Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Review (in Progress) – GOTY Contender, but Play It Elsewhere for Now

A Deep Dive into Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – A Steam Deck and PS5 Review in Progress

For years, many gamers anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. My own journey began with Total War: Warhammer, leading me to explore other titles in the franchise, including Boltgun and Rogue Trader. Intrigued, I sampled the original Space Marine on my Steam Deck. Now, having extensively played Space Marine 2 across both Steam Deck and PS5, leveraging cross-progression and online features, I offer this in-progress review.

This review remains unfinished for two key reasons: a comprehensive assessment requires thorough testing of cross-platform multiplayer and public server stability. Furthermore, Focus and Saber Interactive are actively developing official Steam Deck support, slated for release by year's end.

Given Space Marine 2's stunning visuals and cross-progression, I was eager to see how it performed on the Steam Deck. The results are a mixed bag, and this review will detail both strengths and weaknesses across gameplay, online co-op, visuals, PC port features, PS5 performance, and more. Note: Screenshots with performance overlays are from my Steam Deck OLED; 16:9 screenshots are from my PS5 playthrough. Testing utilized Proton GE 9-9 and Proton Experimental.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a visceral third-person action shooter; brutal, visually impressive, and undeniably fun, even for Warhammer newcomers. A concise yet effective tutorial introduces combat and movement mechanics before leading you to the Battle Barge hub. Here, you select missions, game modes, customize your appearance, and more.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is exceptional. Controls and weaponry feel perfectly balanced. While ranged combat is viable, I found immense satisfaction in melee combat's visceral impact. The execution animations are consistently engaging, and mowing down hordes of enemies before facing tougher foes remains thrilling. The campaign shines in solo and co-op modes, though defense missions feel less inspired.

Playing with a friend overseas, Space Marine 2 evoked the feeling of a high-budget Xbox 360-era co-op shooter – a rarity today. Its addictive gameplay captivated me, reminiscent of Earth Defense Force or Gundam Breaker 4. I sincerely hope Saber and Focus collaborate with SEGA to modernize the original game's campaign.

My Warhammer 40,000 experience stems primarily from Total War: Warhammer, Dawn of War, Boltgun, and Rogue Trader. Despite this, Space Marine 2 offers a refreshing experience, ranking among my favorite co-op games in years. While it's too early to declare it my favorite Warhammer title, this review's current draft will be saved, as I'm eager to continue playing. Operations mode, with its diverse classes and progressive unlocks, has become highly addictive.

While I haven't yet experienced Space Marine 2's full launch with random players, my co-op experience has been outstanding. I eagerly anticipate testing the online functionality further this week with cross-progression and cross-platform play enabled.

Visually, on both PS5 and Steam Deck, the game is a stunner. The PS5's 4K mode (on my 1440p monitor) is breathtaking. The environments are incredibly detailed, and the game's world feels alive, not just through massive enemy swarms, but also through meticulous texture work and lighting. This is further enhanced by superb voice acting and extensive customization options, allowing for creative character expression.

A photo mode, accessible in single-player, allows for adjustments to frames, expressions, visible characters, FOV, and more. However, on the Steam Deck, some effects appear suboptimal with FSR 2 and lower resolutions. The PS5 version's photo mode is exceptional.

The soundtrack, while not featuring Bolt Thrower's Realm of Chaos (a missed opportunity, perhaps), is still quite good. The true audio stars are the voice acting and sound design, both top-tier. The music is effective within the game's context, though I wouldn't necessarily listen to it outside of the game.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Graphics Options

The PC port (tested on Steam Deck) offers extensive graphical settings. While Epic Online Services is installed, account linking isn't mandatory. Options include display mode, resolution, render resolution, quality presets (balanced, performance, ultra performance), upscaling (TAA, FSR 2 on Steam Deck), dynamic resolution, v-sync, brightness, motion blur, FPS limit, and granular control over individual settings like texture filtering, shadows, and ambient occlusion.

DLSS and FSR 2 are included, with FSR 3 planned post-launch. I anticipate significant Steam Deck improvements with FSR 3's addition. 16:10 support is also hoped for in a future update.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Control Options

The game supports keyboard and mouse, along with full controller support. Initially, PlayStation button prompts weren't displayed on the Steam Deck by default, but disabling Steam Input resolved this. Adaptive trigger support is present, and the control settings allow for remapping keyboard and mouse bindings. My DualSense controller (Bluetooth) displayed PlayStation prompts and even supported adaptive triggers wirelessly – a noteworthy feature.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Performance

I experienced some freezing during startup on default Proton and Experimental, but Proton GE 9-9 proved stable. While technically playable on Steam Deck without configuration, performance is currently suboptimal.

At 1280x800 (16:9), using the low preset with FSR 2.0 at Ultra Performance, maintaining a locked 30fps is impossible. Frequent dips into the mid-20s, and even lower, occur during intense combat. Even at lower resolutions, frame rates fall below 30fps. This is far from ideal for this type of game. I hope future optimizations will achieve a stable 30fps experience, but it's currently unattainable in my 10 hours of Steam Deck OLED playtime.

Dynamic upscaling targeting 30fps, with the low preset, can reach the 30s, but dips to the low 20s are common. The visuals remain acceptable on the Deck's screen, but Space Marine 2 currently pushes the Steam Deck's limits. The game also occasionally fails to exit cleanly, requiring manual closure.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Multiplayer Impressions

Online multiplayer on Steam Deck functions flawlessly. Co-op play with a friend in Canada was smooth and enjoyable. Occasional internet-related disconnections were experienced, but these are likely pre-release server issues. Further testing with random players and friends post-launch is needed.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PS5 Features – DualSense, Activity Cards, and Performance Mode

Playing on PS5, performance mode is generally excellent, though a locked 60fps isn't achieved, and dynamic resolution/upscaling seems present, causing occasional blurriness during large battles. Load times are fast, and PS5 Activity Card support is included. Gyro support is currently absent.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Cross-Save Progression

Cross-progression between Steam and PS5 functioned well in the pre-release build, with a two-day cooldown period between platform syncs. The final build's behavior remains to be confirmed.

Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Worth It for Solo Play Only?

This question requires further evaluation post-launch, once server populations stabilize. Online matchmaking in Operations (PvE) and Eternal War (PvP) modes needs more testing.

Desired Features for Future Updates

Post-launch support is expected, and I hope to see improved Steam Deck performance and HDR support. The DualSense implementation is good, but haptic feedback would be a welcome addition.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a strong Game of the Year contender. While online multiplayer testing with cross-play is pending, the gameplay is superb, and the visuals and audio are outstanding across both platforms. I currently don't recommend it for Steam Deck, but it's highly recommended on PS5. A full review with a final score will follow after further multiplayer testing and patch releases.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Review Score: TBA