If you just got yourself a fancy new Steam Deck over the holidays, or you’ve been wondering about the currently recommended best games to play first on the handheld, look no further. Below you’ll find some of the highest-rated Steam Deck games that feel like they were designed and perfected for the platform.
2025 was packed with top-tier releases that run and look absolutely incredible on Steam Deck, such as GOTY-winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which I’ve left off this list because it’s already been drilled into your head enough that you need to play it. Not all these games are 2025 hits, however, with essentials like Portal being must-play additions to your Steam Deck library as well.
10
Baldur’s Gate 3
Whether it’s your first or thousandth playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3, the award-winning and critically acclaimed RPG is an absolute essential when it comes to your Steam Deck library. BG3 is a great fit for the Steam Deck and will give you a completely renewed appreciation for the game’s scale and detail.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a huge and sprawling game, but as a handheld experience, it lends itself to interrupted gameplay in the event of travel, children, etc., allowing players to pause and save mid-encounter if they want to take a break and return later. Alternatively, you can spend hours exploring and diving deep into every corner of the world and continually be surprised. It’s safe to say you’ll get your money’s worth with BG3 on Steam Deck.
9
Slay The Spire & Balatro
While Slay the Spire and Balatro are two very distinct roguelike deckbuilders, each with their own highly addictive and unique gameplay loop, they are sold as one of Steam’s convenient bundle deals and are both absolute bangers on the Steam Deck. Slay the Spire has become one of the most popular games on the platform, and currently has a ton of Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on the Steam Store.
Balatro was even nominated for Game of the Year in 2024 at The Game Awards, losing out to Astro Bot of course, but is hands-down an essential roguelike deckbuilder and a must-play game on the Steam Deck.
8
Elden Ring
If you’re a fan of soulslike games and are after the quintessential FromSoftware experience, there are so many good things to say about Elden Ring on Steam Deck. It’s a completely fresh challenge if you’re a veteran who has already sunk hundreds of hours in The Lands Between, and it’s a massive world that will keep you busy for weeks.
Elden Ring will present a significant challenge for new players and possibly even for players new to the Steam Deck who already have experience in the Souls genre, but that’s also part of the draw. There’s nothing quite like finally defeating an Elden Ring boss after failing miserably dozens of times.
7
DOOM: The Dark Ages
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a high-octane action FPS that plays absolutely beautifully on the Steam Deck and comes highly recommended for fans of the classic and modern DOOM games. The Dark Ages literally bridges the gap between the old and new games in terms of lore and the DOOM Slayer’s storyline, but it also captures and maximizes the energy that’s essential to the franchise.
DOOM: The Dark Ages introduces some really enjoyable new weapons with fresh mechanics, such as the Shield Saw, and it is one of the the most action-packed single-player dark fantasy experiences you’ll find on the Steam Deck.
6
BALL x PIT
One of the many indie surprise hits of 2025, BALL x PIT is unquestionably one of the best games on Steam Deck due to its arcade-style gameplay loop and highly addictive evolution and progression system. It’s a game that you will have a hard time putting down, always feeling excited about what the next run will bring.
BALL x PIT broke records in its first weeks of release and far exceeded developer Kenny Sun and Friend’s expectations. It’s a great game to get you familiar with the feel of the Steam Deck if you’re just breaking one in, and it currently has thousands of Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam.
5
Hollow Knight Saga
If you’ve been waiting to see what the hype is all about with Hollow Knight and the 2025 sequel Silksong, both games are brilliant on the Steam Deck and offer players an unmatched Metroidvania-style experience in a beautifully crafted world. Hollow Knight has become one of the most popular indie-developed franchises in modern gaming, with developers at Team Cherry garnering universal attention.
With more content scheduled to release for Silksong in 2026, now is the perfect time to get caught up from the very beginning of the adventure. Hollow Knight: Silksong was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025 for a reason, and you certainly won’t regret diving into games on Steam Deck.
4
Hades Collection
While Hollow Knight comes highly recommended, if you have to choose between the two, you might want to start with the Hades games first if you want to get the ultimate Steam Deck experience. It’s hard to put into words just how fun Hades and Hades 2 are if you’re a fan of roguelike hack-and-slashers, and after playing on handheld, there’s no going back.
Hades 2‘s release last year was largely outshone by multiple other indie launches, the aforementioned Hollow Knight: Silksong included, but when it comes to Steam Deck experiences, nobody can deny Hades 2’s current status as the second-most-played game on the platform.
3
Valve Essentials: Portal & Half-Life 2
Considering we probably wouldn’t even have a Steam Deck if it weren’t for the success of some of Valve’s incredible games, there are three Valve classics that still hold up after all these years. In particular, both Portal 1 and Portal 2 are staples of any respectable gaming library, but it’s almost sacrilege not to have them on your Steam Deck.
Equally important for any Steam library is the iconic Half-Life 2, which really needs no explanation other than it’s Half-Life 2, and it plays like a dream on the Steam Deck. If it’s been years since you gave HL2 a solid playthrough or embarked on a new Portal campaign, the Steam Deck is a perfect excuse to get reacquainted.
2
Stardew Valley
It’s hard to believe just how popular Stardew Valley has become since its release almost an entire decade ago, and each year it only seems to reach more and more people around the globe. Part of this is because of Stardew Valley’s universal appeal and low-stakes gameplay that has defined it as one of the best cozy games ever made.
Everything you love about Stardew Valley on PC or console is that much better on the Steam Deck, and it’s a perfect game if you’re looking for something to play casually or at a leisurely pace. That said, Stardew Valley contains multitudes, with a deep and compelling story and a world that constantly delights as you explore and discover its hidden secrets.
1
Megabonk
Megabonk is easily my most-recommended game for Steam Deck users, and it isn’t even really close. While all the above games are great experiences on the Steam Deck, Megabonk is endlessly addictive and effortlessly fun, offering varying levels of challenge and universal appeal across audiences, even if it has some explicit adult language.
Megabonk is a Vampire Survivors-inspired indie game from Vedinad that turns it into a 3D concept with unique characters, weapons, tomes, and an RNG-based gameplay loop that allows players to experiment with different builds and even compete for ridiculous high scores on the leaderboard.
If you have to choose, Megabonk is easily the top-recommended game to play first in 2026 on Steam Deck, and for good reason, it currently sits as the #1 Top Played Steam Deck game.
Honorable Mentions: There are so many great games to play on Steam Deck that it’d be a shame not to include some of the top contenders that didn’t make the above list, despite being absolute essentials for your library (in no particular order): the original Vampire Survivors, Terraria, Brotato, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Sid Meier’s Civilization 7, Dune Awakening, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, No Man’s Sky, Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, Clair Obscur, Dispatch, Peak, etc.