Valve has its own rating system for measuring how well games run on Steam Deck, but even following the guidelines for whether something is “playable” or “verified,” I've still come across games that simply don't work on the handheld device.
Enter Steam Reviews. Reviews from players who primarily played on Steam Deck will now feature a small Deck icon, which when you hover over it, tells you the exact amount of time spent on the Deck.
Steam users can also filter their search for these reviews by clicking the “Playtime” drop-down menu at the top of the reviews section and selecting “Played primarily on Steam Deck.”
It's a relatively minor change, but oh, it's useful. I play a lot of games on Steam given my career, such as it is, and it makes a big difference to know in advance whether something will run comfortably on the Deck or whether I'll have to keep hunched over my desk for 60+ hours each week.
Valve recently made some changes to Steam user reviews. Earlier this month, they decided to demote user reviews that were extremely short or contained ASCII art, because while these reviews may be funny (or “funny”), they aren't helpful to those making purchasing decisions.
You can always ignore user reviews and read our own, remember. We sometimes review games on Steam Deck and always rate when we do (recently, The Crimson Diamond), and James is constantly testing games on the device for Steam Deck Academy. Check out his picks for the best Steam Deck games.