Palworld gets Steam Deck performance boost thanks to mod

Palworld is one of the most-played games on Steam right now, and a new mod makes the experience even better for handhelds like the Steam Deck.

Palworld already seems like a natural fit for the Steam Deck, and while it runs well natively, without any mods, those looking to get more performance out of the game are in luck. Modder TheHybred has released a mod named “Steam Deck Essentials (All handhelds)” which looks to improve the performance of the game on low-powered systems like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Legion Go, and Ayaneo lineup.

But, that’s not all. You can also enhance the game’s anti-aliasing, for better visuals, as well as adding performance presets that reduce graphics settings even further than the game’s internal menus, letting you target higher framerates. It can also improve stutter by working to deliver textures in a different way, which works better for devices running the game on an SD card.

The mod is available now at NexusMods.

How to improve Palworld Steam Deck performance using mod

• Download the “Steam Deck Essentials (All handhelds)” mod
• Hold down the power button and enter desktop mode on Steam Deck
• Navigate to your Palworld installation directory and select the “Paks” subfolder
• Open the previously-downloaded SDEssentials Palworld mod folder
• Move the “~mods” folder into your “Palworld\Pal\Content\Paks” directory

From here, you can further configure visual mods, if you so wish, this will require locating the Engine.ini file on your system. This could be at the following locations:

• Steam: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Pal\Saved\Config\Windows
• Game Pass: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Pal\Saved\Config\WinGDK
• Steam Deck: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1623730/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Pal/Saved/Config/Windows

In these directories, you can then place different shader art styles into the game, to your taste. But, it’s totally optional. The creator of the mod also specifies that Steam Deck users can also set VRAM to 4GB in CryoUtilities, which can improve performance.

A list of recommended handheld devices has also been shared for the mod, too.

• Steam Deck
• ROG Ally
• Legion Go
• Ayaneo
• GPD Win

So, if you’re looking to boost your performance for any of the aforementioned gaming handhelds, this mod should help you with good performance gains.