Whether you’re lounging around or on the go, the Steam Deck makes an excellent companion to play your Steam Library. With its wide array of compatibility options, roughly 75% of all games on Steam are approved or playable for the Steam Deck, meaning there’s a good chance to play your favorites on the go! If you’re looking to expand your library, here’s my picks for gaming on the Steam Deck.
1. Dead Cells
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A roguelite hack n' slash with heavy influences from Castlevania, fight your way to the top of an island kingdom ravaged by malaise. Short runs lasting about 30 minutes to an hour and wife meta progression make Dead Cells a great pick up and play game for the Steam Deck!
2. World of Horror
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Inspired by the art of Junji Ito and the horrors of Lovecraft, World of Horror is reminiscent of tabletop RPGs such as Call of Cthulhu or Betrayal at House on the Hill. Investigate mysteries in a monster-of-the-week episodic style to put a stop to the entity taking over Shiokawa, Japan. World of Horror has Steam Workshop integration for custom stories and content, and makes a great game for extended play on the Steam Deck, and includes a Save & Quit function for when you need to pack it up.
3. Slay the Spire
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The roguelite deckbuilder that started the craze, be resourceful and plan ahead to fight your way to the heart of the Spire. Easy to learn but hard to master deckbuilder gameplay, four very distinct characters, and difficulty ramping make Slay the Spire endlessly replayable and a wonderful companion on the Steam Deck.
4. The Binding of Isaac Rebirth
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The Binding of Isaac is the essential roguelite, replayable for hundreds of hours even without the expansions. Fight deeper and deeper into the basement, finding items along the way to change the run game and defeat Isaac's murderous mother. Incredibly easy to get lost in a run for an hour, and easy to save and put down on your Steam Deck.
5. The Messenger
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A love letter to Ninja Gaiden and the action platformer era, deliver a message to save the world.... with a twist! The Messenger opens up and changes the formula on itself over and over while keeping the core action platforming and moderate difficulty pristine. Wonderful art and quirky dialogue tie it all together in a game you'll come back to time and time again!
6. Go Mecha Ball
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Mecha, cats, and pinball are the name of the game. Go Mecha Ball is pure kinetic action gameplay, speed around the map in ball form then blast your enemies away with different weapons and abilities. Go Mecha Ball is fast paced and intense, and perfect for a handheld experience!
7. Spelunky 2
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Hardcore arcade platforming, explore the caves and ancient temples under the moon's surface. Collect treasure and explore several paths and find secrets along the way. High difficulty and score chasing coupled with a tight learning curve is what makes Spelunky 2 so fun to come back to and finish just one more run.
8. One Step From Eden
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Heavily inspired by Megaman Battle Network, One Step From Eden brings the combat formula to the roguelite genre. Dance around the grid and manage your spell cards in this kinetic deckbuilder. High variety and the short runtime wrap One Step From Eden into a tight bow for your handheld gaming.
9. Pako 2
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The classic mobile game expands itself into a pleasant arcade experience in Pako 2. As a getaway driver you cause chaos and evade police stylishly to earn a higher score and unlock new modifiers and vehicles. Pako 2 is very easy to pick up and play for short gaming sessions.
10. Peglin
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Peglin wears its inspiration on its sleeves, and mixes it up in a roguelite formula in a pleasant blend of deckbuilding and plinko.. Collect different orbs to break and modify pegs to maximize your damage, upgrade and synergize in new ways to make the satisfying gameplay of Peglin really shine.
11. A Hat in Time
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A cutesy collectathon in the vein of Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario Galaxy. Collect time pieces to power your spaceship and unlock new and unique types of hats and abilities. Lots of little secrets to be found, plenty of fun setpieces and characters, and satisfying 3D platforming make A Hat in Time a memorable romp!
12. Tiny Rogues
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A roguelite dungeon crawler stripped down to its bare essentials. Choose a class, fight some baddies, go onto the next room, and collect your loot. Satisfying combat and referential humor means Tiny Rogues wears its inspiration with pride, and is fun to boot!
13. Katamari Damacy Reroll + We Love Katamari
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The joyful surreal roll em' up cult classics. As the Prince of All Cosmos you play Katamari Damacy to roll up junk, people, and buildings to create new stars. Unique controls and an infectious soundtrack is sure to put a big smile on your face!
14. Vampire Survivors
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A reverse bullet hell in a way, fight through hordes of castlevania inspired ghouls and beasts, find new secrets and form powerful synergies to survive 30 minutes in each level. Vampire Survivors expands on itself in ways that can't be said without spoiling the surprise.
15. Muse Dash
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A two-button rhythm game focused on japanese and anime-centric music. Muse Dash has a sense of humor about itself and is very easy to pick up. Cute characters run across the screen to catchy music, and difficulty ramps up if you so desire.
16. Mini Motorways
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Mini Motorways is a moderately paced management game wherein you need to ensure that cars can get from point A to point B in a timely manner. While it seems easy, roads pile onto the board and traffic becomes unwieldy until it piles up too much, ending the run. Mini Motorways is just puzzling enough to keep you hooked without becoming too difficult.
Mini Motorways Gameplay Video
17. Dome Keeper
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Dome Keeper pits you against a hostile planet and tasks you with collecting resources under the dirt to upgrade your defenses. Between waves of monsters you will dig deeper and deeper to find metals and relics that offer unique abilities, both for yourself and your base. Dome Keeper has a little meta progression and variable run time, and plays well even if you aren't committed to a lengthy play session.
18. Spirits Abyss
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A very unique and quirky cave crawler pitting the player as a sacrificial cherub to get to the bottom of a mysterious cave to end a curse. Spirits Abyss has a fun and unique style that grows easily on you, and a steep learning curve to keep you hooked!
19. Valkyria Chronicles
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In a fictional fantasy version of World War 2, build a special team of characters to take on various missions in a campaign to protect your home. Valkyria as a series has a unique take on the tactical RPG, evoking the feeling of a tabletop strategy game without the lengthy dice rolls and arguments over rules. Though short play sessions are not recommended as Valkyria Chronicles has lengthy levels and Visual Novel segments.
20. Darkest Dungeon 2
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Atone for ancestral sins and save the world from incomprehensible terrors in this sequel to Darkest Dungeon. Tone and atmosphere are at the forefront in this overhaul of Darkest Dungeon's turn based combat. A heavy spike in difficulty and dark tone makes Darkest Dungeon 2 not for the faint of heart, but if you can fight through the pain it's a satisfying and hard fought victory.
