Has your Steam Deck shut down on its own due to an overheating problem? During the summer with more hot weather than normal, a lot of people have been experiencing their consoles overheating and turning off.
In this guide, we are going to share some tips with you to ensure that your console does not overheat. Overheating can cause lasting damage so the Steam Deck will shut off automatically to prevent damage. Let’s take a look at how you can keep the console cool.
How To Stop Steam Deck From Overheating
With record high temperatures in the UK recently, Valve tweeted a warning to Steam Deck owners about high temperatures causing Steam Decks to shut off. The Steam Deck performs best in ambient temperatures between 0 degrees and 35 degrees. When temperatures get higher than this the Steam Deck will throttle itself to prevent damage.
At 100 Degrees the Steam Decks APU will automatically start throttling performance and at 105 degrees the console will shut down. This is to protect both the console and the user.
There are things you can do to ensure that the Steam Deck has the best chance to cool down.
Take Regular Breaks During Gameplay
If you are playing a graphically demanding game in hot weather your console will likely start to heat up. The best way to prevent this from happening is by taking a short break every so often while playing.
We recommend taking a 5-minute break or so for every hour you play. Get up and stretch your legs for 5 minutes while letting your console cool down.
Ensure Your Console Vents Are Clean
Over time your Steam Deck will naturally build up dirt and dust in the vents of the console. If you do not keep these clean you will find your console heating up much faster than normal due to poor ventilation.
If you regularly clean your console with something like a dust blower or small vacuum, you should be able to keep it clean yourself. If you have let things get out of hand and your console is really dirty, you may want to hire an expert to clean it.
They will usually take the console apart and clean out the insides completely.
Play In A Well Ventilated Area
If you are playing your console in a poorly ventilated area, you may find that it heats up much quicker than normal. For example, if you like to play your console in bed and have it leaning against your bed covers, this will block the fans and vents.
This means that the console will not get enough airflow and will therefore be more prone to overheating, especially in a hot environment.
When playing your Steam Deck try to keep it elevated with the vents on the console unblocked. This will allow for good airflow in and around the console, keeping it cool.
Force Restart Your Steam Deck
If your console does shut down due to overheating, you may need to do a forced reset on the console so you can start gaming again.
To force restart your Steam Deck, hold down the power button on your console for 10 seconds. This will completely restart the console so you can start gaming again.
Further Problems
If you have tried all of the steps above and your Steam Deck is still overheating, even when it isn’t that hot then you may have a fault with your specific console. If the vents are clean and you are playing in a ventilated area but the console still regularly switches off, we would recommend contacting Valve.
You can contact them through the Steam Support Page. You will be able to send your console off for repairs or replacement depending on what steps Valve think is necessary.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it, those are the best methods and precautions to take if you want to avoid your Steam Deck from overheating. If you are gaming in hot temperatures there is a real risk that your Steam Deck will overheat which could cause lasting damage to your console.
Ensure you follow all of our precautions to keep your console safe and keep your gaming sessions going.
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