SteamOS 3.9.6 Beta Targets Frame Caps, High-Refresh Displays and HDR Colors

Valve’s SteamOS 3.9.6 Beta addresses display and frame-delivery problems that could affect PC gaming, including a frame-limit bug that pushed some games below their expected frame rate. According to Wccftech’s report on the release notes, the update is available through the Beta and Preview channels.

When a frame cap cuts too far

One corrected scenario involves a game running at 30 FPS with a 60 FPS limit on a fixed-refresh 120 Hz display. Under those conditions, the game could previously fall to 24 FPS. The update addresses that behavior, according to the report.

Wccftech also reports improved frame timing when SteamOS’s built-in limiter is used without Variable Refresh Rate, or VRR. Separately, the release fixes an issue involving games running below the display’s refresh rate on monitors operating at 240 Hz or higher.

For players connecting SteamOS hardware to a desktop monitor, those fixes concern how the operating system handles frame delivery. They do not establish that a game will reach 240 FPS; actual performance remains a separate question from correcting an unintended limit.

HDR and streaming fixes

The update also tackles oversaturated SDR content when HDR10 output is enabled on displays without a wide color gamut. That correction targets color reproduction rather than game performance.

Other reported fixes include a green screen during Steam Remote Play on NVIDIA GPUs and a black screen affecting some RPG Maker games that use Fullscreen++. Wccftech additionally lists fixes for rare crashes and memory errors.

The reported availability is specifically through SteamOS’s Beta and Preview channels. These changes therefore describe the beta release, rather than a confirmed rollout to the stable channel.