25 Best Steam Deck Games YOU Should Play (2024 Edition)

Just bought yourself a Steam Deck and need games to play? Start right here friendo, and let's get huffing that good stuff.
The Switch might have had a long run at the top as the handheld console of choice, but Valve have made a great case for themselves with the Steam Deck. Being able to play the hundreds, if not thousands of Steam titles you already own while on the go is quite the liberating feeling, so it’s no surprise that the Steam Deck has been considered by many to be worth its weight in gold.
Still, for all of the Steam Deck’s benefits, a console can only ever be as good as the games you can play on it, so it’s fortunate that there are thousands of titles that are already available for the Steam Deck that you can enjoy right now. We’ve narrowed that massive library down even further so you know which titles to play once you get your grubby mitts on Valve’s new box of wonders. Here’s the best Steam Deck games you should check out on your portable powerhouse.
00:00 Intro
01:39 25. Stardew Valley
02:52 24. Streets of Rage 4
03:59 23. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
05:09 22. Project Zomboid
06:17 21. Baldur's Gate 3
07:24 20. Papers, Please
08:28 19. Marvel's Midnight Suns
09:23 18. Persona 5 Royal
10:36 17. Cult of the Lamb
11:40 16. Journey
12:43 15. Disco Elysium
13:55 14. Furi
14:54 13. Neon White
15:51 12. Sayonara Wild Hearts
16:42 11. Dorfromantik
17:38 10. Slay the Spire
18:41 9. God of War
19:43 8. Elden Ring
20:45 7. Undertale
21:54 6. Vampire Survivors
23:13 5. Dead Cells
24:24 4. Celeste
25:27 3. Yakuza 0
26:28 2. Hades
27:32 1. Hollow Knight
28:40 Outro
👉Want to see what other consoles have to offer in terms of their best games? Here's our complete playlist: • 20 BEST Game Boy Color...
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Cultured Vultures is a good KZbin channel with very good content and it would even gooder if you would sub. We cover retro games, all things PlayStation and much, much more with our gaming lists and guides
#steam #steamdeck #valve

[@CulturedVultures]

THE BEST PS5 GAMES: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHnSqoededyMp7csi=47aTgctXCNsQyvFV

[@simlal]

Steam deck has made it possible to streamline gaming overall making console exclusive less of a thing : Sony's PC ports as mentionned, Xbox always ported to PC, Nintendo with the possibility of emulation, Steam exclusives and overall games that require more advance hardware to run. All of this while being able to be portable or play like a console docked is amazing

[@CulturedVultures]

What are ya playing at the minute?

[@simlal]

@@CulturedVultures Dark Souls 1 for longer sessions, replaying Ori and the Blind Forest with my girlfriend for the 3rd time and Rogue Legacy 1 for shorter session :)

[@simlal]

Also, I've been watching most of your "best-of" series and really enjoyed it, keep up the good work man :)

[@JamieR]

​@@simlalOri is such an underrated masterpiece

[@phrozac]

Awesome games that run surprisingly well I've played on the OLED: Aliens Dark Descent, Alien Isolation, Arkham Knight, Crysis Remastered 1-3, Days Gone, Dead Space Remake, Dishonored 2, Dying Light, Elden Ring, Fallout 3/4/ & NV(even with mods!), Gears Tactics, Lies of P, Prey, Rage 1 & 2, Sekiro, Shadow Tactics, System Shock Remake, Rogue Trader, Wasteland 3, and Witcher 3.

[@CulturedVultures]

playing Days Gone rn!

[@nye8986]

How close are you to 40 years old? 😅

[@malobuchino]

you've put a tremendous amount of time in this video and it is appreciated. thank you!

[@florian5670]

Thanks for the nice wrap up! I'd love to see something like this without cinematic trailers and more gameplay footage.

[@cloudvoid0]

Thank you for a relatively refreshing and very fitting list of amazing games! 👍🏽

[@DarthEaglePrime2]

29K GANG! Awesome video... Thanks for the recommendations.

[@gloriouskatatsumuri]

Always shocked how small your subscriber count is, a channel just waiting to blow up! Great list. Think I'd have snuck the remaster of Quake 1 or 2 in but cannot argue with your number 1, one of the best games of the decade!

[@garydawson952]

29k Gang, amazing vid, who needs to endlessly search for games when you do that for me, few games here I’ve added, thanks again keep it up!.

[@CulturedVultures]

Congrats! You won the giveaway! pickawinner.co/certs/65fdb7421ca22/ Please add your email to your KZbin profile on here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYCYi52Jm7iEa9k), then email us at infoatculturedvulturesdotcom to claim your prize :)

[@garydawson952]

@@CulturedVultures email sent

[@erakfishfishfish]

Astral Ascend is a Roguelike worth mentioning. It mixes the builds and hub world of Hades with the 2D platforming presentation of Dead Cells. The story isn’t anything to get excited about, but the game has some of the smoothest combat I’ve experienced in a game.

[@Sar1386]

29k gang, great video. I’m so excited as I just got my steam deck 3 days ago and cannot wait to get games and start playing. These types of videos are amazing for helping with ideas on what to add to my wish list. I’ve never done any PC gaming before I’ve always had consoles so I’m a bit nervous about all the proton talk I’ve heard and fiddling I may have to learn in order to play my games so If anyone has any tips, tricks or suggestions for games to play on my new deck I would be extremely grateful. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone to me someday gaming on a full PC. Take care everyone .

[@CulturedVultures]

let us know what you play! :)

[@Marathon5151]

Have fun, I like to use my nreal air glasses with my deck to get the big screen experience in bed or on trips

[@ChudDin]

The Steam deck and PC gaming in general is not as complicated as you may expect. I would definitely recommend new Deckers and PC gamers to watch some beginners guide and tips and tricks videos, just to understand the basics and get the most out of your gaming experience!

[@guidokruijver2925]

Great video!

[@Vijay1591]

Great work with the list. Really good games!

[@verse8833]

Let us not forget that even if the steam deck cannot run specific games directly, it still allows us the freedom to play those titles from the couch, bed, or toilet via remote play. At ultra settings also, if your PC and WIFI can handle it, of course.

[@Brickhaus69]

29K GANG great list thanks for the chance subscribed

[@TheOnlyTony03]

Outerwilds is also a must on the deck

[@disrespank]

I would add a few for sure to this list: - Little Nightmares 1 and 2 - Ori - Risk of Rain 2 and Returns - The Witcher 3 - Xcom2 - And my recent favorite Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

[@CulturedVultures]

I give a shoutout to Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor! love that game

[@kingchess5870]

Ori and the wotw is probably my favorite. I’m replaying it on the steam deck rn. I played it on Xbox the first time but now I can play it just about anywhere on an OLED screen

[@elgwninja]

Idk man I had Witcher 3 and it performed poorly on deck

[@marcpittman9455]

I literally can’t stop playing deep rock survivor

[@danfuture4409]

which games are listed on the outros? ​@@CulturedVultures

[@pharmcat8484]

You guys deserve 100x the views you’re getting.

[@edwardbrennan3963]

29K GANG! new to the steamdeck and loving it!

[@AnimeBrosAMV]

I would probably add automata! But then again we have metal gear rising so it's all good!

[@stratuvarious8547]

Buying a refurbished Steam Deck and adding a new 1 or 2 TB ssd, would be a pretty solid value gaming device. $280 for the 64 GB model and add a $75 or $150 ssd upgrade would give you a lot of gaming. And you could always add in a 1 TB microSD card. 3 TB of storage would hold many games for your enjoyment.

[@CubanFireball81]

29K Gang :-) I just got my first Steam Deck and love it! Children of Mortal and Hades look and play great. Also just bought Stardew Valley and it’s so much fun….. once you know the tips and tricks.

[@johnboy4955]

Slay the spires is hands down the best title I’ve found whilst playing on steam. 29kgang!

[@AshBates27]

belated 29K gang (that's actually 30.3K gang now, let's keep it going)

[@dumbstruckempire]

Fantastic!

[@RonyTheRhombus.]

29k GANG! First video I've watched of the channel, really enjoyed it! Thanks for ruining my wallet and steam library even more

[@therealandlegitsoapybubble]

Sonic Mania has been my most played on my steam deck recently!

[@LeFacteurK]

OTXO, HiFi Rush, Somerville and Stray are all very great on the steamdeck.

[@turntqble]

29k gang and good luck to everyone!

[@Drewdown420]

I just realized this is 3 weeks old dang can't win being this late

[@CrzYbaDmutha2245]

You know you can tinker with the settings? I play on my steam deck at home exclusively, so being steam deck verified I can increase the graphic settings in exchange for battery life. Which is likely 1-2 hours.

[@benjaminperkin2655]

Great video. However some of your games require a mouse and the steam deck isn't great when a mouse is needed. I recommend games that have been ported from console like days gone and horizon forbidden west. They run and play great!

[@PeanusParker]

Looks like you owe us the project zomboid stream!!!

[@LogosGaming]

Lot of those games have mobile ports to BE honest, if someone does not have a Steam deck can get a controller gamesir or ipega? And Turn the phone intro a console. Allways important to Say🎉

[@jonathont5570]

zomboid has been one of my favorite games for years, great dev.

[@CulturedVultures]

Same! Would love to stream it

[@samuelellis7991]

As a Xbox only player can I jump in and play on here without having a computer?

[@theponderingplumb9790]

I’ve been playing Oblivion, the controls are kind of janky for steam deck (it’s not a verified game for deck) but it’s still a blast and the soundtrack is goat

[@generalbaltika]

Damn I love that music from god hand

[@aggronidas2588]

one of the best games for the steam deck is ff7 remake. Unfortunately not listed here. It runs smoothly, fast and is a lot of fun. My favorite game on the deck

[@Rizal_Kathmandu]

Here's my suggestions buy these :- mark of the ninja,little nightmares both , inside and limbo , tekken 8 , mgsv tpp and gz , splinter cell series , cup head series

[@triassic911]

I was laughing so hard within the first 30 seconds.

[@charlieb308]

Number 1 game for me to play on steamy deck, Morrowind

[@radisnpc8566]

My games on steam deck: - metal gear solid: phantom pain (running like dream) -dirt rally - riders republic - mafia definitive edition -Red dead redemption 2

[@CulturedVultures]

Phantom Pain is great! I definitely needed to tweak down the settings though, it ate my battery in like an hour haha

[@radisnpc8566]

@@CulturedVultures yes i have classic LCD model, my settings is like medium/high game looks still awesome and running on 15watts playtime like 2hours few minutes.. but i have 40000mah powerbank with 100w charging, i collecting money for OLED model i like tuned up its awesome.. my friend had it and its totally amazing handheld i love it.. I love fact playing all MGS on my steam deck, 1,2,3 duckstation and RCPS, i heavy recommended try MGS 1 play with duckstation emu, you can forced resolution its awesome loooking :O a idont know why konami creating his bull...hit :D mastercollection is horrible,,, i love emu. But i love kojima work i buy every game :)

[@radisnpc8566]

but mgs 4 running by emulator like 30-35FPS stable, 4hours of my life for all settings, rewritting folders and other fixes... looks greate but consuming 21-22watts :D god of war playing with happy face on 20 :D

[@the_bogeyman.]

I was expecting to see titles like Ori, Little nightmares, Oddworld and Hotline Miami in the list. At least, those are interesting to me. All the Sega Genesis and mega drive classics too.

[@pharmcat8484]

Whipper. Whipper good. Da da da da da, crack that whipper.

[@adrianwilliams6577]

Outrun ensured that Yakuza Zero is never uninstalled from my Steam Deck, I still have to find and unlock Super Hang On, Sega games have occupied my Steam Deck SSD for more than two years.

[@N1ghtstar4]

For a minute there I thought baldurs gate 3 was beaten by some strange game called papers please….

[@greenduckgamer]

29k gang Thanks!

[@bilimayo281]

where's palworld? Helldivers 2? they both run great and came out in time for the list. Or maybe they just haven't been out long enough?

[@SavageSenzu]

Helldivers does not run well on the steam deck outside of the first difficulty. Anything else is way too demanding

[@bilimayo281]

@@SavageSenzu that's hasn't been my experience. Sucks for you I guess

[@isakboba6487]

@@bilimayo281what settings are you using? Low settings?

[@bilimayo281]

@@isakboba6487 medium

[@nukesean]

I can’t believe Baldur’s Gate Free isn’t furver up the list!

[@PierFlies]

I didn't like Hades at first but I stuck with it and really enjoyed the gameplay. Dead Cells was great, did you play Skul the hero slayer? I liked that one just as much as the others. I haven't tried hollow knight or vampire survivors yet but I will eventually.

[@CulturedVultures]

Skul I have heard really good things about, bit of an under the radar hit! I would recommend Curse of the Dead Gods as well if you enjoy suffering :)

[@Mattyisokay]

Hollow knight is amazing. You will love it

[@PierFlies]

@@Mattyisokay I'll try it out after I finish FFV, almost done with that one. Thanks for reminding me about Hollow Knight.

[@GF-Secret]

If You like Yakuza 0, need to try Sleeping Dogs too! It's the number 1 for me.

[@MrAwesumo]

I’m 24 I’ve been gaming my whole life I always thought the best console was ps2 and that couldn’t be beaten but the steam deck is my favourite gaming device ever the game support on this thing especially when you include emulation is insane

[@stevenjohnson8736]

I’m almost 48 I’ve been gaming since your GAY ASS wasn’t even born yet 😃

[@anthonyalexander5607]

I thought I was the only one that smelled the vent everytime hahaha

[@CulturedVultures]

The forbidden hole...

[@Spitounet34]

29K GANG! Keep up the good work.

[@elijahsmith8413]

You should put control

[@wereid1978]

The first few are style picks rather than quality picks.

[@patchedcarcass7867]

29k gang , 🎉🎉

[@lookash1235]

29K GANG!

[@TMTGD]

Hey just so you know the pop-up card thing for stardew says insomniac instead of the actual developer

[@taylor91192]

Be honest, how does RDR2 run on the deck? I never really hear anyone talking much about it

[@jeremiahwilliams3778]

It’s a steady 40-45 fps on the deck. It may drop a few times or even at more heavier moments. But it’s fun and looks visually great on handheld. It also has decent battery life while playing it too.

[@CulturedVultures]

👆

[@NeXLvl]

Runs like playing god of war, runs super smooth, not right out of the box though, you will have to tinker with some settings to get a decent frame rate but it does run really well. 👍🏾

[@ravenheflin8627]

29K Gang!

[@HoldMeForever]

Bg3 isn't fully playable, first 2 parts are barely playable and third party simply isn't. Verified doesn't mean shit.

[@CulturedVultures]

yeah it's why we put it waaaay back, it's worth dipping your toe in on SD at least

[@Negentropy369]

I put 100 hours in on Steam deck. It's absolutely playable. Sure Act 3 can be rough in certain areas, but it's turn based combat so it doesn't really hinder your ability to play.

[@peterclay]

29k gang. I like playing arpg's on the steam deck.

[@CulturedVultures]

What's your favourite one atm?

[@MasterH2005]

29K GANG!!

[@WatsNeXTV]

29k gang gang let’s gooooooooooooo

[@FletchMo7]

29K Gang ❤️

[@oHotline]

No Balatro should be considered a crime.

[@CulturedVultures]

it came out as we were finishing editing this!

[@CodeNight-dm2hv]

HiFi-Rush !!

[@KevinD-fr9sg]

29k Gang!!!

[@jeremybooth1190]

I assure you guys..... BG3 looks ways better then that.... I play medium settings at 1280x800 it runs between 28 to 42fps .... (for a turn based game... this is not that bad)

[@sebastianwulff3809]

Borderlands 2 ist great on the Deck ❤

[@JoshuaCarter-ts8gp]

29k gang!!

[@dewinter1411]

29k Gang!

[@5.0truck]

29k gang gang!

[@peterrusso7336]

3:46 pause.

[@tom_123]

29K GANG :0

[@dylanaustinphoto]

29k gang!

[@rouvencocker]

Just bought Jedi fallen order for 3.99!!!!

[@CulturedVultures]

Killer deal! btw if you just want to "rent" their games for a month, a lot of EA's game's are Deck Verified and you can sub to EA Play for like $5 or something :)

[@Drewdown420]

29 k gang gang Project zomboid is the shiz I just have to say

[@fieldingluke]

A good old fashioned what? 😅

[@ChamaUFC300]

Removed my like when i didn’t see red dead 2 criminal that it isn’t on the list

[@CulturedVultures]

Need a lot of tinkering and tweaking for not very long battery life, brilliant game obviously but not perfect for the Deck

[@kahlilmartin8588]

#29KGang

[@Stickynickky]

29k gang😺

[@chavitacarranza]

29k GANG

[@anthonyalexander5607]

I wish I would’ve bought a steam deck on day 1. I’ve played more video games since I’ve bought it.

[@mohammednagadi5912]

Hades made my steam deck buttons to be ruined

[@jonathannewby697]

Literally could have put any AAA title around and the only one I see is elden ring.

[@CulturedVultures]

respectfully. open your eyes then

[@simlal]

29K gang

[@feedthemonkey83]

Just becaused its verified doesnt mean it plays good on steam deck. Examples are BG3 and Elden Ring. Yes you can play them basically. But both look pretty shitty on the Deck and in terms of Input lag and dependancy of fps Elden Ring is also not a really good experience on the deck. Even Cyberpunk 2077 ... thats completely missing and would be usually a top 3 title, is playing better on deck than BG3 and ER.

[@jordanpeters1861]

Bro the games you put over Elden ring and god of war hurt my soul

[@harizsyukri3819]

nah, top 1 to 7 is great to play with handheld

[@terrialyeary7324]

29k gang

[@JustxLiving909]

Read dead redemption 2 online

[@Catbeans99]

You don’t t have Terraria on the list? Shame!

[@CulturedVultures]

Sorry! we really tried to be varied

[@rareshotea9283]

gta rdr ?

[@Fleetwood_Talks]

You can make bg3 look better than this on deck

[@lothwitchviewing3776]

elden ring pvp on steam deck xD

[@abrahamkevingagui4030]

Sheesh

[@Soraky0]

29kgang

[@thekrazyhatter5063]

There was. a time Sony Sega Microsoft Nintendo And Atari Created 8 consoles the Sega Created the genesis and the dreamcast Microsoft Created the Xbox and its successor the Xbox 360 Sony Created The PlayStation 2 and 3 and Atari Created 1600 and the 1800 but out came Gabe Newell and his band of Ruffians and Created The Steam Deck with intentions to rule 8bit earth and he succeeded in Creating the best console ever made THY CONSOLE TO RULE THEM ALL Lord Of The 8bits Fellowship of The sonic Rings