After a smashing success of a first day with over 250k copies sold in 8 hours, Paralives is getting heavily tested on a wide range of PC set ups, including some handhelds and Linux set ups! Handhelds like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion, and others are being tested by players across the internet to find a sweet spot for performance and to find the best control settings.

Paralives Steam Deck Performance First Look: Is it Playable?

A Youtube Channel named Deck Wizard, who primarily tests games on the Steam Deck and other handhelds like the Lenovo Legion, ROG Ally, and the Nintendo Switch, did a Paralives performance test. Swapping between modes of the game, as well as setting presets and types with monitors for frame rate and general performance. The settings options were from Low and on Handheld up to the Highest possible settings, with a variety of areas including the Intro Train Tutorial, Live Mode in the city of Melino, Build Mode, and the Paramaker as well as connected to a separate monitor.

Low Settings (Handheld + 2X FPS Lossless Scaling)

The lowest settings while handheld and with 2X FPS Lossless Scaling were primarily played in Live Mode in Melino. The Low Settings graphic preset meant the game ran at around 25-30 frames per second with some frame rate drops and dips that happened somewhat inconsistently. This varied by area and most notably happened when heading into busier areas, like the center of town where more Parafolk and buildings are present.

Low Setting swith 2X FPS Lossless Scaling did improve the performance with frame rates quite notably, where the game sat between 40-60 FPS with some dips into the 20s/30s when loading new lots and at random, which is still something that has be addressed with the game entirely across systems.

Low settings on a separate connected monitor, rather than handheld, was steady at around 25-30 FPS with some dips depending on the area. It ran similar to the handheld experience, especially without the Lossless 2X FPS scaling.

The settings available on the Steam deck are the exact same as those available on PC.

New Game Train Intro

As the intro and tutorial set on the train to Melino has a lot of moving parts, this is one area of the game that can be easily impacted by the frame rate issues many players are experiencing. In Deck Wizard’s video, this section of the game maxed out at 30 FPS with some dips into the 20s/10s in between cut scenes.

The tutorial section showing the player controls did run fairly consistently at 25-30 FPS, though as previously stated, did experience a few dips into the 10s.

Train Intro Paramaker

While the Paramaker tends to be a less graphically intensive area and tends to run fine for most players, the Intro Paramaker set on the train (rather than in the still background of the standard Paramaker) did experience some graphical issues since it does not have a static, unmoving background. The frames were more inconsistent, jumping because 13-16 FPS up to 25-30 FPS, with significant drops at random to 5-10 FPS. The biggest drops were noticeable when swapping between categories or sections of the Paramaker, as well as when adjusting the outfits and features of the Para.

Medium Settings

Based on Deck Wizard’s video, it is possible that Medium settings may be a good sweet spot for handhelds; Frames rates sit steady at around 30 FPS but can jump up to 35-45, with dips mainly going as low as 15-25 at certain areas. There is more visible detail and shading without high performance costs.

High Settings

High settings have the strongest lighting system and shading, with the graphics being visibly improved, but the performance does take a decent hit. The game will hit 30 FPS but very inconsistently. Most of the time, it sits between 20-25 with some parts dropping below that and leading to some visible stuttering issues. There was some improvement when it was night time since the game did not have to render proper sunlight and shadows as much, with it staying between 25-30 FPS fairly consistently.

Build Mode

Although build mode can be a bit intensive with everything being so modular and customizable, it actually ran pretty good! It generally sat between 25-35 FPS, with some dips and jumps, but ran fairly steady. The biggest performance drops were most noticeable when areas were heavily cluttered or larger.

Paralives on Steam Deck Reddit Thread

One user on Reddit decided to reach out to Paralives community members who were or planned on playing on the Steam Deck, which is Valve’s handheld gaming system. While size-wise and portability, it is comparable to a Nintendo Switch, it tends to be a more graphically strong device with access to games that can run on Windows, meaning it is not limited to games under Nintendo or only sold by Nintendo.

“So I know many of us are about to try Paralives out on their steam decks and I am one of them! I thought it would be nice to have a thread in which we can discuss best settings and give a review of how the game runs on the device for others. Please feel free to share any other related tips and tricks!”

Paralives on Steam deck thread
by u/Bitter_Resist_7530 in Paralives

The thread had quite a bit of variety. One major complaint by players is that, even on high-end PCs, the game does have some performance issues and frame rate drops. While this is something being actively worked on and will likely be updated soon to correct these issues and optimize the game’s performance, Steam deck players experienced the same thing. Inconsistent frame rates primarily, and the game typically sat between 30-45 FPS.

Some players were also able to get it working on Linux and other handhelds, like the ROG Ally. While it is not yet Steam Deck optimized by the developers, it seems to be a promising option for players!

We want to know what you think! Have you played or do you plan on playing on a handheld system like the Steam Deck? What has been your experience so far? Let us know!

Paralives is now available on Steam and retails for $39.99 USD, but currently has a 10% off discount until June 1st, 2026. Make sure to keep up with The Sims Community as we will keep you up to date on news, updates, and fun things coming from the blooming Paralives community!