- Windows 11✓
- Steam Deck✓ Verified
- Mac✓ Mac version sold
- Linux✓ native
- 30,592 reviews94% positive
- Steam store page
- Released
- 2014
- Developer
- Supergiant Games
- Genre
- Action, Indie, RPG
- Time to beat
- About 6 hours for the main story HowLongToBeat
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck
- Last checked
- October 31, 2026
Does Transistor run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?
| Windows 11 | ✓Sold for Windows today, no problem on record. Source |
|---|---|
| Mac (Apple Silicon) | ?A Mac version is sold. Not yet confirmed on Apple Silicon. Source |
| Linux | ✓Native Linux version. Source |
| Steam Deck | ✓Verified by Valve. Source |
Played it lately? Press Works for me or Doesn’t work on your platform, so the next player knows. One click, no account. How we check where it runs
Synopsis
From the makers of Bastion, Transistor follows Red, a famous singer who has lost her voice, as she fights through the futuristic city of Cloudbank carrying a talking sword. Combat runs in real time, but you can freeze the action to plan a chain of moves, and you build your style by combining abilities called Functions.
What people say
Critics in 2014 praised its striking art, its soundtrack and a combat system that is easy to pick up yet deep to customize. The usual criticism was a vague, fragmented story and a world that explains too little. Players today still rate the combat and music highly and value its replay options, but some find the roughly ten-hour campaign short, movement slow and the ending unsatisfying, and a share report display and stability problems on some setups.
Playability today
The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works
Runs today
5 / 5- ✓Sold or given away today by an official source
- ✓Runs on Windows 11 without fan patches
✓Single-player works without an internet connection
GOG sells a DRM-free version that plays offline (GOG).
✓All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
PCGamingWiki records no shut-down servers or lost content (PCGamingWiki).
✓Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Native widescreen and modern resolutions (PCGamingWiki).
✓Full controller support or remappable controls
Controller support (PCGamingWiki).
- ✓Steam Deck Verified or Playable
- ✓No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
- ✓No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
✓No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists no unresolved issues (PCGamingWiki).
From the Steam store, Valve’s Steam Deck rating and the sources under each check. Checks not confirmed yet don’t count.
Design today
3.5 / 5✓Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Full controller and mouse support, and critics call the combat approachable; a minority of players report input lag with mouse and keyboard. Source: opencritic.com, pcgamingwiki.com, vaporlens.app.
✗Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game renders natively only up to 1080p and needs a fan tool for ultrawide, and players often report broken resolution and fullscreen settings. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, vaporlens.app.
✓Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Progress saves automatically at frequent checkpoints, and no complaint about lost progress was found; evidence on this point is thin. Source: vaporlens.app.
✓It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
New Functions arrive one at a time and test chambers let you try combinations, so the systems are learned in play even though the story stays deliberately vague. Source: opencritic.com, vaporlens.app.
✓Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
The campaign is short and linear with no grinding, though some players feel slow walking and constant narration break the flow. Source: vaporlens.app.
✗Camera or movement fights the player
The fixed isometric view causes no trouble, but players often describe movement in combat as sluggish and clunky. Source: vaporlens.app.
Judged against games made today, from complaints that recur among players. Each reason links to its source.
Sources
- Steam store page (requirements, platforms)
- SteamSpy (Steam review counts)
- Steam Deck compatibility, Valve
- ProtonDB reports
- Metacritic
- OpenCritic
- PCGamingWiki: Transistor
- Vaporlens: Transistor review summary
How does it play for you today?