Why Palworld is perfect for handhelds like the Steam Deck

Palworld has quickly become the first indie-game hit of 2024 with PC and Xbox releases, but I think the best way to play it is on a handheld like the Steam Deck or Rog Ally.

Released on January 19, 2024, Palworld has skyrocketed to the top of Steam player count charts with a peak of over 1.3 million players. And, that’s not counting PC Game Pass or Xbox players either. Very few games reach this level of popularity, so it’s not a reach to say that Palworld has already become a phenomenon in its own right, much like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 before it.

With several ways available to play the game, some players have questioned what the best way to play the game is. It’s currently available on Xbox Game Pass on PC and Console, as well as Steam in early access.

This means that, even though this game is brand-new, you can still play it on the go. With hype building and a handy handheld awaiting, I eagerly anticipated the weekend. After spending 13 hours with Palworld on the Ayaneo KUN, playing the game on a portable system is an incredibly natural fit.

Palworld is perfect for handhelds like Steam Deck and ROG Ally

There are many reasons why Palworld is perfect for handhelds, but the biggest is its performance. With over three years of development so far, developers Pocket Pair have optimized the game quite well across both Steam and PC Game Pass versions.

On a handheld like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, or the Ayaneo KUN like I’ve been using, it translates into using less power to maintain solid FPS. With less power, comes longer battery life — meaning you can play the game longer while on the go.

I’ve seen reports of the game running at a stable 40fps on the Steam Deck, which is on par with most games on the popular Valve handheld. The only downside to this is that you’re limited to the Steam version unless you want to dual boot Windows 11, which leaves out many of those looking to make use of their PC Game Pass subscription. So, those with Windows handhelds might have a little bit of an edge, especially if you don’t want to spend extra purchasing the game if you already have a Game Pass subscription.

The ROG Ally and Ayaneo KUN are both Windows 11-based handhelds with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor and run Palworld at a solid 50 to 60 FPS. With being Windows-based, they both have easy access to the Xbox app, and therefore owners can play the hit game with just their subscription.

All of the popular handhelds in the market right now have programmable back buttons, and a survival crafting game like Palworld is a prime example of why these are so popular. You can program the buttons to act as a macro for several other button presses or just a singular one. While playing it with the Ayaneo KUN, I’ve found myself using the back buttons for easy access to inventory and the global map the most.

You could use them for literally anything in the game, including attacks, jumps, and even throwing your Pal Sphere (although you probably do that on accident enough as it is).

Palworld may not be a traditional monster-catching game like Pokemon, Nexomon, TemTem, and others — but it still fits in with the tradition of these games being released for handheld systems like the Nintendo Switch and 3DS.

Nothing beats getting immersed into a world, catching monsters, and exploring their colorful worlds without being tethered to a massive TV or at your desk like a gaming PC. Palworld perfectly inherits the legacy of these games in spades, offering up heaps of engaging mechanics, and an expansive world to explore, to boot.

It’s this legacy, paired with just how well the game runs on systems like the Steam Deck that makes me think that playing Palworld with a portable is the perfect way to experience the game.