Assassin's Creed Syndicate hits 60 FPS on Steam Deck OLED

Assassin's Creed Syndicate averages close to 60 frames per second on the Steam Deck OLED, a performance level that defies its official status. Valve has officially marked the title as unsupported for the handheld, yet actual user data tells a different story. The discrepancy between the badge and the gameplay experience is one that players have noted for years.

Valve began collecting anonymized frame rate data from opt-in Steam players in February. As of last evening, the company started publishing this information on Steam Store pages. The data appears as averages and histograms for both the standard Steam Deck and the OLED model. This release marks the first time Valve has shared such specific performance metrics directly with consumers.

The company admits the data has limitations. Measurements do not account for custom in-game settings that users might tweak to improve stability. Valve also notes that players who enable VSync or set frame rate caps can skew the results. Despite these variables, the firm states that the collected data tends to cluster within relatively narrow ranges.

The new metrics help distinguish between games that carry the same Steam Deck Verified badge. Cyberpunk 2077 and Skyrim: Special Edition both hold verified status. However, Cyberpunk 2077 typically runs at 30 to 40 FPS on the device, while Skyrim: Special Edition usually reaches 50 to 60 FPS. This gap shows that a single badge does not guarantee a consistent experience.

The data is particularly telling for titles Valve labels as unsupported. These labels often appear when Valve says graphics settings cannot be configured to run well or when support is still in development. Starfield, Silent Hill 2, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate all fall into this category. User reports indicate that all three titles remain highly playable on the hardware.