Valve just classed The Last of Us as ‘Unsupported’ on Steam Deck, following a rocky PC port launch that was dominated by negative Steam reviews. While you’ll technically still be able to play Naughty Dog’s dramatic post-apocalyptic adventure on the go, it doesn’t currently meet the storefront giant’s gaming handheld gold standards.
It’s worth noting that The Last of Us Steam Deck compatibility is a thing, and the new Unsupported label doesn’t change that. It does, however, completely contradict previous hints by Valve that it’d be Steam Deck Verified, and even Naughty Dog’s co-president Neil Druckman claimed Joel and Ellie would “grace” the handheld.
In an update tweet, Naughty Dog says it’s currently prioritising The Last of Us fixes and patches before submitting it for Steam Deck verification. There’s nothing necessarily causing compatibility concerns under the hood, but the badge makes it the odd one out among its PlayStation PC siblings, as God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and both Insominiac’s Spider-Man games are ‘Great on Deck’.
On a more positive note, Naughty Dog says a hotfix will land today, and a Last of Us patch will be oven-ready by Friday. Both updates may help boost fps on PC and provide Valve’s handheld with a performance helping hand, but we’ll potentially need to wait a little longer for it to climb out of the Steam Deck Unsupported gutter.
If you’re not completely sold on Valve’s portable PC in terms of performance, you might want to check out the recently announced Asus Steam Deck alternative. The Rog Ally will apparently bring the “fastest AMD APU yet” to the label, and that could make all the difference when it comes to running demanding ports like The Last of Us Part 1.
Of course, all you desk dwellers out there will be able to fully embrace the best Last of Us settings, but as always, make sure your rig can match The Last of Us system requirements before splashing out on the PlayStation PC port.