Valve's Steam Deck is a revolutionary gaming PC that lets you take your favorite titles wherever you like. You can throw yourself on the couch and play for hours. It can technically play any PC game if you install Windows. Still, out-of-the-box, it only plays games compatible with Valve's Linux-based operating system or through the Proton translation layer. More than 500 games are verified.
This list doesn't just pick the best-rated titles on Steam. We also considered how well a game works with a controller, how easy it is to play on a small screen, and how quickly the game might drain the battery. Here are the best games for Steam Deck.
- Our Picks
- What to Look For
- About Our Trusted Experts
Best Overall: Hades (PC)
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Gorgeous 2D graphics
Great story and voice acting
Excellent controls
Can be very difficult at times
Repetitive gameplay isn’t for everyone
Hades is among the best action games ever made. It combines outstanding controls and a tough yet fair difficulty curve. It's easy to dive in thinking you'll play for half an hour, only to emerge from a sweaty-palmed trance two hours later.
The game's polish enhances the excellent core gameplay. Hades is an achingly beautiful game, especially in motion, and a top-notch soundtrack supports the visuals. The story is bolstered by excellent voice acting.
It's a difficult game, though difficulty settings are available for less experienced players. It's also a bit repetitive, as the game unfolds over multiple attempts to escape Hades.
The developer, Supergiant, designed Hades for every gaming device under the sun, so it controls well on any console, including the Steam Deck. It's not a graphically demanding game, either, so it won't chew up your battery.
Publisher: Supergiant Games︱Developer: Supergiant Games︱ESRB Rating: Teen︱Install Size: 15-20GB︱Genre: Action-RPG︱Release Date: September 17, 2020
Hades is a ridiculously popular game of the roguelike, or rogue-lite, variety. The characters are well-written, with natural and nuanced dialog that always seems to suit them. The use of Greek mythology for the setting and plot make it a joy to play. Hades rewards players for stepping outside their comfort zone and experimenting with different builds each run. The element of randomness and the low cost of death keeps things fun, and the surprisingly deep story and sheer variety of gameplay mechanics make each run through the Underworld new and exciting. — Sandra Stafford, Game Reviewer
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Best Role-Playing Game: Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
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Gorgeous old-school graphics
Surprisingly diverse gameplay
Easy to pick up and play
Story is good, but simple
Turn-based combat can be divisive
You weren’t expecting this, were you? You expected The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt or, maybe, God of War. Those are great games, but their demanding graphics aren’t the best fit for the Deck. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a different kind of role-playing game (RPG). It’s approachable, great for all ages, and has simple (though attractive) graphics that won’t tax the Deck’s battery life.
A love letter to Nintendo’s Paper Mario franchise, Bug Fables mashes traditional turn-based RPG combat with a variety of timing-based attacks. This keeps the deliberate pace of a turn-based RPG but adds more active, engaging combat than most games in this genre.
As its graphical style hints, Bug Fables is a family-friendly game that doesn’t delve into mature concepts. Still, it has a fun story, comical characters, charming music, and clever writing. This game has something for everyone.
Publisher: DANGEN Entertainment︱Developer: Moonsprout Games︱ESRB Rating: Everyone︱Install Size: 300MB︱Genre: Turn-based RPG︱Release Date: November 21, 2019
Best Platformer: Celeste
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Excellent story and pacing
Top-notch controls
Lots of accessibility options
A bit short
Very difficult on default settings
Platforming is the most competitive genre on the Steam Deck at launch. There are dozens of games to choose from, but Celeste rises to the top of this hotly contested slot. It's an outrageously fun, tight, and smooth platformer. The controls are excellent, and the gameplay is so slick it feels wired to your brain. The game has a Linux native version, too.
Celeste is a challenging game, but the game’s rapid pace makes each death feel less punishing. Don’t want the grind? You can dig into the game’s accessibility options and tune it to your preference.
The game’s graphics may seem basic, but the story is deep, personal, and more impactful than most games several times its length. Indeed, length is the game’s only downside. You’ll be craving more when it’s over.
Publisher: Extremely OK Games, Ltd︱Developer: Matt Makes Games, Inc︱ESRB Rating: Everyone 10︱Install Size: 1.2GB︱Genre: Platformer, Adventure︱Release Date: January 25, 2018
"Celeste's controls are among the best of any platformer on the PC. Every death—and you’ll die often—feels like an opportunity to improve your skills." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best Strategy Game: Sid Meier's Civilization VI
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Extremely deep gameplay
Many ways to play
Turn-based pace is great for mobile
Can be a time sink
Small text may be hard to read
The Civilization franchise is a decades-old mainstay of PC gaming, so it’s fitting that the latest title, Civilization VI, is great on the Steam Deck. This complex turn-based strategy game lets you create an alternative history of the world with dozens of civilizations and an endless array of randomly generated maps.
Civilization VI has received numerous updates, and two big expansion packs, since its release in 2016. It’s packed with features, improvements, and balance changes that refine the experience. New players can turn down the difficulty and have fun, but veterans can spend hours fretting over the precise placement of cities and improvements.
In partnership with Aspyr, Firaxis Games has made Civilization VI a Linux native game, and the turn-based pace makes it easy to play on the go. You can put the game down at any time and fire it back up at a moment’s notice.
Publisher: Aspyr︱Developer: Firaxis Games︱ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+︱Install Size: 15GB︱Genre: Turn-based strategy︱Release Date: October 20, 2016
"Civilization VI is a game I've played for hundreds of hours yet, somehow, it's also a great game to play when you have just 15 minutes to play a few turns." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best First-Person Shooter: SUPERHOT
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Unique bullet time gameplay
Excellent controls
Great for short sessions
Very short campaign
No multiplayer
SUPERHOT is a game that never feels dated. It upsets expectations for a first-person shooter with a unique hook: Your foes move when you move. The result is a strange, exhilarating first-person dance that recalls the bullet-time effects made famous by The Matrix.
This game is another Linux native title, which means it will play with zero issues on Steam Deck. The stylized 3D graphics aren’t demanding, either, so the title is fairly light on battery use and feels smooth.
Unfortunately, SUPERHOT’s campaign is rather short, lasting just three hours for most players. Extra modes add variety and challenge for those who find the gameplay addictive. Players who want more can check out the sequel, SUPERHOT: Mind Control Delete, which is also a Linux native title.
Publisher: SUPERHOT Team︱Developer: SUPERHOT Team︱ESRB Rating: Teen︱Install Size: 4GB︱Genre: First-person shooter︱Release Date: February 25, 2016
"SUPERHOT is the ultimate portable shooter. It's easy to jump into, not too demanding on hardware, and it packs more action into a few minutes than shooters pack into a few hours." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best Casual Game: Stardew Valley
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Relaxing, yet offers plenty of depth
Numerous ways to play
Charming graphics and excellent music
Lack of challenge will turn off some
Controls are merely decent
Want a game that lets you sit back, relax, and play at your own pace? Stardew Valley remains undefeated. This famous indie game puts you in charge of your own farm and then sets you off to harvest crops, befriend neighbors, and explore mines at your own pace.
The game's relaxing pace doesn't mean it lacks depth. Stardew Valley takes at least 50 hours to reach the "ending," but for many, this is just one step in their journey. Dedicated players can spend over a hundred hours collecting every item and befriending every non-player character (NPC).
Stardew Valley's controls can take some getting used to, especially in gamepad mode (which you'll likely use on the Steam Deck). Still, its charming graphics and excellent music help set it apart from other chill games. It's Linux native, too, ensuring smooth and bug-free gameplay.
Publisher: ConcernedApe︱Developer: ConcernedApe︱ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+︱Install Size: 500MB︱Genre: Farming simulator︱Release Date: February 26, 2016
"After dozens of hours, Stardew Valley still finds ways to surprise me. And the music is worth the price of admission by itself." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best Puzzle Game: Baba Is You
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Inventive gameplay
Simple yet alluring graphics
Very easy on the hardware
Can leave you stumped for hours
Light on story
Baba Is You is a baffling puzzle game. It's bafflingly difficult, bafflingly brilliant, and bafflingly unique. The game's core hook is the use of simple sentences formed by pushing word blocks around the screen. They change the rules of the level, making it possible to accomplish what at first seems impossible. This hook starts clever, letting you warp through walls or flip characters, and ends with the player creating mini-games and bending the laws of physics.
Indeed, the game's baffling concept is its only real downside. The puzzles are hard, and it's hard to resist the temptation to look up the solutions. The game isn't hard on the Steam Deck, though. It's a Linux native game, and the simple 2D graphics will conserve battery life.
Publisher: Hempuli Oy︱Developer: Hempuli Oy︱ESRB Rating: Everyone︱Install Size: 200MB︱Genre: Puzzle︱Release Date: March 13, 2019
"Baba Is You will turn your brain into a pretzel. In a good way." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best Horror Game: Inside
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Outrageously creepy
Excellent art style and music
Simple, effective controls
Story is bare-bones
Might be too much for some
Inside doesn't look that frightening at a glance. The game's 2D platforming action and dark graphics appear foreboding but seem to fall short of terror. Then you play the game.
What makes Inside a horror masterpiece is its use of suspense to drive the game forward. It's not a difficult game, but the sense of dread can make it feel more tasking than it is. You spend most of the game defenseless with no option but to escape.
Inside isn't demanding on the Steam Deck's hardware, so it will run smoothly and help squeeze decent life from the battery. The game isn't fast-paced, but it controls well and is easy to learn. It's also a short game, lasting four hours at most, and the story leaves much to your imagination. The game's predecessor, Limbo, offers a similar experience if you want more.
Publisher: Playdead︱Developer: Playdead︱ESRB Rating: Mature 17+︱Install Size: 3GB︱Genre: Platformer, Adventure︱Release Date: July 7, 2016
"Many horror games try to trick you with jump scares, but Inside gets under your skin, and stays there. Expect to have a few nightmares." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best Racing Game: Art of Rally
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Top-notch visuals
Intuitive and fast-paced racing
Easy to pick up, yet challenging
Not much variety
Arcade style isn't for everyone
Racing fans aren’t spoiled for choice, as most popular racing games aren’t Steam Deck verified at launch. Art of Rally fills this gap with a fun, approachable, yet challenging arcade-style rally experience.
First things first: this game looks great. It’s not realistic, obviously, but the punchy visuals stand out. They make the game easy to play on a small screen. Art of Rally is a Linux native title, too, so it should be a smooth and bug-free experience.
The arcade-style structure is easy for new players to dig into, but the game can prove challenging as the levels progress. Rally racing requires split-second decisions, and this game is no different. Like other rally games, Art of Rally is hampered only by focusing on its subject. There are no big races, no head-to-head battles, no destruction derby. It’s all rally, all the time.
Publisher: Funselektor Labs︱Developer: Funselektor Labs︱ESRB Rating: Everyone︱Install Size: 6GB︱Genre: Racing︱Release Date: September 23, 2020
"Want to rally? Art of Rally serves up a heaping helping of rally action with a visual style no other racing game can match." — Matthew S. Smith, Tech Writer
Best Multiplayer Game: Art of Rally
Unique heist gameplay
Lots of missions and modes
Easy on the hardware
No single-player mode
No competitive mode
The Steam Deck’s selection of verified multiplayer games is rather slim at launch. Many popular games are unsupported. Enter Payday 2, a four-player co-op heist game that is Steam Deck verified and has a Linux native client.
First released in 2013, Payday 2 has matured from a tight co-op game into a sprawling entity with tons of maps and modes. At its core, however, it remains unique. As a heist game, you need careful coordination and a hint of stealth to get away with the goods. The game is so focused on heists that it may turn off some players. There’s no single-player campaign and no competitive mode.
Payday 2 is not a graphically demanding game, which is good news for the Steam Deck. Players who cap the framerate may see decent battery life. Heists are short, too, making the game ideal for quick sessions.
Publisher: Starbreeze Publishing AB︱Developer: Overkill︱ESRB Rating: Mature︱Install Size: 83GB︱Genre: Multiplayer, Action︱Release Date: August 13, 2013
Hades (view at Steam) is an excellent go-to choice for the Steam Deck. It's approachable enough to snag less experienced players yet hard enough to challenge veterans craving a tough challenge. The game performs well on the Steam Deck, and the controls feel great.
What to Look for in a Steam Deck Game
System Requirements
The Steam Deck is a portable gaming PC, and all PC games have minimum and recommended system requirements. If the Steam Deck doesn't meet these requirements, your play experience will be terrible (if the game runs at all). Right now, the best way to tell if a game is good on Steam Deck is Valve's Deck Verified system. Valve is reviewing its entire Steam catalog and checking it for Steam Deck compatibility. Games that run great on the handheld have a Verified label. Games labeled Playable require some settings tweaks to play, while Unsupported games won't work at all. Titles labeled Unknown are ones Valve hasn't tested yet.
Length
While a video game's length (or lack of length) isn't indicative of its quality, how much time you're willing to spend with it is important. Are you the type of person who loves to get lost in a game world for dozens of hours? Or are you in the mood for a bite-sized experience you can finish in a single evening? Maybe you're a completionist who likes to find every collectible and complete every side quest before moving on to the next adventure. No matter what type of gamer you are, it helps to know what kind of time commitment a game requires before buying it.
Install Size
The Steam Deck portable gaming console has limited hard drive space; its three models have either 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid state drives. Games are getting larger and larger all the time. Bungie's MMO Destiny 2 requires over 100GB, for example. So keep install sizes and your limited storage in mind when buying a new Steam title. Also, consider expanding the Steam Deck's storage by adding a high-speed microSD card. That way, you'll have no problems downloading all the games you want to play.
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