Is Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Steam Deck Performance Good? – Answered

All hands on deck.

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Adeptus Mechanicus
Image via Owlcat Games.

Rogue Trader is a ton of fun on PC specifically, but you may be wondering if you can bring it to Steam’s handheld device. Here’s whether the performance for Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader on Steam Deck is any good.

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Does Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Run Well on Steam Deck?

While we don’t have information regarding the full release’s performance just yet, we do have a few ways to estimate how well it runs. The first is through player opinions of the Beta. Since Rogue Trader has been through Alpha and Beta stages on Steam, they’ve been playable through the Steam Deck. While details are naturally sparse, many have reported the game running between 30-40 FPS with the odd dip here and there. That doesn’t sound great, but given that it’s the Steam Deck and it’s a turn-based title, this shouldn’t be a problem.

The other bit of info we have is through the developers themselves. Through a comment on one of the major Reddit threads for Rogue Trader, the game will be considered “Playable” for a Steam Deck rating on the Steam page. What that translates to is the game running mostly fine, though likely having a few things that could be annoying. This could be something as simple text being small and more difficult to read, or something more frustrating like needing to pull up the on-screen keyboard manually.

How Can I Get the Game to Run Better on a Steam Deck?

If you want to improve the performance on Steam Deck, the best way you can do so is by lowering the in-game graphics settings. Typically, this will be through things like Texture Quality or Shadow Quality, as both will improve framerates substantially. You can also try limiting the framerate through your Steam Deck itself, since this will create a more stable experience with less random frame spikes.

How to Fix Lag Spikes in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader

If you’re experiencing lag spikes in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader, there are a few things you can try. First and foremost: try disabling vsync. Some users have reported this fixing their lag issues. Second, try turning off anti-aliasing. Doing one of or both of these options will most likely give you significant performance gains.

If you’re looking into more before starting the game, check out our guide on all romanceable companions in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.

About the Author

Shawn Robinson

Shawn is a freelance gaming journalist who's been with Prima Games for a year and a half, writing mainly about FPS games and RPGs. He even brings several years of experience at other sites like The Nerd Stash to the table. While he doesn't bring a fancy degree to the table, he brings immense attention to detail with his guides, reviews, and news, leveraging his decade and a half of gaming knowledge. If he isn't writing about games, he's likely getting zero kills in his favorite FPS or yelling at the game when it was 100% his fault that he died.