Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Is Better On Steam Deck, But Still Has Issues

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been one of those games that I keep wanting to work on the Steam Deck. I love the first game, and while I’m not so great at soulslikes, I love the Star Wars universe and how it’s portrayed in the series. Sadly, it wasn’t the greatest to play on the go when it released, with constant drops below 30 FPS and many compromises in graphical quality. However, when I was making the Verified/Playable list yesterday, I noticed that the game actually got the Playable badge. I know there have been updates to it, but I never thought it had been fixed. So, I found my reason to check it out for myself.

Now, the Verified system isn’t always accurate, which makes it even more important that I test it myself. As for this rating, the only reasons it doesn’t have the green checkmark are because of its launcher and some small in-game text. I haven’t seen any text that is too small, but I can confirm that the launcher needs the touchscreen. Still, this means that performance is up to par for Valve to call it a “great experience.” I had my doubts, but I’m not one to shy away from a challenge.

Either way, I’m glad I had my doubts, because it still has some issues. I will give credit where credit is due; it runs much better than it did when it launched. Most of the areas I remember sinking below 30 FPS before were now getting around 33-40. It was sticking this way throughout almost every fight, and the visuals looked good. There was a solid chunk of detail, and it didn’t look too blurry, and its obvious optimization was implemented really well. During these times, it was really easy to play, and I was surprised it was as good as it was after the state it launched in.

However, Jedi: Survivor still has some core issues. The framerate still drops dramatically in some scenes and cutscenes, and made it more difficult to do some platforming. It didn’t drop in any of the fights I encountered yet, but I could see it dropping in future fights if they are heavy on effects. The drops were pretty consistent to be noticeable, and in some scenarios, stuck around for a long time. There were also some obvious shadows, details, and lighting pop-ins that could be seen when running around. It isn’t egregious, but definitely noticeable.

It does get a little bit better after the first level, but there are still some warning signs that appear. The second level is also a very open, barren place, so it’s not nearly as detailed and populated as the first level. So, I expect future levels to be a mixed bag, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more drops later on.

The big question is whether I consider this Playable or not, and personally, I wouldn’t. It has definitely improved and is very close to being stable throughout at 30 FPS, but there are too many times when I can drop in cutscenes and populated areas. I would say if there aren’t any populated areas in the future, this could be a good game to play on the go. But I highly doubt that, so I could confidently say expect more drops.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is $69.99 on Steam.

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