Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is the newest PlayStation classic releasing on PC. I tested it on my Steam Deck to check if I could carry around the adventures of Nathan Drake with me everywhere I went. Does it work? Let’s jump in!
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
The Legacy of Thieves Collection isn’t a new entry in the franchise, originally it was created as a PlayStation 5 game and included remasters of the critically acclaimed Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. We already reviewed the original collection so I won’t repeat myself here. Timmy gave it a solid 9.5 out of 10 and I stand behind that score for sure. Both games were instant classics when they were first released so being able to play them in better quality was a true blessing. Since the PC port doesn’t add anything new to the mix, you can read our original review to get an idea of what the Collection holds in store.
With that being said, let’s move over to the more important part of this review, namely how it performs on the Steam Deck.
At last, the return of Uncharted on the go
Ever since the downfall of the PlayStation Vita, there are a couple of games I always wanted to play in the palm of my hands again, Uncharted was one of them. Needless to say, I got pretty excited when I learned the Legacy of Thieves Collection got Steam Deck verified, meaning my dream of another portable Uncharted finally came true. Instead of launching the collection on a powerful gaming PC, I decided to test the Steam Deck version instead. This means I’m missing out on all the technical PC improvements and the rather impressive performance buffs, but instead, I was able to enjoy some of the better games ever created in handheld mode.
I first started playing this Steam Deck version in dock mode, my docking station arrived earlier this week so I had to check it out for sure. In docked mode, it comes pretty close to the PlayStation 5 version but lacks a couple of textures and details due to the simple fact that a Steam Deck isn’t a PlayStation 5. If you don’t own a PS5, playing the Steam Deck version docked is the next best thing and you won’t run into any game-breaking bugs. The game runs fluently on Deck and doesn’t have any issues maintaining a stable framerate most of the time. Like all other games on Valve’s hybrid, you can toggle a couple of settings to deliver the best possible performance graphic-wise or gameplay-wise. It played pretty solid in the dock but the best way to play this on the Steam Deck is in its standard handheld mode.
Both games of the Collection look amazingly detailed and crisp on the Steam Deck’s smaller screen and it’s pretty mind-blowing to see how well it runs most of the times. If you played God of War or Marvel’s Spider-Man on Steam Deck before, you already know what to expect. PlayStation Studios has easily become one of the best developers on Steam Deck verified titles, they never disappoint and always knock it out of the park with their PC ports. But sadly, this isn’t a perfect port for Steam Deck. The game sometimes becomes rather laggy during my crowded scenes and this version does suffer from some minor frame drops now and then.
Of course, you’re not playing the best-looking version of the Collection but it’s good to know that you’ll play one of the better-performing games on the system. It’s a demanding game so you’ll drain the battery a bit quicker than you would hope but if you carry around one of the compatible power banks, you’ll be able to enjoy this epic adventure everywhere you go.
Conclusion:
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on Steam Deck is a no-brainer. It brings one of the best franchises to the system and it runs well on Steam Deck. If you want to play it on a gaming PC, you’ll have a blast with all added performance and graphical boosts as well so it’s a pretty easy conclusion here. It’s an amazing PC port of an amazing Collection but when you’re playing on Steam Deck, keep in mind that you’ll run into a couple of more technical bugs.
