Little Nightmares III on Steam Deck: Looks Stunning but needs Tweaking

Little Nightmares III looks gorgeous on the Steam Deck and generally runs well, but it’s a bit more demanding than expected out of the box. With a few adjustments, you can keep the experience smooth while improving battery life.

Thanks to Bandai Namco Europe for providing access for testing.

Quick recommendations

- Resolution: 1280x800

- Upscaler/AA: Use XeSS instead of TAA

- Frame rate: Cap at 60 FPS for smoothness; cap at 30 FPS if you want significantly better battery life

- Preset: High is playable with the above settings; consider dialing down select options if you see spikes

Performance and power draw

- Using the default High preset with TAA looks great and can hold 60 FPS, but it pushes power usage above 20W—higher than ideal for handheld play.

- Switching to XeSS trims power to roughly 17–18W in most scenes while maintaining strong image quality. This is the most impactful single change.

- Even with optimizations, frame times can fluctuate, so a 60 FPS cap is the sweet spot for stability and efficiency.

- Expect about 2–3 hours of battery life at 60 FPS on the Steam Deck OLED, depending on scene complexity. If you cap to 30 FPS, draw settles around 15–18W, improving endurance noticeably.

Notes

Little Nightmares III channels a co-op-driven design reminiscent of It Takes Two—only with the series’ signature eerie atmosphere. You can play with a friend or let the AI companion join you; the AI does a surprisingly good job of keeping pace and helping with puzzles.

Bottom line

On Steam Deck, Little Nightmares III delivers striking visuals and a steady experience with the right settings. Prioritize XeSS over TAA, cap to 60 FPS for balanced smoothness and power, or go 30 FPS if battery life is key. Either way, it’s a compelling handheld horror-puzzle adventure that shines with its co-op focus.