This week’s GeForce NOW Steam Deck news is a big one: NVIDIA has added 10 games to its cloud service, led by Gears of War: E-Day. Because GeForce NOW has a native app you can install on SteamOS, that gives Steam Deck owners a genuine alternative whenever a new release is too demanding for the handheld, or doesn’t run well at all.
I’ve gone through all 10 and checked each one’s Valve rating, controller support and ProtonDB reports, so you know which ones are worth streaming and which ones you’re better off playing natively. The short version: most of this batch is already Steam Deck Verified, but there are a couple of games where streaming makes a real difference.
How GeForce NOW works on Steam Deck
NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW app for Steam Deck is installed from Desktop Mode using the installer on NVIDIA’s download page, and it then shows up in your Steam library under Non-Steam games, so you can launch it from Gaming Mode like anything else. You stream your own copies of games from supported stores, including Steam and Xbox, so you still need to own each game. NVIDIA says Ultimate members can stream to the Steam Deck at up to 90fps on the native app.
The big advantage is that a cloud RTX rig is doing the heavy lifting, so demanding games can run at settings the Deck could never manage, and your battery lasts longer because the handheld is only decoding a video stream. The trade-offs are the subscription, the need for a strong and stable connection, and a little extra input latency. Streaming won’t fix a game’s controls either, which matters for a couple of games below.
Stream these on Steam Deck
These are the games from this week’s drop where GeForce NOW can genuinely help on the handheld, whether that’s because Valve flags performance problems or because you want the full visuals.
Gears of War: E-Day
Gears of War: E-Day is the headline game this week, and it’s the clearest case for streaming. Valve rates it Unsupported on Steam Deck, flagging graphics performance as the problem, and that matches what I found when I tested it. In my Gears of War: E-Day Steam Deck test, the campaign struggled to get above 20fps even with every setting at its lowest and FSR 4 on balanced, and multiplayer sat below 20fps most of the time with noticeable input lag.
The Steam Machine is a very different story. Valve rates it Verified there, and on my Steam Machine it settled at around 40 to 50fps at 1440p on the medium preset with FSR. ProtonDB players rate it Gold. On the Deck, though, GeForce NOW is now the way I’d recommend playing it. NVIDIA lists it on the service for both Steam and Xbox, including Game Pass. It’s £59.99 on Steam.
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival
Saber’s first-person survival horror take on Hellraiser is rated Playable on both Steam Deck and Steam Machine. Interestingly, Valve’s notes say the default configuration performs well on the Deck, and the Playable rating is down to some on-screen controller glyphs not matching the Deck, plus external controllers not being supported as the primary player. ProtonDB players rate it Platinum.
So this one runs natively, but it’s a dark, detailed horror game, and streaming it through GeForce NOW is an easy way to get the full visuals and a longer battery life. It’s £34.99, or you can grab it from Instant Gaming or Steam.
Solasta II
Solasta II is a turn-based tactical RPG built on the D&D SRD 5.2 ruleset, and it’s currently in Early Access. Valve rates it Playable on Steam Deck because some text is hard to read on the small screen, and notes that single-player needs an active internet connection. It’s Verified on Steam Machine, and ProtonDB players rate it Gold.
Being turn-based, it doesn’t need a high frame rate, so native play is fine. Streaming is still a reasonable option if you’d rather save battery, but it won’t make small text any bigger. It’s currently £27.19 on Steam (down from £33.99), or available from Instant Gaming.
Controller caveats: Permafrost and Tyr
Permafrost is a story-driven survival sandbox in a frozen, post-apocalyptic world, with co-op for up to four players. It only arrived in Early Access on 9 October, it has no Valve rating on any of the three devices yet, and Steam lists only partial controller support. ProtonDB players rate it Gold, but from just six reports. Streaming won’t change how it controls, so I’d treat it as a mouse-and-keyboard game for now. It’s £21.99 on Steam or from Instant Gaming.
Tyr is a free-to-play multiplayer tank shooter in Early Access. It’s rated Playable on Steam Deck and Steam Machine, but Valve’s notes are a long list of caveats: the default controller configuration isn’t fully functional, some text is small, the on-screen keyboard doesn’t appear automatically, and the default settings don’t perform well on the Deck. Steam lists partial controller support, and ProtonDB players rate it Gold. GeForce NOW could help with the performance side, but not the controls, so it’s one to try with care. It’s free on Steam.
Play these natively on Steam Deck
The other five games are all Steam Deck Verified, so there’s no need to stream them. GeForce NOW is just a handy extra here if you want to save battery or keep playing on another device.
Graveyard Keeper 2
Graveyard Keeper 2 is the standout of the batch for Valve’s hardware. Lazy Bear’s medieval cemetery sim is Verified on Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Steam Frame, which is rare, and ProtonDB players rate it Platinum. You’re back running a graveyard, automating production with zombie workers, restoring the town and even leading an undead army into battle. It’s a 2D management game with full controller support, so it’s a perfect fit for the Deck. It launched on 22 September and is currently £20.24 on Steam, or available from Instant Gaming.
Order of the Sinking Star
From Jonathan Blow, the director of Braid and The Witness, Order of the Sinking Star is a huge puzzle adventure with more than 1,000 hand-crafted, interconnected puzzles. It’s Verified on Steam Deck and Steam Machine, though it’s rated Unsupported on Steam Frame, and ProtonDB players rate it Gold. A big puzzle game you can dip in and out of is ideal for a handheld. It’s £26.75 on Steam or from Instant Gaming.
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer
Fuse Games’ Outer Rim racer is Verified on Steam Deck and Steam Machine. When I tested Galactic Racer on Steam Deck, it was mostly a 30fps experience on minimum settings, and the built-in XeSS frame generation pushed it up to 60fps at the cost of a little input latency. It’s a gorgeous game, so GeForce NOW is an option if you want it to look its best on the Deck, but it plays well natively.
On the Steam Machine, 1440p on the High preset with XeSS on Quality gave me a locked 60fps, which is the setup I’d recommend there. ProtonDB players rate it Gold, and Valve notes that first-time setup needs an internet connection. It’s £49.99 on Steam or from Instant Gaming.
Silver Pines
Silver Pines is a survival horror metroidvania set in small-town America, from Wych Elm and Team17. It’s Verified on Steam Deck and Steam Machine, and ProtonDB players rate it Platinum, so there’s no reason to stream it unless you want to save battery. It’s £21.99 on Steam.
Forever Ago
Forever Ago is a single-player road trip adventure from Third Shift and Annapurna Interactive, following Alfred on a journey north in search of redemption. It’s Verified on Steam Deck and Steam Machine. ProtonDB doesn’t have enough reports yet to give it a rating, but Valve’s Verified badge is a good sign for a story-driven game like this. It’s £15.99 on Steam.
What about Steam Machine and Steam Frame?
On the Steam Machine, every game here except Permafrost has a Valve rating, and most are Verified, including Gears of War: E-Day, so native play makes the most sense there. Hellraiser: Revival and Tyr are rated Playable. On the Steam Frame, only Graveyard Keeper 2 is Verified so far, while Gears of War: E-Day, Hellraiser: Revival, Order of the Sinking Star and Galactic Racer are rated Unsupported.
GeForce NOW Steam Deck verdict
For most of this week’s drop, native play on the Steam Deck is the way to go. GeForce NOW really earns its place with Gears of War: E-Day, where it turns a real struggle on the handheld into a proper way to play, and it’s a nice upgrade for Hellraiser: Revival’s visuals. NVIDIA also says GeForce NOW memberships will soon be available to buy directly through Amazon on Fire TV, which makes it a little easier to get set up on a TV.
If you’d rather try a different cloud service, I’ve also got a guide to setting up Boosteroid on Steam Deck, and you can sign up through Boosteroid’s site. Whichever you choose, a strong, stable connection makes all the difference.
