The best Steam Deck games

At PC Gamer we love our desktop PCs with RGB'd out graphics cards larger than some studio apartments. But sometimes... sometimes we just want to cozy up on the couch with a Steam Deck in our hands. After many years, the dream of handheld PC gaming is here, and it's still kinda wild how well it works.

Outside of some competitive FPSes and strategy games that really demand a mouse and keyboard, there are thousands and thousands of games on Steam that work brilliantly with the Steam Deck's buttons, analog sticks and trackpads.

In fact, there are too many—with about 20,000 Steam games marked as Deck Verified, picking which ones to pour your limited gaming time into can be overwhelming. That's why we've narrowed in on what we consider the best Steam Deck games in 2025.

These are PC games ideal for play on the Steam Deck, and they lean towards newer recommendations to capture what we've been excited about playing this year. Many of our favorite Steam Deck games are ideal in short play sessions, or they're so long that we groan at the idea of sitting at our desks to play them day in and day out. They're all great with gamepad controls, or can be made to play nice with the Deck's extremely customizable paddles and trackpads.

Many of our favorite Steam Deck games are ones that you could play on the Nintendo Switch, but run much better on the more powerful handheld PC. Some even run better on the Deck than on the new Switch 2, which... yikes!

To make the list, a Steam Deck game has to check a few boxes:

• Works well on a small screen
• Runs well enough to not detract from the experience
• Worth the install space on your SSD or SD card
• Control well without a keyboard/mouse

Performance definitely matters: If we recommend an action game for the Steam Deck, that means it can reliably run somewhere between 40 and 60 fps, though we're less picky with puzzle games or turn-based RPGs that can sip power at 30 fps without bumming us out.

Our selection of the best Steam Deck games is sorted by genre and personally tested on the Steam Deck by the PC Gamer crew.

Here's what we're playing on the Steam Deck right now.

The no-brainer Steam Deck games

Before we get into our more recent recommendations, here are the obvious, all-timer picks that belong on every Steam Deck. Chances are good you have 'em installed already, so we won't linger on them. If you don't: Start here.

• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles ⭐
• Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight Silksong ⭐
• Balatro
• Vampire Survivors
• Stardew Valley
• Dead Cells
• Slay the Spire
• Dave the Diver
• Terraria
• FTL and Into the Breach
• Ball X Pit ⭐
• Yakuza 0

The best puzzle and adventure Steam Deck games

The Séance of Blake Manor - 1.3GB ⭐

Release: 2025 | Developer: Spooky Doorway

A mystery game that pulled me in with the moody art from the first minute, as my 19th century detective arrived at a spooky manor to investigate a woman's disappearance. If you've played this year's critically acclaimed Blue Prince, you'll feel some immediately similarities here (and both games are from publisher Raw Fury), but they play quite differently. You've got a traditionally structured narrative to talk your way through here, with the twist that each action you take spends a bit of time, and characters will move and the story will progress without waiting for you to figure everything out.

If you delight in seeing a web of clues and evidence fill itself out automatically as you make your way through a mystery, this is for you.

Baby Steps - 12 GB ⭐

Release: 2025 | Developer: Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy | Our review: 87%

Is "adventure" the right category for Baby Steps? This sim/platformer/action/adventure comedy is hard to pin down, but it's possibly the most maddening and funniest game of 2025. A potent combination, as Jody writes in his 87% review:

"Baby Steps takes the idea of games as challenges, of hard modes and iron man runs and proud declarations that yellow paint is ruining videogames, and personifies it as a specific kind of man—the man who will not ask for directions no matter how lost he is... Baby Steps makes ambling into slapstick comedy, and I laughed a lot while Nate groaned and swore and blubbered. At least, for the first seven or so hours. The seven hours after that started to edge into being draining and joyless in their own way—honestly, sand can fuck right off forever, Anakin was right, just a hateful substance—but by that point the story had hooked me."

Old Skies - 3.75GB

Release: 2025 | Developer: Wadjet Eye Games | Our review: 87%

Wadjet Eye has been reliably releasing classic point-and-click adventures for more than a decade now, and Old Skies may well be its best. Fun, not-too-tricky puzzles are a common throughline, but Old Skies is doing a couple things differently, with a step up to more illustrative comic book style character art and a time travel conceit that reveals its ambitions as you go.

"Old Skies slowly grows into a cohesive story of love, loss and regret that started to punch me in the gut with alarming regularity," writes reviewer Fraser Brown. "As [protagonist] Fia develops more agency, more personal connections, a desire to have a real life rather than just being stuck in the eye of the storm, surrounded by an ever-changing reality, Old Skies truly becomes something special."

The Rise of the Golden Idol - 2.5GB

Release: 2024 | Developer: Color Gray Games | Our review: 87%

The sequel to one of our GOTY winners from 2022, Rise of the Golden Idol is another great mystery adventure. You'll show up to crime scenes that have something to do with the elusive idol and have to piece apart what happened, with lots of little bits in the environment to click on to discover more details. You'll collect words based on what you see in the scene and use those words to eventually solve the crime—in his review, Chris Livingston calls this process "murderous Mad Libs."

"Collecting words is done by clicking on things but true understanding only comes from close examination of everything in the scene: poring over notes on cork boards and letters in pockets, gathering clues in desk drawers and wastebaskets, scrutinizing the tiniest details like the torn cuff of a sleeve or a splotch of paint. Even fingerprints need to be examined at one point, every detective's dream come true."

Wilmot Works It Out - 450MB

Release: 2024 | Developer: Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg

"This chill puzzle game is so good I bought its prequel before I even finished it," writes PC Gamer's Chris Livingston. That's an endorsement! This follow-up to Wilmot's Warehouse is a cute puzzler that Chris particularly called out as a great Steam Deck companion. You're Wilmot, who's literally a square, and you use your square head to assemble the pieces of various jigsaw puzzles with satisfying clicks. Rather than working on a single puzzle at a time, you'll often have pieces that go to multiple puzzles and have to suss out what goes where as you assemble. Simple premise, great execution.

Animal Well - 34MB

Release: 2024 | Developer: Billy Basso | Our review: 90%

We called Animal Well a "sleep-destroying puzzle metroidvania of baffling depth" in our review, praising its eerie atmosphere and clever design that slowly unfolds as you explore. Not only is your arsenal of items particularly unique—you'll find yourself utilizing a slinky and a yo-yo instead of the usual gamey upgrades—there's little combat in Animal Well, making it a notably different sort of adventure than Hollow Knight. But there's so much to find once you've "finished" the game.

As we said in our review: "It's rare for a game that hints towards fathomless depths to so continually reward curious prodding—especially when that game is under 50 megabytes!—but Animal Well, like Fez, Spelunky and Hollow Knight before it, feels like it could be a concern for years to come."

Pentiment - 10GB

Released: 2022 | Developer: Obsidian | Our review: 88%

A gorgeous historical murder mystery set in and around a monastery in early 1500s Bavaria. Pentiment has roots in classic PC adventure games but is built to be completely playable on a controller and Deck verified, so you know it's going to work well here. Your time in Pentiment will be spent interviewing the locals to try to suss out a murder—when you're not losing yourself staring at the stunning fonts, anyway.

The best deckbuilding and strategy Steam Deck games

Monster Train 2 - 1GB⭐

Released: 2025 | Developer: Shiny Shoe | Our review: 91%

A sequel in the "more is more" vein, but it's hard to complain too much about that when it means more of the finest deckbuilder this side of Slay the Spire. You're still arranging squads of monsters on three floors of a Hell train to fight off invading angels, but this game does even more to play up the interplay between your cards and the many status effects they can be buffed by or stricken with.

"The best synergies feel like you’ve broken the game," writes reviewer Abbie Stone. "Occasionally you have, but Monster Train remains the master of tricking you into feeling like you’re playing a duller deckbuilder with all the cheats on.

Thronefall - 760MB

Released: 2024 | Developer: GrizzlyGames

City builder and tower defense merge in this bite-sized strategy game that's simple to pick up and play. Build up your castle and defenses during the day and then defend them as enemy armies mob the walls at night. But you're not just sitting and watching the action: you're a brave king who can ride into battle alongside your wee little archers and spearmen to fight off the hordes. Survive the night and you can grow your kingdom and improve its production and defenses, but the enemy gets bigger every evening, too. Thronefall is great fun, simple but smart, and perfect for couch-based sessions on your Deck.

Cobalt Core - 500MB

Release: 2023 | Developer: Rocket Rat Games | Our review: 87%

A bit of FTL's ship management with Slay the Spire's superb deckbuilding, Cobalt Core somehow forges its own identity. You'll play cards to affect the positioning your ship and dodge attacks, and the meta progression will see you recruit new cute animal crew members and unlock ships that change how you play. Cobalt Core nails the roguelike essentials to become one of our new favorites, scoring an 87%.

The best Steam Deck action games and platformers

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound - 700MB

Released: 2025 | Developer: The Game Kitchen | Our review: 78%

2025 is the year of the ninja, with both Sega's Shinobi and Koei Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden getting their first new games in years. This 2D action platformer is from the makers of Blasphemous and runs as well as you'd expect on the Steam Deck (unfortunately it can't keep a stable 60 fps on the poor old Switch 1).

"Essentially it’s a series of kill chains and platforming challenges, with the occasional pause to figure out a mild puzzle (usually nothing more complex than how to slaughter everything more efficiently)," writes reviewer Abbie Stone. The lack of a single killer idea prevents this from being an all-timer, but I welcome straightforward action games with this sense of pacing.

Nine Sols - 3.7GB

Released: 2024 | Developer: RedCandleGames | Our review: 88%

I shamefully overlooked Nine Sols when it came out in 2024, but it really was one of the year's best games. It stands out from a sea of Hollow Knight imitators with a sharp parry mechanic, great art, and a strong sci-fi setting from Devotion developer RedCandle.

"Nine Sols’ masterstroke is that simply pulling off a parry isn’t just a reward in itself here. It also fills up your Qi, which Yi uses to slap deadly talismans on his enemies," writes reviewer Abbie Stone. "In time-honored Soulslike tradition, these bosses start off seemingly impossible. But stick with it, and you’ll gradually master the parry timing and rhythm of parry-talisman-boom-repeat. When you finally ricochet and detonate your way through a boss without taking a single blow, it feels like taking down Ornstein and Smough blindfolded. With a guitar hero controller. That’s not even plugged in."

Skin Deep - 2GB

Released: 2025 | Developer: Blendo Games | Our review: 88%

It's rare we recommend a first-person shooter for the Steam Deck, because we generally prefer them on a mouse and keyboard. But we'll make an exception from Skin Deep, an immersive sim from the always creative Blendo Games. Skin Deep makes a perfect Steam Deck game because it's a shooter that's more about slapstick comedy and problem solving than shooting.

"By the time I rolled credits, there was no question that Skin Deep is among the best and deepest stealth sandboxes I've ever played in," writes reviewer Morgan Park. "...I've sent guards into sneezing fits with boxes of pepper, turned soap into an explosive, flushed myself down a trash chute to make a quick escape, and subjected an entire pirate crew to ear-splitting jazz.

"You'd think MIAO Corp's top agent would be issued a gun, knife, or at least a leather-wrapped cudgel to drive off intruders, but thanks to the 'complications of the deep freeze process,' equipment protocol is procure-on-site, Solid Snake-style. Such is the zany, charmingly Die Hard setups behind Skin Deep's intricate sandboxes: Nina is outnumbered, outgunned, and literally shoeless, but she still holds all the cards."

UFO 50 - 400MB

Released: 2024 | Developer: Mossmouth | Our review: 80%

UFO 50 defies genre categorization. It could've really gone anywhere on this page, because this is not a single game but a collection of 50 of them, all designed to replicate the 8-bit era of console gaming. It's got puzzlers, RPGs, first-person adventures, platformers, shmups, and strategy games, with a light but compelling meta narrative linking them together, built around the fictional game company that made them all. You're almost guaranteed to find at least a few games in the collection that grip you. Consider the rest an incredible bonus.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor - 2GB ⭐

Released: 2025 | Developer: Funday Games

A smash success, this riff on Vampire Survivors adds some of Deep Rock Galactic's mining to the auto-shooter action. You'll complete missions while digging through the dark and melting bugs by the ton. While this game has been on our list for awhile, it's now launched out of early access and may have become our favorite Survivors style game of them all. Sorry, Vamps!

Hades 2 - 4GB

Released: 2025 | Developer: Supergiant

We are so back.

Back in the underworld, I mean, trying to escape it—this time as princess Melinoë, younger sister of Zagreus. Though Hades 2 is currently in early access, it launched with as much or more stuff in it than Hades had at 1.0, making this an easy recommendation to play right now. It's also different from the first game in some notable ways, including Melinoë's movement style and abilities and some of the weapons at her disposal. Supergiant didn't just make this a purely additive sequel, then, but wanted it to feel distinct from the original to keep things fresh.

Now out of early access, it's one of the best action games of the year, even if the ending didn't quite land for everyone.

Pizza Tower - 300MB

Released: 2023 | Developer: Tour De Pizza | Our review: 90%

Pizza Tower is platforming heaven, taking inspiration from Wario Land and 2D Sonic while also boasting a '90s Nickelodeon animation style and a soundtrack that has no right to sound this good. Seriously, bring headphones if you're playing it in public - you'll want to hear every track.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - 25GB

Released: 2014 | Developer: Platinum Games | Our review: 80%

With the release of 2025's Ninja Gaiden 4, I'm more convinced than ever that this is actually Platinum's finest action game ever. Don't tell Bayonetta!

Given a katana that can cut literally anything in half and a parry system that uses the same button as attacking, and Revengeance is just nonstop sword swinging, frantic in the best way. It's Deck verified and with some settings tweaks can run at a stable almost-60 fps. For smoother performance, try capping the Deck's refresh rate at 59 fps (which is the framerate Revengeance runs at, for some reason).

The best Steam Deck RPGs

Metaphor: ReFantazio - 80GB

Released: 2024 | Developer: Atlus | Our review: 95%

The best RPG that Persona studio Atlus has ever made? We say yes: this fantasy blend of Persona's social sim elements with a thoughtful story, strong characters and new layers to combat. "A beautiful, 100-hour-long journey from beginning to end, Metaphor: ReFantazio takes the best elements of Persona 5 and somehow improves on them," we wrote in our review. Dial down the settings to reasonable levels and you can get a consistent 30 fps on the Steam Deck, making it an ideal device to play this loooooong RPG on.

Skald: Against the Black Priory - 700MB

Released: 2024 | Developer: High North Studios AS | Our review: 89%

"Before playing Skald: Against the Black Priory, I liked the idea of this throwback roleplaying game, but wasn't sure it was for me," writes reviewer Ted Litchfield. "Skald's primary source of visual inspiration is an era of DOS and Commodore RPGs I have respect, but not much affection for. Skald's gorgeous VGA-inspired pixel art scared me off as much as it enticed me.

"Finally diving into the game, though, I found something decidedly more modern: Skald is crisp and tight, threading the needle with an elegant, modern design sensibility that doesn't sand off the complexity and depth I crave in my RPGs."

What more do you need to know? An early '90s style RPG with smart modern touches and it's Steam Deck verified. Get cozy and get to questin'.

Caves of Qud - 1.2GB

Released: 2024 | Developer: Freehold Games | Our review: 94%

After a lifetime in early access, Caves of Qud is fully out, and it sets a new high bar for roguelike RPGs with deeply simulated worlds and evocative sci-fi writing. Granted, there's not much—maybe nothing—else out there quite like Qud, but it's a high bar nonetheless! "I cannot recommend Caves of Qud enough for its innovations in mechanics and storytelling, however anachronistic it may look," writer Jon Bolding said in his 94% review. "Caves of Qud is a genre-defining achievement in play, story, and roleplaying freedom."

As part of Qud's big 1.0 launch, it got a revamped interface that's much more controller-friendly than you might expect from a roguelike of its type, with particular attention paid to its playability on Steam Deck. If you want a game you can play for 100 hours without ever stressing the Deck's GPU, it's this one.

Disco Elysium - 20GB

Released: 2019 | Developer: ZA/UM | Our review: 92%

Almost entirely voice-acted, this game requires you only to read your responses and some menu stuff, though the text may be a little small for some. Still, the game runs perfectly well without Proton's intervention, and works great with a controller. In fact there's an excuse to play around with the touch screen here as well if you fancy. It's not the smallest install, but it is, you know, the best PC game, period.

The best party/co-op Steam Deck games

Valheim - 1GB

Released: 2021 | Developer: Iron Gate AB | Our review: Unscored

Not only is this a tiny install, considering it's open world, it's also pretty great with a controller, particularly as there are so many options for assigning your hotbar items. We suggest following these steps to make Valheim look spectacular. As long as you're somewhere with a stable internet connection, I wholly recommend joining your friends for some Viking shenanigans.

The best life sims, management sims, and cozy sims

Promise Mascot Agency - 6GB

Released: 2025 | Developer: Kaizen Game Works | Our review: 94%

Promise Mascot Agency could also fit in alongside our favorite Steam Deck adventure games; it's a truly strange combination of visual novel and management sim in which you're in charge of a failing mascot agency. The mascots are not people in costumes, but living blocks of crying tofu, porn-obsessed cats, and increasingly strange creatures. When you send them out on jobs, you then have to play a card game to help them be the best mascot they can be.

Oh, also, you drive a cute little truck around a dilapidated Japanese town in between talking to people and handling the economics of your rags-to-riches business.

Also also, it's one of the best games of 2024. No surprise from the developers of Paradise Killer. If that description just left you mystified, give it a shot anyway.

Fields of Mistria

Released: 2024 (early access) | Developer: NPC Studio

The strongest contender for Stardew Valley's crown in ages, Fields of Mistria brings a charming '90s anime flair to the farm life sim, with an emphasis on dating the cutey pie townsfolk you'll be spending a lot of your time with (though the relationships aren't yet fully formed). This isn't just for the Sailor Moon lovers: even in early access there's a lot of promise in Mistria's atmosphere and farm sim stuff, as demonstrated by its first major update. Even if Stardew or the also-excellent Roots of Pacha own your heart right now, keep an eye on Mistria for the future. It's Deck Verified, too.

Cult of the Lamb - 1GB

Released: 2022 | Developer: Massive Monster | Our review: 82%

Is Cult of the Lamb a sim? An action game? A dungeon crawling roguelike? Uh... yes, to all of the above. Part base builder, part actioner, this cutesy occult game is like "Animal Crossing if Tom Nook craved power instead of money," according to our reviewer. Dungeons provide the action in between building up a society for your newfound worshippers. Outside of some small text, it's a great Deck game, and got a saucy update titled "Sins of the Flesh" in early 2024.

Sports/Driving games

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 - 50 GB ⭐

Released: 2025 | Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios

While not as universally well received as 1+2 (we have our own criticisms) it still feels great to go back to the glory days of Tony Hawk, particularly with this remake's take on THPS3. THPS4 is missing its old career mode, which is a shame, but the games still play great.

And they'll run at 60 fps on the Steam Deck, making them perfect to noodle around with for a bit anytime the slightest urge to skate creeps up on you.

Super Mega Baseball 4 - 16 GB

Released: 2023 | Developer: Metalhead Studios

Really, take your pick from any of the Super Mega Baseball games, because they're all great and perfect for the Deck. The controls are nice and arcadey but there's plenty of depth to the management and player development systems. And since MLB The Show refuses to set foot on PC, it's not like there are a whole lot of other on-field baseball game options.

Art of Rally - 7GB

Released: 2020 | Developer: Funskeletor Labs

A minimalist yet beautiful racer, Art of Rally is a serene, heavily stylized driving game inspired by classic cars. You race from a top-down perspective instead of the usual rear fender view; Art of Rally is to cars what the also-great Lonely Mountain Downhill is to biking. Perfect your lap times while taking in the scenery: the extremely modest system requirements will keep this one running at full performance without stressing your Deck.

Super Video Golf - 392MB

Released: 2023 | Developer: Trederia

Great to play with friends, against CPU opponents, or alone: Super Video Golf is a '90s themed golf game with loads of courses, modes, and challenges. It's extremely chill, lightweight in terms of size and performance, and there's Steam workshop support for even more customization options than it already has. A great golf game and perfect for your Deck.