Does Twisted Tower Have Full Controller Support? Steam Deck Performance Guide

If you are anything like me, the first thing you want to know before jumping into a new horror game on Steam Deck is pretty simple: does it actually feel good with a controller? There is nothing worse than launching a promising first-person game, only to discover that the controls feel awkward, the menus are built for a mouse, or you spend half an hour fighting Steam Input instead of the monsters.

Thankfully, Twisted Tower gets this part right.

I have been spending time with the game and testing how it feels away from a traditional keyboard-and-mouse setup, and the experience is surprisingly comfortable. Developed by Atmos Games and published by 3D Realms, Twisted Tower takes its creepy inspiration from the strange world of 1950s amusement parks and mixes it with first-person shooting, exploration, dark humor, and psychological horror.

And honestly? That combination works really well on a handheld.

The game has Full Controller Support on PC and carries a Steam Deck Verified status, so you are not dealing with some experimental control scheme here. You can pick up the Deck, launch the game, and start playing without immediately reaching for a keyboard.

For me, that is exactly what I want from a handheld horror game.

Twisted Tower Has Full Controller Support

Let’s get the most important question out of the way first.

Yes, Twisted Tower has full controller support.

The game is designed to be played with a gamepad from the start, rather than relying on Steam Input to translate every keyboard command into controller buttons. Menus, movement, combat, interaction, and other important gameplay systems are accessible through the controller.

That makes a huge difference.

When I play a first-person game on Steam Deck, I don’t want to constantly wonder whether a particular screen is going to ask me to press a keyboard key. Twisted Tower largely avoids that problem. The interface is built around controller input, and the game automatically provides appropriate button prompts for supported hardware.

That includes the Steam Deck’s built-in controls as well as popular external gamepads.

Supported Controller Options

• Steam Deck controls, including analog sticks, trackpads, and additional buttons
• Xbox controllers, including Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S models
• PlayStation controllers, including DualShock 4 and DualSense
• Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers
• Other compatible X-Input gamepads

The ability to dock the Steam Deck and switch to an external controller is particularly useful. I like playing horror games on a television when I want a more relaxed setup, while the handheld mode is perfect when I just want to disappear into the game for an hour.

How Twisted Tower Feels on Steam Deck

This is where I think Twisted Tower makes a particularly strong impression.

A game can technically be “Steam Deck compatible” while still feeling terrible on the hardware. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

The Steam Deck Verified rating is an important starting point because it indicates that the game has passed Valve’s compatibility checks. More importantly from a player’s perspective, the actual experience makes sense on the handheld.

The stylized visual design helps considerably.

Twisted Tower isn’t trying to throw an enormous photorealistic world at the Steam Deck. Instead, it uses a distinctive art style, atmospheric lighting, and horror-focused environments to create its mood. That gives the hardware some breathing room while still allowing the game to look visually interesting.

My Steam Deck Experience

What I particularly like is that the game doesn’t lose its personality when you move from a desktop PC to the handheld.

The creepy theme-park environments remain atmospheric, the first-person combat remains responsive, and the menus don’t become microscopic just because you’re looking at them on a seven-inch screen.

Text and interface elements are generally comfortable to read, which is something I always pay attention to on Steam Deck.

Small fonts are one of my biggest complaints with some PC games on handhelds. Twisted Tower avoids making me squint at the screen every five minutes.

The One Control Change I Recommend

There is one small adjustment I would make if you’re planning a longer Steam Deck session.

The default sprint behavior can require you to press and hold L3, meaning you have to keep the left stick clicked while moving around.

That’s not a disaster, but I don’t particularly enjoy holding L3 for extended periods. In a fast-paced first-person game, I’m already pushing the analog stick around constantly. Adding continuous pressure to the stick can become uncomfortable surprisingly quickly.

Luckily, Steam Input gives you an easy solution.

You can change the L3 behavior so that sprint works more like a toggle.

How to Change Sprint to Toggle

1. Start Twisted Tower on your Steam Deck.
2. Press the Steam button.
3. Open the game’s Controller Settings.
4. Select Controller Layout.
5. Find the Left Joystick Click / L3 assignment.
6. Open the settings for that input.
7. Change the behavior from Hold to Toggle.

Now a single L3 press can activate sprint without forcing you to keep the stick depressed.

For me, this is one of those tiny changes that makes the entire game feel more comfortable. It isn’t necessary, but once you’ve played with toggle sprint, going back to constantly holding L3 feels unnecessarily tiring.

Steam Deck Trackpad Aiming Is Worth Trying

Here’s another trick I’d recommend experimenting with, particularly if you care about aiming precision.

Twisted Tower is a first-person shooter, and some encounters reward quick, accurate movement. Analog sticks are perfectly usable, but they aren’t always ideal for those tiny corrections when you’re trying to line up a shot.

The right Steam Deck trackpad can help.

You can configure it through Steam Input to behave more like a mouse. This gives you another layer of aiming control without abandoning the analog stick entirely.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this setup to everyone. If you’re already comfortable with standard dual-stick controls, don’t fix something that isn’t broken. But if you find yourself overshooting targets or struggling with small aiming adjustments, the trackpad is absolutely worth testing.

Personally, I like having the option available. Steam Deck is at its best when you take advantage of its flexibility rather than treating it like a traditional console controller.

Playing Docked With Xbox or PlayStation Controllers

Twisted Tower also works nicely as a docked experience.

If you connect your Steam Deck to a TV and use an Xbox or PlayStation controller, you should be able to play without needing to completely rethink your control setup.

There is one annoying SteamOS situation worth knowing about, though.

Sometimes an external controller can connect successfully but fail to become the primary input device. This can happen when the Deck is docked and both the internal controls and external gamepad are being detected.

If that happens, don’t immediately assume the game is broken.

Open the Steam Quick Access Menu using the three-dot button, enter the controller settings, and look for the Reorder Controllers option. Move your external controller into the first position and place the Steam Deck’s internal controller behind it.

That usually tells SteamOS which device should take priority.

It’s a simple fix, but it’s the kind of thing that can save you from unnecessary troubleshooting.

What About Remote Play?

Remote Play introduces another possible source of confusion.

If you’re streaming Twisted Tower from a more powerful desktop PC to your Steam Deck and suddenly find that controller inputs aren’t behaving correctly, Steam Input can sometimes become part of the problem.

You effectively have multiple layers trying to interpret the same controller commands.

If you’re having this issue, check the game’s controller settings on the host PC through Steam. From the game’s Properties, open the Controller section and experiment with the Steam Input override.

For Remote Play setups, disabling Steam Input on the host can sometimes prevent duplicate input handling and allow the Deck’s commands to pass through more cleanly.

I wouldn’t change this setting unless you’re actually experiencing problems. If Remote Play already works, leave it alone.

Is Twisted Tower a Pure Horror Game or Action Adventure? Genre Explained

Does Twisted Tower Run Well Enough for Long Sessions?

For me, this is ultimately what matters more than a simple Verified badge.

A horror game lives or dies by immersion. If the performance is constantly stuttering, the controls are fighting you, or the UI is difficult to read, the atmosphere falls apart.

Twisted Tower’s stylized presentation is a good match for Steam Deck. It doesn’t need to sacrifice its creepy visual identity just to become playable on the handheld.

The result is a game that feels surprisingly natural in portable mode.

I also think the slower, atmospheric sections benefit from the Deck format. You can sit somewhere comfortable, put on headphones, and let the strange amusement-park setting do its thing. Then, when the action suddenly picks up, the controller is already responsive enough to handle it.

That balance is important.

Twisted Tower Mallet Guide: Secret Uses & Max Toy Arsenal Upgrade Strategy

My Verdict: A Very Good Steam Deck Horror Experience

After spending time with Twisted Tower, I don’t think controller support is something you need to worry about.

The game is built for controllers, Steam Deck support is officially verified, and the overall handheld experience is impressively straightforward.

The biggest compliment I can give it is that I don’t feel like I’m playing a compromised PC version when I’m using the Steam Deck. It feels like a proper handheld experience.

There are a couple of settings I’d personally change, especially switching L3 sprint from Hold to Toggle. I’d also recommend experimenting with the right trackpad if you want more precise aiming.

But beyond those optional tweaks, I wouldn’t overcomplicate things.

Launch the game, pick up the Deck, adjust the controls to your preference, and enjoy the creepy theme park.

For players looking for a Steam Deck horror game with full controller support, Twisted Tower is an easy recommendation. It combines an unusual visual style with first-person gameplay, and its compatibility with the handheld makes it much easier to enjoy wherever you happen to be playing.

And honestly, that’s exactly the kind of PC game I want on my Steam Deck: something I can launch without fighting the settings menu first, something that looks distinctive, and something that lets me sink into its world for a few hours.