Steam Machine plays your entire Steam library, including Windows games, which run through Proton. Whether a game works without any tweaking is what the Steam Machine Verified rating tells you: Valve requires a playable 30fps at 1080p on default settings plus full Steam Controller support. Every game that is Verified for Steam Deck is automatically Verified for Steam Machine too. As of 12 November 2026, don’t expect effortless 4K in demanding new releases. Reviewers found it is more of a 1080p to 1440p machine in those.
Your whole Steam library runs on it (Proton)
Steam Machine is a gaming PC running SteamOS. Once you sign in for the first time, every game you own shows up in your library, and anything you buy on another device appears there as well. Games without a native Linux version run through Proton, the compatibility layer that lets Windows games work on SteamOS.
Steam Cloud helps too: you can pick up a game you started on Steam Deck and carry on playing on Steam Machine. You can also filter your library by Steam Machine compatibility, so you can see at a glance what has been checked. For what is inside the box, see our Steam Machine specs.
Verified, Playable, Unsupported, Unknown
Valve tests games separately for Steam Deck and for Steam Machine, and there is a third rating for other SteamOS devices. The Deck and Machine ratings are independent for every game, so they can differ.
| Rating | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verified | Works out of the box and can be played entirely with a controller. |
| Playable | Runs, but needs some manual adjustment. |
| Unsupported | Not officially supported on this device. |
| Unknown | Not tested yet. |
It is the same system Steam Deck uses. If you want the longer explanation, read our guide to Steam Deck Verified.
What a game needs for Verified (30fps at 1080p, controller)
According to Valve’s developer documentation (Compatibility Review), a game gets Steam Machine Verified when it:
- is fully playable with a Steam Controller without any changes,
- shows the correct controller button icons,
- brings up the on-screen keyboard whenever you need to type,
- shows no warnings about an unsupported OS or GPU,
- has a launcher you can navigate with a controller,
- runs at a playable 30fps at 1080p on its default settings.
The text legibility and display resolution checks you may know from Steam Deck are not part of the Steam Machine review. The Machine has no screen of its own, it outputs to your TV or monitor.
Deck Verified means Machine Verified
Every game that is Verified for Steam Deck is guaranteed to be Verified for Steam Machine. It does not automatically work the other way round. That makes sense: the bar on Deck is 30fps at 800p, on Machine it is 30fps at 1080p, and Valve says Steam Machine has roughly six times the horsepower of Steam Deck. If most of your library is Deck Verified, you are already covered. For the other differences between the two, see our Steam Deck comparison.
What will not run (anti-cheat, codecs)
Games rated Unsupported are usually ones that rely on middleware SteamOS does not support. Typical examples are certain anti-cheat systems and some media codecs. Extra horsepower won’t fix that, the blocker is software. If you mostly play online games with anti-cheat, check each game’s rating before you commit.
Real-world performance: 1080p, 1440p, 4K and FSR
In February 2026 Valve wrote: “In our testing the majority of Steam titles play great at 4K 60FPS with FSR on Steam Machine.” It added that some titles need more upscaling, and that a lower frame rate with VRR and a 1080p internal resolution can be the better choice for those. That is the manufacturer’s claim, not an independent test.
Reviews published after launch (Tom’s Hardware and Germany’s PC Games) are more cautious. In demanding newer games, they found Steam Machine is realistically a 1080p to 1440p machine, with 4K reserved for older games or FSR. They also put its components closer to the lower end of current gaming PCs.
To give you an idea in numbers, here is what Tom’s Hardware measured in its June 2026 review (before later updates):
| Game and settings | Native | With FSR |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2, medium, 4K | 20fps | 60fps (FSR 2 Performance) |
| Forza Horizon 6, Ultra, 4K | 30fps | +10fps (FSR 3.1.5 Performance) |
| Cyberpunk 2077, Ray Tracing Ultra, 1080p | 15fps | 41fps (FSR 3 Performance) |
Since July 2026, FSR 4.1 is available in Proton Experimental for games that support FSR upgrades, so results today may differ from what reviewers measured in June.
How to switch to 4K
Steam Machine’s default game resolution is 1080p. It is labelled “Default” in the display settings, and it is the resolution Valve uses for Verified testing. You can change it in two ways:
- Globally for every game in
Settings > Display. - For a single game in that game’s own graphics settings.
HDMI 2.0 on the Machine handles up to 4K at 120Hz, DisplayPort 1.4 up to 4K at 240Hz. Performance at 4K varies from game to game depending on its default settings, so lean on FSR in demanding titles. HDR and the other picture options are covered in our Steam Machine setup guide.
Non-Steam games
You can add games that are not on Steam. In Desktop Mode, choose “Add a Non-Steam Game” and it will show up in your library under the Non-Steam tab. Epic Games Store and GOG titles install through the Heroic launcher, which works the same way as on Steam Deck, see our Epic and GOG guide. Some non-Steam games, Fortnite for example, don’t run well.
You can also pop a microSD card with games from your Steam Deck into the Machine and play them straight away. For the big picture, read our Steam Machine overview.
Join our Discord to ask how a specific game runs for other players. Come say hi on Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Most of them, yes. Games without a Linux version run through Proton, the compatibility layer in SteamOS. A game’s Steam Machine rating tells you whether it works without tweaks.
The game is fully playable with a Steam Controller, shows the right button icons, raises no unsupported system warnings and runs at a playable 30fps at 1080p on default settings.
Yes. Valve guarantees that every Deck Verified game is Verified for Steam Machine. The reverse is not automatic.
In February 2026 Valve cited 4K 60fps with FSR in most titles. Reviews found that demanding new games are more realistic at 1080p to 1440p, with 4K for older games or with FSR.
Games rated Unsupported mostly rely on middleware SteamOS does not support, typically certain anti-cheat systems or media codecs.
Information verified on 12 November 2026. We keep prices and the waitlist status up to date. More guides are in the Steam Machine hub.