Halo: The Master Chief Collection finally gets Steam Deck support - Best settings, expected performance, and more

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is now officially playable on the Steam Deck. While it wasn't completely unplayable in the past, running the game on the device's SteamOS prevented users from accessing the multiplayer mode before. This was due to the anti-cheat software being incompatible. However, a recent update has ensured that users can play all of the game modes available on their Steam Deck without facing any issues.

For further clarity, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a complete package of classic Halo games, consisting of Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4. All of these games have been updated to meet the requirements of PC gamers and feature high framerate support, as well as some visual enhancements.

However, the collection's previous incompatibility with the Steam Deck prevented many users of the handheld computer from playing it properly. This guide will take a closer look at the update to see how the collection performs on Steam Deck now, the best settings to use in-game, and more.

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Best graphics settings for Halo: The Master Chief Collection on the Steam Deck

Although Halo: The Master Chief Collection is currently supported on the Steam Deck, it's yet to receive a 'Playable' or 'Verified' compatibility rating. Before getting started with the best settings for the game, you must be aware of a few things. The latest patch isn't the be-all or end-all support update for the Steam Deck. As per the recent patch notes, there are still a few issues.

When launching the title, if players select 'Anti-Cheat Enabled', the game will start with the anti-cheat disabled and vice versa. Secondly, Steam Deck users cannot join a party of users who are playing Campaign Co-op or Spartan Ops mode on an Xbox system or on a PC. Apart from these issues, there might be occasional crashes that could negatively impact the gaming experience.

Having said that, the Halo: The Master Chief Collection runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck. To get the most out of the game in terms of visual fidelity and framerate on the handheld system, the following settings are recommended:

General settings

• UI Gamma: As per the user's preference
• UI Graphics Quality: Enhanced
• Window mode: Full Screen
• Monitor: Default_Monitor (1)
• Aspect Ratio: Native
• Resolution Settings: 1280x800

Video Backgrounds

• Configure Backgrounds: As per the user's preference

Game Settings

• Set according to the Halo game you are playing

Video Settings

• Gamma: As per the user's preference
• Field of View: As per the user's preference (Recommended to stick around 90)
• Third Person Field of View: As per the user's preference (Recommended to stick around 90)
• VSync: On
• HUD Anchoring: Centered

Experimental Settings

• Framerate Limit: Unlimited

Graphics Settings

• Graphics Quality: Enhanced

Graphics Quality Settings

• Anti-Aliasing: On
• Details Quality: High
• Effects Quality: High
• Lighting Quality: High
• Shadow Quality: High
• Anisotropic Filtering: High
• Water Quality: High

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Using these settings will allow users to play the shooter game at around 60 frames per second most of the time, with occasional dips during intense scenes or detailed outdoor environments. It's worth noting that not all of the games in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection will run in the same manner and users may have to reduce certain settings, such as Shadow Quality and Effects Quality, for Halo 4.