For many gamers, the Steam Deck has become the go-to handheld gaming console in recent years. Despite rising prices, it remains one of the best ways to play a vast library of Steam games on the go. However, not every game on Steam is guaranteed to run well on the Steam Deck. Some require a bit of tweaking, while others won’t run at all. But in the case of one long-running free RPG, Steam Deck verified status has finally arrived… 12 years after the game released.
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The Elder Scrolls Online is a long-running MMORPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe. And as Elder Scrolls 6 remains elusive, it’s one of the best ways to experience new content across Tamriel. But for most of its 12-year run, the game has lacked the Steam Deck Verified green checkmark. For a while, the game was entirely unsupported. But for the last few years, it’s had the dubious “Playable” status. Now, at long last, The Elder Scrolls Online joins Oblivion Remastered as one of just a few Steam Deck-verified titles from the Elder Scrolls franchise.
The Elder Scrolls Online Secures Steam Deck Verified Badge Alongside Major Update
Fantasy RPGs like The Elder Scrolls Online consistently rank among the most-played games on Steam Deck. Baldur’s Gate 3, for instance, currently boasts the #5 spot, with Path of Exile 2 and Elden Ring rounding out the top 10. Even Skryim, which remains Unsupported for Steam Deck to this day, is among the 20 most-played games on the handheld. So, it certainly makes sense that Zenimax and Bethesda wanted to get The Elder Scrolls Online up to snuff on Steam Deck. Now, at least according to Valve, they’ve got it running smoothly.
The timing couldn’t be better, either. Zenimax is in the process of overhauling the long-running MMORPG, with quality-of-life updates and new, free content. With The Elder Scrolls 6 still likely years away, it seems that ESO will be the go-to way to explore fresh content in Tamriel for some time to come. In fact, ESO just recently got a major update with Update 50. This went live on June 8th, just before gamers spotted the shiny new Verified badge for Elder Scrolls Online on Steam Deck.
Update 50 is a big one, the last major update before Season 1 of The Elder Scrolls Online kicks off its new seasonal model in earnest. This free patch added a refresh for the Werewolf skill line, a new Class Mastery system, and the long-anticipated Challenge Difficulty system. It also brought in several more quality-of-life enhancements for the game, while laying the foundation for major content to come when Season 1 begins on July 8th. In other words, there’s a ton of new content to explore now and in the coming months in ESO. And now, you can rest assured that you can easily do so on Steam Deck.
Alas, there’s no word on whether Skyrim will ever join the MMORPG in Steam Deck verified status. But given the sheer number of re-releases that game has seen in its lifetime, anything is possible. And fans sure seem to be making it work if those player count numbers are any indication. Similarly, quite a few players report enjoying ESO on the Steam Deck even during its Unsupported days. Now, however, Zenimax has streamlined the process to make it even easier.
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[H/T: PC Gamer]
