The first installment in Sony's flagship open-world adventure series has finally made its debut on PC. Horizon Zero Dawn is Steam Deck Verified, meaning it not only runs on Valve's handheld gaming machine but also has full support for all the bells and whistles your Steam Deck has to offer, including the trackpad and gyro.
Horizon Zero Dawn runs great from the get-go, but we can make it run even better with a few changes to the in-game and Steam OS settings. These are the best Steam Deck settings to get the most out of this post-apocalyptic romp.
Horizon Zero Dawn™ Complete Edition Best Steam Deck Settings
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">Compatibility Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Proton Version</td><td style="padding: 0.5rem">Default</td>
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">BIOS Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">UMA Frame Buffer Size</td><td style="padding: 0.5rem">4G</td>
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">CryoUtilities Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Swap File Size</td><td style="padding: 0.5rem">16GB*</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Swappiness</td><td style="padding: 0.5rem">1</td>
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem; text-align: right"><sub>*Set to as large as your Steam Deck will allow</sub></th>
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| Compatibility Settings |
| Proton Version | Default |
| BIOS Settings |
| UMA Frame Buffer Size | 4G |
| CryoUtilities Settings |
| Swap File Size | 16GB* |
| Swappiness | 1 |
| *Set to as large as your Steam Deck will allow |
While Horizon Zero Dawn runs fine at the default settings, you can get a more consistent gaming experience by making some tweaks in your Steam Deck's BIOS. You'll also need CryoByte33's excellent CryoUtilities for best results.
Battery Saver Settings (600p@30fps | ~3h)
These settings prioritize battery life for up to 3 hours of game time. You'll have to make several sacrifices to the graphics to get there, but even with everything turned down, Horizon Zero Dawn looks impressive.
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">In-game Display Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Display Resolution</td><td>960x600</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Field of View</td><td>Default</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Adaptive Performance FPS</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">FPS Limit</td><td>30</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Render Scale</td><td>100%</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Aspect Ratio</td><td>Auto</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Display Mode</td><td>Fullscreen</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">V-sync</td><td>Off</td>
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">In-game Graphics Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Preset</td><td>Favor Performance</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">FSR</td><td>Quality</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">HUD Scale</td><td>1.20x</td>
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| In-game Display Settings |
| Display Resolution | 960x600 |
| Field of View | Default |
| Adaptive Performance FPS | Off |
| FPS Limit | 30 |
| Render Scale | 100% |
| Aspect Ratio | Auto |
| Display Mode | Fullscreen |
| V-sync | Off |
| In-game Graphics Settings |
| Preset | Favor Performance |
| FSR | Quality |
| HUD Scale | 1.20x |
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">Steam Deck Performance Menu Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Refresh Rate</td><td>60</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Framerate Limit</td><td>30</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Allow Tearing</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Half Rate Shading</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Thermal Power (TDP) Limit</td><td>On</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Watts</td><td>6</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Manual GPU Clock Control</td><td>On</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">GPU Clock Frequency</td><td>600MHz</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Scaling Filter</td><td>Linear</td>
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| Steam Deck Performance Menu Settings |
| Refresh Rate | 60 |
| Framerate Limit | 30 |
| Allow Tearing | Off |
| Half Rate Shading | Off |
| Thermal Power (TDP) Limit | On |
| Watts | 6 |
| Manual GPU Clock Control | On |
| GPU Clock Frequency | 600MHz |
| Scaling Filter | Linear |
Recommended — Balanced Settings (Native@40fps | ~1h30m)
These are our recommended settings, which get you a stable 40fps at native resolution. Forty frames per second is the ideal target framerate for most AAA games on the Steam Deck, as it's noticeably less choppy than 30fps and doesn't strain the APU as much as 60fps. This is the most playable configuration we have for you, and we recommend going with this one to get the best playing experience.
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">In-game Display Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Display Resolution</td><td>1280x800</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Field of View</td><td>Default</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Adaptive Performance FPS</td><td>50FPS</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">FPS Limit</td><td>40</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Render Scale</td><td>100%</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Aspect Ratio</td><td>Auto</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Display Mode</td><td>Windowed</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">V-sync</td><td>Off</td>
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">In-game Graphics Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Preset</td><td>Original</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">FSR</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">HUD Scale</td><td>1.20x</td>
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| In-game Display Settings |
| Display Resolution | 1280x800 |
| Field of View | Default |
| Adaptive Performance FPS | 50FPS |
| FPS Limit | 40 |
| Render Scale | 100% |
| Aspect Ratio | Auto |
| Display Mode | Windowed |
| V-sync | Off |
| In-game Graphics Settings |
| Preset | Original |
| FSR | Off |
| HUD Scale | 1.20x |
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">Steam Deck Performance Menu Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Refresh Rate</td><td>40</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Framerate Limit</td><td>40</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Allow Tearing</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Half Rate Shading</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Thermal Power (TDP) Limit</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Manual GPU Clock Control</td><td>On</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">GPU Clock Frequency</td><td>1600Hz</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Scaling Filter</td><td>FSR</td>
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| Steam Deck Performance Menu Settings |
| Refresh Rate | 40 |
| Framerate Limit | 40 |
| Allow Tearing | Off |
| Half Rate Shading | Off |
| Thermal Power (TDP) Limit | Off |
| Manual GPU Clock Control | On |
| GPU Clock Frequency | 1600Hz |
| Scaling Filter | FSR |
Best Quality Settings (Native@30fps | ~3h)
Want to see what the Steam Deck can really do? This preset gives you the best graphics possible on the Deck while maintaining a playable framerate of 30fps. If you can live without the extra 10fps, you might prefer this configuration over the last one.
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">In-game Display Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Display Resolution</td><td>1280x800</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Field of View</td><td>Default</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Adaptive Performance FPS</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">FPS Limit</td><td>30</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Render Scale</td><td>100%</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Aspect Ratio</td><td>Auto</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Display Mode</td><td>Windowed</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">V-sync</td><td>Off</td>
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<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">In-game Graphics Settings</th>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Preset</td><td>Custom</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">FSR</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">HUD Scale</td><td>1.20x</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Model Quality</td><td>Medium</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Anisotropic Filtering</td><td>High</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Shadows</td><td>Medium</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Reflections</td><td>Medium</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Clouds</td><td>Medium</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Ambient Occlusion</td><td>High</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Anti-aliasing</td><td>FXAA</td>
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| In-game Display Settings |
| Display Resolution | 1280x800 |
| Field of View | Default |
| Adaptive Performance FPS | Off |
| FPS Limit | 30 |
| Render Scale | 100% |
| Aspect Ratio | Auto |
| Display Mode | Windowed |
| V-sync | Off |
| In-game Graphics Settings |
| Preset | Custom |
| FSR | Off |
| HUD Scale | 1.20x |
| Model Quality | Medium |
| Anisotropic Filtering | High |
| Shadows | Medium |
| Reflections | Medium |
| Clouds | Medium |
| Ambient Occlusion | High |
| Anti-aliasing | FXAA |
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style="
margin: 1rem auto;
color: #ddd;
background-color: #23262F;
border-radius: 0.5rem;
border-collapse: separate;
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<tr bgcolor="#3F434F">
<th colspan="2" style="padding: 0.5rem">Steam Deck Performance Menu Settings</th>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Refresh Rate</td><td>60</td>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Framerate Limit</td><td>30</td>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Allow Tearing</td><td>Off</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Half Rate Shading</td><td>Off</td>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Thermal Power (TDP) Limit</td><td>Off</td>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Manual GPU Clock Control</td><td>On</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">GPU Clock Frequency</td><td>1600Hz</td>
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<td style="padding: 0.5rem">Scaling Filter</td><td>FSR</td>
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</table>
| Steam Deck Performance Menu Settings |
| Refresh Rate | 60 |
| Framerate Limit | 30 |
| Allow Tearing | Off |
| Half Rate Shading | Off |
| Thermal Power (TDP) Limit | Off |
| Manual GPU Clock Control | On |
| GPU Clock Frequency | 1600Hz |
| Scaling Filter | FSR |
