Valve added FPS statistics to Steam. Now it is harder to hide optimization issues

Statistics have appeared on Steam game pages: users can now see the average FPS and how stably a project runs on the Steam Deck.

Valve added the ability to view the average frame rate of games on the Steam Deck and the distribution of performance metrics to Steam, allowing users to more accurately evaluate how comfortable it is to run a particular title on the handheld console.

Data is collected anonymously from Steam Deck owners who agreed to share metrics. The information is available for thousands of games that have undergone compatibility testing, including the “Verified”, “Playable”, and “Unsupported” categories. You can view the statistics on a game's page in the Steam store under the “Steam Deck Compatibility” – “Learn More” section. In the library, the feature is currently working in the beta version of the client.

In addition to the average value, Valve added a histogram showing the frame rate distribution. It allows users to assess how stable the performance is and how frequently frame drops, stuttering, and hitches occur.

Valve considers the new feature a first step toward publishing similar statistics for other devices. To this end, the company is already collecting consent for anonymous data sharing in the Steam desktop client. For now, the feature is available only in the beta version.

The metrics are calculated taking into account devices with standard frame rate limits: 90 fps for the Steam Deck OLED and 60 fps for the LCD model. A minimum threshold of collected data is required for statistics to be published.