When the Steam Machine is finally in the hands of players, it'll already have a large volume of compatible games with the "Verified" green checkmark, with Valve indicating to developers that they won't have to worry too much about the verification process.
Valve designer Lawrence Yang told outlet Game Developer in an interview that the Steam Machine Verified badge will require "fewer constraints" than Steam Deck verification. Yang added that "if your title is Verified on Steam Deck, it will be Verified on Steam Machine."
Games earn the Steam Deck Verified label after testing by Valve. Being verified isn't necessarily an indicator that a game will run flawlessly on the handheld device, but rather that it checks off requirements of full controller compatibility, proper display settings, and middleware support.
From Valve's perspective, any game that meets those requirements on Steam Deck is good to go on the more console-like Steam Machine. Valve hasn't offered any more specific details about technical requirements for Steam Machine Verification.
Games that lack that marketable green checkmark badge might still be playable on Steam Deck; they just might be missing one of the main requirements. Some games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 were initially Steam Deck Verified by Valve before being recategorized as "Playable" due to graphical and performance issues.
In the same interview with Game Developer, Yang mentioned that the verification process for the company's Steam Frame VR headset will be different, but Valve will still "be going through the same rounds of testing and providing developer feedback." Valve has still yet to announce dates and prices for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, other than a vague 2026 release window.
Source
Valve designer Lawrence Yang told outlet Game Developer in an interview that the Steam Machine Verified badge will require "fewer constraints" than Steam Deck verification. Yang added that "if your title is Verified on Steam Deck, it will be Verified on Steam Machine."
Games earn the Steam Deck Verified label after testing by Valve. Being verified isn't necessarily an indicator that a game will run flawlessly on the handheld device, but rather that it checks off requirements of full controller compatibility, proper display settings, and middleware support.
From Valve's perspective, any game that meets those requirements on Steam Deck is good to go on the more console-like Steam Machine. Valve hasn't offered any more specific details about technical requirements for Steam Machine Verification.
Games that lack that marketable green checkmark badge might still be playable on Steam Deck; they just might be missing one of the main requirements. Some games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 were initially Steam Deck Verified by Valve before being recategorized as "Playable" due to graphical and performance issues.
In the same interview with Game Developer, Yang mentioned that the verification process for the company's Steam Frame VR headset will be different, but Valve will still "be going through the same rounds of testing and providing developer feedback." Valve has still yet to announce dates and prices for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, other than a vague 2026 release window.
Source