Valve’s Steam Machine is in many ways just like the Steam Deck, and it will have a verified badge for games that are confirmed to run at optimal performance. Valve has now confirmed the requirements needed to earn that badge. While games don’t necessarily need to be verified to run on the hardware, having it is an indicator that the game was tested and it is verified that it runs well. So, as a gamer it’s nice to see those badges there.
The good news, for both developers and players, is that any Steam Deck Verified games will automatically be verified on the Steam Machine as well. For any games that aren’t verified yet, the requirements Valve has set forth seem like reasonable targets to hit. Given that the Steam Machine is said to have 6x the performance of the Steam Deck.
Steam Machine Verified badge requirements include a 1080p resolution target at 30fps
This is the main detail. Games running on the Steam Machine will need to hit 30 frames per second while running at a 1080p resolution. This shouldn’t be awfully hard to do since the Steam Machine is more powerful than the Steam Deck. Still, it is possible that some games may struggle with this. Valve also states that the Steam Machine will have the same input expectations as the Steam Deck, and that games will need to have an updated API to detect the hardware.
Valve has also listed the requirements for a game to be Steam Frame Verified. To get this badge, games will need to be playable entirely with the Steam Frame controllers. Additionally, standalone VR games will need to be able to hit 90fps, while standalone 2D games will need to be able to hit 30fps at 1280 x 720 resolution. Reasonable targets, it would seem.
Valve hasn’t said exactly when the Steam Machine is launching yet, but it likely isn’t going to be in the next month or two. That should give developers a little bit of time to square things away if needed. Valve has said that it still expects the Steam Machine to launch in 2026, however, after having confirmed its delay in February.
