According to games industry insider KeplerL2, Valve is aiming to launch the follow up to its Steam Deck in 2028. They added that delays are possible, primarily contingent on the availability of RAM/NAND.
The Steam Deck is the most successful PC handheld on the market. Analysts estimate more than 4 million units have been sold since its 2022 launch—more than twice the number of all Windows-based handhelds on the market combined.
Valve confirmed in 2024 that it’s working on a new handheld but that it was still several years away from release.
If KeplerL2’s claims are true, then 2028 will be a major year for handhelds, especially with murmurs in the industry suggesting Sony will drop its new portable PlayStation in 2028,. Counting the Swtich 2, this would mean gamers have three major handheld offerings available at once, for the first time ever.
The Steam Deck isn’t the only Valve device that PC gamers are looking forward to. The Steam Frame, Steam Machine, and Steam Controller are all allegedly still set for release in 2026, though Valve did quietly update the wording of its release estimate from “early 2026” to the more vague “later in 2026”. The Seattle games maker hasn’t provided an official reason for the adjustment, but many believe the ongoing global memory shortage is to blame.
