtilities Steam Deck). Run it in Desktop Mode and apply the recommended settings.
The main benefit is reducing stutters in open-world games that load assets from storage. Games like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 show the most improvement. Frame rates don’t jump dramatically, but frame time consistency improves, which makes the experience feel smoother.
Check Proton Version Per Game
Some games run better on specific Proton versions. ProtonDB (protondb.com) shows community reports for each game with notes on which Proton version performs best. If a game runs poorly on the default Proton version, check ProtonDB and switch to the recommended version in the game’s Properties > Compatibility settings.
For more on managing Steam Deck performance during travel, see the Steam Deck battery life guide. For the best games to run at optimized settings, see best Steam Deck games in 2026.
