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 anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, a sequel to the original Space Marine. My own journey began with Total War: Warhammer, leading me to explore other 40k titles like Boltgun and Rogue Trader. Months ago, I briefly sampled the original Space Marine on my Steam Deck. The recent reveal of Space Marine 2, however, ignited my excitement.

Over the past week, I've logged approximately 22 hours across my Steam Deck and PS5, leveraging cross-progression and testing online functionality. This review is ongoing for two reasons: a complete assessment requires thorough cross-platform multiplayer testing, and official Steam Deck support is slated for release by year's end.

Given Space Marine 2's cross-progression and impressive visuals on the Steam Deck, I was eager to see its handheld performance. The news is mixed, and this review will cover gameplay, online co-op, visuals, PC port features, PS5 performance, and more. Screenshots with performance overlays are from my Steam Deck OLED; 16:9 shots are from my PS5 playthrough. Testing was conducted on Proton GE 9-9 and Proton Experimental.

Space Marine 2 is a third-person action shooter – brutal, visually stunning, and incredibly fun, even for newcomers to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. After a concise tutorial introducing combat and movement, you're at your hub, the Battle Barge, where you select missions, game modes, customize your appearance, and more.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is exceptional. Controls and weapons feel perfectly implemented. While ranged combat is viable, I personally favored the visceral melee combat. The executions are satisfying, and mowing down hordes of enemies before facing tougher foes is consistently engaging. The campaign is enjoyable solo or with friends in co-op, although I found defense missions less appealing.

Playing with a friend overseas, Space Marine 2 felt like a high-budget co-op shooter reminiscent of the Xbox 360 era, a style rarely seen today. It hooked me much like Earth Defense Force or Gundam Breaker 4. I hope Saber and Focus collaborate with SEGA to modernize the original game's campaign.

My Warhammer 40,000 experience stems 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. Whether it surpasses my other favorite 40k games remains to be seen, but the gameplay is addictive, especially the Operations mode with friends.

While I haven't extensively played with randoms, my co-op experience has been outstanding. I eagerly await testing the full online functionality with cross-platform play.

Visually, on PS5 and Steam Deck, the game is a masterpiece. The 4K mode on PS5 (played on a 1440p monitor) is breathtaking. The environments are incredibly detailed, and the sheer number of enemies, combined with excellent texture work and lighting, creates a truly immersive experience. This is further enhanced by superb voice acting and extensive customization options. The level of detail in character customization is impressive.

A photo mode is available in single-player, allowing adjustments to frames, expressions, characters, FOV, and more. On Steam Deck, some effects suffer with FSR 2 and lower resolutions; however, the PS5 photo mode is exceptional.

The audio is equally impressive. While the music is good, it's the voice acting and sound design that truly shine. The music fits the game perfectly, but I haven't found myself wanting to listen to it outside the game.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Graphics Options

The PC port, tested on Steam Deck, offers extensive graphical settings. Epic Online Services are integrated, but account linking isn't mandatory. Options include display mode, resolution, render resolution, quality presets (Balanced, Performance, Ultra Performance), upscaling (TAA, FSR 2), dynamic resolution, V-sync, brightness, motion blur, and FPS limits. Individual settings for textures, shadows, ambient occlusion, reflections, and more are also adjustable. DLSS and FSR 2 are supported at launch, with FSR 3 planned for later. I hope for future 16:10 support.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Control Options

Keyboard and mouse controls are available alongside full controller support. Initially, PlayStation button prompts didn't display on Steam Deck by default, but disabling Steam Input resolved this. Adaptive trigger support is present, further enhanced by disabling Steam Input. Key remapping is also supported. My DualSense controller (Bluetooth) displayed PlayStation prompts and wireless adaptive trigger support, a rare feature worth noting.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Performance

While some initial freezing occurred on default Proton and Experimental, Proton GE 9-9 proved stable. The game is technically playable on Steam Deck without configuration, but performance is suboptimal. At 1280x800 (16:9) with low settings and FSR 2.0 at Ultra Performance, maintaining a locked 30fps is challenging, with frequent dips. Even at lower resolutions, frame rates fall below 30fps. I hope future optimizations improve this. The game also sometimes fails to exit cleanly.

Dynamic upscaling targeting 30fps helps, but frame rate drops still occur. While visually acceptable on the Deck's screen, the game currently pushes the Steam Deck's limits.

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

Online multiplayer functions flawlessly on Steam Deck. Co-op sessions with a friend in Canada were smooth. Occasional disconnections were experienced, likely due to pre-release server instability. Further testing with random players is planned post-launch.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PS5 Features

Performance mode on PS5 delivers a mostly smooth experience, although a locked 60fps isn't consistently achieved. Dynamic resolution seems to be in use. Load times are fast, and PS5 Activity Cards are supported. Gyro support is currently absent.

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

Cross-progression between Steam and PS5 is functional, 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?

A definitive answer requires further testing with random players post-launch. Eternal War (PvP) mode remains untested.

Desired Features for Future Updates

Post-launch support is expected. High on my wish list are proper HDR support (the visuals would benefit greatly) and haptic feedback on PS5.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a strong Game of the Year contender. While full multiplayer testing is pending, the gameplay is excellent, and the visuals and audio are superb. I currently don't recommend it on Steam Deck due to performance issues, but the PS5 version is highly recommended. A final score will follow after further multiplayer testing and patching.

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