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Sometimes all you need to fix an annoying problem is a little help from your community. Many Valve Steam Deck users have occasionally experienced screen freezing, but what can you do if this annoying issue persists?
What Causes the Screen to Freeze?
As you probably know, there is a huge variety of things that can cause the screen to freeze. If you are frequently experiencing this problem, maybe someone else has had the same one and you can find a fix on the list.
One user, Marashio, asked the community for help. This player’s screen frequently froze while restarting. They noted: “When I hit restart in the steam menu it will freeze at the shutdown screen and I have to manually hold the power button to turn it off”. The helpful community gladly offered their experiences and, hopefully, anyone can find a fix for their problem among them.
Now, let’s start with the worst-case scenario. Sometimes whatever you try can’t fix the problem. In those cases, the only thing you can do is return/exchange the device. One player, Bondy6, noted: “I had to RMA it. It has to do with how the temperature of the APU and fans work together from what I was told from Valve. Only the first batch had these issues it was fixed in the later ones”.
Valve Steam Deck Users Suggest Possible Fixes
However, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to return your Valve Steam Deck every time your screen freezes. There are several easy solutions for some issues that cause the screen to freeze.
One Redditor shared probably the most common solution. This player noted: “Pretty sure this was and is because of disk fragmentation. More it’s doing a defrag/trim. You should manually invoke one and let it finish. That should stop the shutdowns from hanging”.
Another common cause of this issue is big save files. One user, jedixxyoodaa, shared: “Can happen with BG3 for example. The save files are so big that sync takes forever. Ended up deleting all but 2 files and never happened again”.
Deadarchimode added: “Does Steam launch normally without an internet connection? If yes it’s sync save files, if not you MIGHT want to repair OS by making a USB C stick bootable Steam OS. This is my safest recommendation for you”.
Finally, Sjknight413 offered another possibility. This player noted: “Have you undervolted in the bios at all? Lowering voltages too much can cause issues with shutting down and restarting, even if the system seems totally stable otherwise”.
We’d add another possible solution, check if there is an update available for your device. Sounds too simple, we know, but trust us, we’ve seen an update solve various issues. Hopefully, you’ve managed to solve the issue with one of these fixes and you can return to playing your favorite game. Who knows, with the technology progressing so fast, maybe the next Steam Deck won’t have these issues.