Steam's Latest Update Brings Crucial Fixes and a Clever Framerate Telemetry Twist

The latest Steam Client update tackles a whole host of bug fixes that were previously tested in the beta stream. This patch resolves a massive slew of issues that have been plaguing users for a while, but more importantly, it introduces a brilliant telemetry feature that could finally fix the notoriously unreliable "Deck Verified" system.

Under the Hood: Telemetry for the Greater Good

For months, the community has grumbled about games boasting a "Verified" badge while chugging along at sub-30 frames per second. Valve is finally addressing this head-on. The most interesting addition in this update is a new Beta feature that allows users to provide anonymised framerate data.

When enabled, Steam will quietly collect gameplay framerate data in the background. Valve ensures this data is stored without any connection to your personal Steam account, identifying only the hardware you are playing on. By crowdsourcing real-world performance metrics, Valve can finally inject some much-needed reality into their verification system, meaning less guessing and more gaming.

Library Fixes and Input Polish

Among the notable changes are tweaks to accessibility and Steam Input options. If you happen to be one of the digital hoarders who helped chew through a staggering amount of data last year (seriously, considering how we demolished 100 exabytes of data in 2025), you will be thrilled to know Valve has patched an issue that made it impossible to install some games if you have a large game library.

Furthermore, they have squashed a frustrating bug that could result in Proton games showing up as "Not valid on current platform" for users with very large libraries.

The Full Official Patch Notes

For the purists who love to read every single line of a changelog, here is the complete, official list of updates straight from Valve:

General

• Added notification settings for showing a toast and playing a sound when an achievement is unlocked.
• Merged lockscreen options 'On system wake and power up' and 'Before login screen'. Enabling the lockscreen to display 'On system wake and power up' will show the lockscreen during login.
• Fixed a bug that could result in Proton games showing up as "Not valid on current platform" for - users with very large libraries.
• Fixed intermittent error in downloads view when moving game entries between scheduled and queued sections.
• Added the option to attach hardware specs when writing or updating a Steam User Review on a game's store page.
• Added the option to provide anonymized framerate data. When enabled Steam will collect gameplay framerate data, stored without connection to your Steam account but identified with the kind of hardware you are playing on. This data will help us learn about game compatibility and improve Steam. This feature is currently in Beta with a focus on devices running SteamOS.
• When submitting feedback on whether you agree with a Deck Verified rating, if you disagree we'll now ask for the reason. Providing a reason is optional.
• Display the highest resolution capsule image available for the featured game in the Recent Games carousel when online.
• Fixed an issue that could make the currently selected element rapidly gain and lose focus which could also result in gamepad inputs being ignored.
• Fixed an issue that made it impossible to install some games if you have a large game library.
• Fixed an issue that prevented your selected keyboard theme from applying while in offline mode.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the gaming mode footer to flicker or disappear.
• Installed demos that are no longer playable now show "Uninstall" instead of "Play" as their primary action.
• Newly added demos and free to play games will appear at the top of the recent games list.

Accessibility

• Various fixes for high contrast mode.

Chat

• Updated the /store command so that it now uses the new Store trailer player.

Desktop Mode

• Added a warning dialog when a user selects "Tools" in their library filter for the first time that explains what tools are and why they are showing up in the game list.
• Added an icon on tools in the game list with a tooltip to explain what they are.

Steam Families

• Improved setting layout and navigation on desktop, deck and mobile devices.

Remote Play

• Fixed hover behavior when using a tablet stylus.

Steam Input

• Fixed a bug in Gyro To Joystick Deflection mode where a setting of 0 for Minimum Gyro Deflection, and any non zero Minimum Joystick Output would still result in zero output without a significant amount of gyro deflection. This should help gyro users to dial in games' internal joystick dead zone size more easily.
• Added option to apply Gyro to Joystick Deflection range remapping and acceleration settings on an Per-Axis or Circular basis.
• Fixed an issue with Switch Pro Controller Home LEDs turning on when disabled.
• Fix a case where ABXY button options could be missing from configs.
• Improved input latency while controller rumble is happening on third party controllers.
• Button Chord Activator's drop down list of available buttons has been replaced with a multi button selector. This means that newer controllers have full access to extra grip buttons that were previously unlisted.
• Gyro to Joystick Camera's Minimum Joystick Output now matches Gyro to Joystick Deflection's behavior, which is useful for identifying a game's internal joystick deadzone.
• Fixed action set information being cut off in the configuration edit page.
• Added missing buttons to Mode Shift Button selection menu: Left Stick Touch and Right Stick Touch.

⚡ NerdZap's Take

I am incredibly optimistic about the new framerate telemetry feature. For the longest time, "Deck Verified" has felt like a roll of the dice; sometimes a verified game runs perfectly, and other times it chugs terribly. By relying on actual, real-world data from the community rather than isolated in-house testing, Valve is taking a huge step toward making the Steam Deck ecosystem infinitely more reliable. It is a brilliant, entirely optional solution that proves Valve actually listens to the community. Now, if they could just release a new premium Steam Controller to go with these input updates, my setup would be absolutely complete.