Fallen Aces is Finally Steam Deck Optimized, And It Runs Wonderfully

If you haven't yet, follow us on X (Twitter) or Mastodon to know when we post new articles, and join our Reddit or Subscribe to us on YouTube to check out our content and interact with our awesome community. Thank you for supporting us!

When I first got to play Fallen Aces at PAX East this year, I was entranced by the game. It was incredible and addicting, and another great example of the New Blood team knowing exactly what they are doing. Unfortunately, playing on the Steam Deck has not been great, and for awhile after early access release, it remained unoptimized for the Deck. But that has finally changed, and I couldn't be more excited. 3 months after the initial release, we now have optimization!

Before I first played the game, we would have dropped into the 20 FPS range while also having uneven frame pacing and general issues here and there. And a lot of users reported needed to do some big workarounds, like using older Proton GE layers, lowered in-game settings, and a launch option.

But now, Fallen Aces is now easily hitting 90 FPS in almost every area I have encountered so far, with only one drop in front of the burning building, which did stay above 60 FPS. So, in the end, we have a significantly better experience that seems to be much more stable, even at the default settings. And this is all with the game sticking under a 15W battery drain for the most part, which is insane! The update mentions massive performance improvements and the team absolutely delivered. I ended up just keeping the game at 60 FPS for stability, and it brought the battery drain down to around 11W, which, again, is nuts!

The new update came as a hotfix for their bigger Turf War update, which expanded levels, added dynamic shadows, added gang infighting and bribing, new voiceovers, revamped cutscenes, merchants, goons that can choke you, and even more. It's an extremely fun game, and seeing how much of an improvement the performance is after this update makes this an easy and essential purchase for your Steam Deck.

Fallen Aces is $12.99 and rated Unsupported, but this should be corrected soon.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!