Steam Deck, Valve’s mega-powerful mini-PC, solely arrived final yr, and whereas there are various causes to take a look at some of the thrilling items of gaming {hardware} obtainable in the present day, the quantity of nice, hassle-free video games obtainable on the gadget is proof sufficient of its success.
However Steam is an enormous market, and never each recreation works properly on the Deck. Whereas many hit video games do run properly on the gadget, some received’t launch, whereas others can have you chasing via numerous settings and scrolling boards and Reddit posts for options. Enjoyable for the tech fanatic, however not superb whenever you simply need an excellent gaming expertise. Valve has made the method simpler by labeling sure video games “Verified” on the gadget, however typically that’s not at all times a assure {that a} recreation will run with out problem.
Learn Extra: The Steam Deck Had A Phenomenal First 12 months
Fear not, this checklist will information you to one of the best experiences you’ll be able to have in yr one of many Steam Deck’s life. All however certainly one of these video games are Deck-verified. They work nice on the primary boot. That mentioned, adjusting a couple of settings right here and there would possibly make a given recreation expertise even higher for you, so I’ll name that out the place related. Tweaking the visible settings…can’t do this on a Swap!
As you might know, there are comparatively easy methods to get non-Steam video games operating on the Deck, however these we’ll deal with one other time. This checklist is concentrated on nice video games you’re assured to have entry to proper out of the field.
Replace 7/26/2023: Now that we’re greater than midway via 2023, we thought it was time to name out some extra must-plays on your Steam Deck. 2023 specifically noticed the discharge of two nice remakes of traditional horror video games, and we additionally added a pair older video games that had been frankly overdue on this checklist of must-play Steam Deck experiences.
Replace 12/27/2022: Wrapping up 2022, we’ve now bumped this checklist as much as 20 superb video games you’ll be able to play on the Steam Deck now. To hit this quantity we needed to bend a rule: We now have two video games which can be technically not “Deck Verified,” however are nonetheless completely playable.
Replace 10/21/2022: The Steam Deck’s library retains rising, and so too does this checklist! I’ve added 5 new video games to the important checklist and one new honorable point out. Almost all of those video games are Deck-verified, however I’ve made an exception for one specific title.
