The PC release of God of War: Ragnarok has captivated gamers, and it’s no surprise that Steam Deck owners are eager to see how well it runs on the device.
With some fine-tuning, you can enjoy smooth gameplay with frame rates hovering between 60-90 FPS.
Here’s an optimized guide based on both expert advice and community-tested settings that ensure a smooth experience with minimal stutter or input lag.
Table of Contents
Best Settings for Smooth Performance
To achieve optimal performance on the Steam Deck, here are the settings you should use. These tweaks balance visuals and frame rates, ensuring smooth gameplay even in more demanding areas of the game.
- VSync: Off
- Aspect Ratio: Auto
- Frame Limit: Off (important for reducing input lag)
- Frame Generation: AMD FSR-FG
- Scaling Method: AMD FSR 3.1
- Scaling Quality: Balanced (Quality can also be used with minimal performance difference)
- Graphics Preset: Low
- Textures: Low/Medium
- Models: Medium
- Film Grain: 0
- Motion Blur: 0 (important for clarity and performance)
Performance in Taxing Areas
In the most demanding areas of the game, these settings will keep your frame rate above 40 FPS, with minimal input lag or stuttering. Although you may encounter micro stutters in a very small portion of the game, the experience is smooth overall. Throughout the rest of the game, you can expect to hit anywhere between 60 to 90 FPS, delivering a satisfying gameplay experience on the Steam Deck.
Frame Generation: A Game Changer
AMD’s Frame Generation technology plays a critical role in boosting performance on the Steam Deck. It raises the frame rate from as low as 28 FPS to over 44 FPS in intense areas, providing a smoother experience without noticeable input lag. Many users have reported that removing any FPS limit—both in-game and within SteamOS—further reduces input lag. While this might seem counterintuitive, it prevents the device from capping performance and makes gameplay feel more responsive.
Community Insights: Real-World Experience
One Steam Deck user reported that with these settings, they were able to achieve frame rates as high as 80-90 FPS in certain areas. They emphasized the importance of turning off the frame limit to reduce input lag, a crucial tweak that significantly improved their gameplay experience. Another user experienced issues with input lag and lower frame rates on the OLED version but found that removing the frame limit, both in-game and in SteamOS, resolved the problem entirely.
Balancing Visuals and Performance
For most users, using the “Balanced” setting for AMD FSR 3.1 is a sweet spot, offering good image quality with minimal performance cost. However, if you prioritize visuals, switching to “Quality” will not drastically impact performance, though it may slightly reduce the frame rate.
While keeping most graphical settings at low ensures stable performance, textures and models can be set to medium without severely impacting frame rates. Turning off Film Grain and Motion Blur is also essential for a clearer, more stable visual experience. These two settings tend to muddy the image and tax the system unnecessarily.
Conclusion
By following these settings and recommendations, you can achieve an incredible experience playing God of War: Ragnarok on the Steam Deck, maintaining performance levels from 60-90 FPS with minimal stutter and input lag. Frame Generation and AMD FSR 3.1 play crucial roles in this, allowing even this portable device to handle the game well. If you encounter input lag, ensure that all frame limits are disabled, both in-game and in SteamOS, to unlock the full potential of your Steam Deck.
Enjoy smooth, high-performance gameplay without needing to compromise too much on visuals, and dive into the world of Ragnarok wherever you go.
