Steam Frame Verified: standalone badges, checklist and review
31 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Steam Frame is Valve's VR headset. Valve describes it as built mainly for streaming games from a PC, but also as a full PC running SteamOS that can run games on the headset alone. For that standalone mode Valve runs a compatibility review, and players see the result as a badge. This guide covers the review, the badges and the checklist, from Valve's Steam Frame Standalone Compatibility Review doc, checked 31 Oct 2026. Release dates, prices and hardware specs are not in it; Valve points to its Steam Frame product page for those.
What the review is
Valve calls it a direct extension of the Steam Deck compatibility review, and the criteria are similar: the default graphics settings must perform well, text and UI must be legible on the built-in display, and the default controller configuration must work with the Steam Frame Controllers. The same tests apply to VR and non-VR titles.
Only games running on the headset. Valve says the review applies to games, 2D and VR, running locally on Steam Frame, not to games running on a PC and streamed to it. The result does not affect whether your game is available on Frame, only how it is presented.
The four badges
| Badge | What Valve says it means |
|---|---|
| Verified | The game passes all compatibility checks. No configuration is needed to reach all of its functionality. |
| Playable | It works on Frame but may need manual work from the user, such as picking a community controller config, bringing up the on-screen keyboard, or changing settings to reach the minimum performance. |
| Unsupported | It does not work on Frame because of an incompatibility with Proton or specific hardware. |
| Unknown | The game has not completed the review, so there is no information yet. |
The Verified checklist
To be Verified, a game must meet all of these. Valve says most failures lead to a Playable badge, and calls them a one-size-fits-all minimum bar.
| Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Performance, 2D | At least 30 fps at 1280x720 during normal play. |
| Performance, VR | At least 72 fps at 1728x1728 during normal play. VR games below 1440x1440 get an Unsupported badge. |
| Controller models (VR) | Games that render controller models must show Frame's controllers. |
| Controller support | The game supports Frame's physical controls, and the default configuration reaches all content with no in-game settings to change first. |
| Controller glyphs | On-screen glyphs match Frame button names or Xbox 360/One names. No mouse and keyboard glyphs unless that is the active input. |
| No device warnings | The game does not tell the user that Frame's software or hardware is unsupported. |
| Launchers | Any launcher meets the same requirements, including full controller navigation. |
Valve's recommendations alongside the checklist: submit motion vectors and depth for reprojection in VR, use the Steam Input API so the right glyphs show for any device, and avoid making players go through a launcher at all. To help judge performance, Valve added a Performance Assessment Overlay to SteamVR.
Proton
Games without a native Linux build run on Frame through Proton, Valve's Windows compatibility layer. Valve calls Proton a work in progress. If the review finds blocking bugs or performance problems specific to Proton, they go into Valve's internal issue tracking and the game shows as Unsupported; once they are fixed, Valve notifies you and re-tests the game automatically.
What players see
After results are published, players see the badge while browsing games in the store and in their library. Valve says the badges are there to help players quickly find the experiences that fit their goals and setup. Valve's overview also lists the types of software Frame runs: Windows and Linux PC titles, and native ARM64 and Android-based APKs.
Sources: Steam Frame Standalone Compatibility Review, Steam Frame overview. Checked 31 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Valve's Steam Frame docs say nothing about broadcasts, and a broadcast plays no part in the review or the badge. A store page broadcast is a separate thing: your game in motion on the store page. Loopcast keeps one running from an uploaded video, billed per minute on air. You can try it free for 7 days, no card needed.
FAQ
What is Steam Frame Standalone Verified?
Valve's compatibility review for games running locally on the Steam Frame headset. Like Steam Deck Verified, it rates the out-of-the-box experience in standalone mode and shows the result as a badge in the store and the library.
Does the Steam Frame review cover games streamed from a PC?
No. Valve says the review only applies to games, 2D and VR, running locally on Steam Frame, not games running on a PC and streamed to it.
What frame rate does Steam Frame Verified require?
2D titles must run at a minimum of 30 fps at 1280x720 during normal play. VR titles must run at a minimum of 72 fps at 1728x1728. VR games below 1440x1440 get an Unsupported badge.
Can a Steam Frame badge stop players from getting my game?
No. Valve says the results do not affect whether your game is available to customers on Frame, only how it is presented.