The Steam Deck charger that Valve ships the device with is nothing special — a 45 Watt USB-PD (USB Power Delivery) wall plug. The official charger actually can supply far more power than the Steam Deck can draw, because it’s designed for use with the Steam Deck Dock, which requires additional power for its HDMI output and USB peripheral connections. It’s also a pretty bulky charger, and doesn’t use a modular cable.

In short: There’s no special reason you need to use the official Steam Deck charger. Other brands and power outputs and different cables make literally no difference to a USB-PD device like the Steam Deck. The USB-PD standard ensures consistent functionality and safety among compatible devices and chargers.

If you’re looking for a portable charger (power bank) for the Steam Deck, I recommend the Anker 737, which I reviewed here.

Quick note: Do I need a 45W charger for the Steam Deck, or can I use a 30W charger?

In my experience, the Steam Deck rarely draws more than 30W of power during play. This means a 30W USB-PD charger is fine for most people. But a 45W USB-PD charger is necessary for the Dock accessory and will guarantee the Deck operates in power passthrough mode (i.e., doesn’t use the battery at all) uninterrupted in any scenario.

Best Steam Deck chargers for most people

If you want to understand how to choose the right Steam Deck charger, read on. If you want my quick picks for the best Steam Deck chargers, here they are. Both support USB PD, use GaN circuitry for compact size and light weight, and have one USB type-C connector. Note: No cables are included.

• Anker 45W USB-PD Type C GaN charger ($20-22) — This 45W charger is a crazy good value and will work with the Steam Deck Dock. It easily supports the maximum possible power the Steam Deck can draw in combination with the Dock’s power requirements. This charger is an extremely good value from a highly reputable brand.
• Anker Nano 30W USB-PD Type C GaN charger ($18-20) — This is an extremely lightweight, compact, and high-quality 30W USB-PD charger. Perfect for travel, and will charge phones and tablets just as well as your Steam Deck. Literally fits in your pocket. But, it doesn’t provide enough power for the Deck Dock accessory.

Best cheap Steam Deck charger

If you just want a charger that works and to spend the least amount of money possible, here are a few options for both 30W and 45W configurations I would trust with my money.

• UGREEN 30W USB-PD Type C GaN charger ($10-12) — UGREEN has been around for some time, and their products generally review well. Functionally, this charger is identical to the Anker above, just from a more “budget” brand.
• I don’t have a “cheap” 45W adapter pick; the Anker I recommend above is such a good value that I don’t think the $2-3 you’d save on a slightly cheaper charger makes sense given the trade-off in quality (and likely, longevity).

Note: If you see 45W “Samsung” USB chargers online at suspiciously low prices ($8-12), I’d avoid these — they likely don’t deliver the power advertised.

Best dual-port Steam Deck chargers

If you want to charge multiple gadgets while using your Steam Deck, you’ll definitely need to start at chargers with a minimum of 45W of power output — and I’d personally suggest more like 65W to ensure enough buffer to charge a phone and a Steam Deck simultaneously.

• Anker Nano 47W USB-PD dual Type C GaN charger ($30) — This dual-port charger maxes out at 27W of power output on a single USB-C port when two devices are connected, so it’s not ideal for the Steam Deck if you have two gadgets plugged in (though it will charge it perfectly quickly when not being played). But when only one device is plugged in, it can supply 45W of power to a single port. It’s a good value and relatively compact and light design.
• Anker Nano II 65W USB-PD dual Type C + Type A GaN charger ($30) — This is a larger, more powerful 3-port design. You get two USB-C ports and one USB-A. One USB-C port can draw up to 40W of power while the other two USB ports are in use, so your Steam Deck will still operate in power passthrough mode no matter what else is connected. It’s significantly bulkier than the charger above, though it’s still far from “big.”

What USB cable does my Steam Deck charger need?

Any USB 3.0 Type C cable should be fine. Avoid USB 2.0/2.1 Type C cables; they may not work properly with USB-PD chargers, and they will definitely not work with your Steam Deck Dock. USB 3.0 Type C cables are abundant and cheap, with many, many options on the market. You could buy from a brand like Anker, but in my experience, the difference between USB cables largely comes down to durability. Braided cables are more expensive, but more resilient, while rubberized coatings are cheaper. Buy what fits your budget and need.

Steam Deck power and charging requirements

The Steam Deck is generally not able to draw more than 35 Watts of electricity from a power source on its own. And this level of power draw only occurs when GPU / CPU usage are very high while also using a very high screen brightness setting. Using a power bank with an external power meter, I have never seen my Steam Deck (LCD) exceed 34W of power draw over many, many hours of play.

Typical Steam Deck power draw, even in demanding titles like The Witcher 3, Forza Horizon 4, or Fallout 4, tends to hover around 28-32W in my experience.

This means that, under most conditions, a 30W USB charger is probably sufficient for keeping a Steam Deck powered on USB power passthrough mode (i.e., not using battery) while connected. A higher power 45W charger, however, guarantees you’ll stay in power passthrough mode under any condition.

How to pick a Steam Deck charger

If you don’t intend to use your charger with the Steam Deck Dock, you’ll only need a 30W USB-PD compatible charger to power your Steam Deck in 95% of scenarios. It’s true that, technically, a 30W charger may not cover the most extreme cases where the Deck is consistently drawing more than 30W of power. Using a 30W charger will not in any way damage or reduce the lifespan of your Steam Deck. It’s just possible that, under the most extreme loads, the battery may very slowly drain while connected to a 30W charger. Again, in my experience: This has never happened to me.

If you want to cover all possible power consumption scenarios, you can opt for a 45W USB-PD compatible charger. The only tradeoff is that the 45W chargers will be slightly bigger and heavier than the 30W chargers; though they tend to be negligibly more expensive. If you intend to use your charger with the Steam Deck Dock, I recommend a 45W charger.

Personally, I trust Anker chargers above most brands on the market. The company has a strong reputation for quality, and it was among the first to deliver ultra-light and compact GaN (Gallium Nitride) circuitry chargers to the market. I love Anker’s power banks as well, and as a journalist who covered tech for over a decade, they’ve been my go-to recommendation for years. Other, cheaper chargers exist, no doubt — but Anker still has very competitive prices.