5 Best Games to Play on The Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is a great handheld device that allows you to enjoy your Steam library anywhere you want. Here are five games that you can enjoy on the go.

By Mokshit Batra 29 Mar 2024 in Gaming

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In 2022, Steam launched a handheld gaming device called The Steam Deck. The system runs on SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system, and allows you to play games from your Steam library on the go.

The device is great for people looking to enjoy AAA titles on the go or without a massive gaming setup. Therefore, this list outlines five of the best games you can play on your Steam Deck.

Portal 2

The first game on this list is a classic by Valve Corporation, the owner of Steam. Not only is it highly fitting to play a Valve classic on such a device, but the game also has native support from Valve.

publive-image — Portal 2 (Image via Valve Corporation)

This means that Portal 2 is fully optimized to run on the Steam Deck, and you should not be facing any issues with performance despite the limited hardware capability of the Deck. You can take on GLaDOS, solve puzzles and navigate through the dark world of Portal 2 from wherever you deem fit.

Elden Ring

The 2022 Game of the Year can now be enjoyed anywhere you want thanks to the Steam Deck. The expansive open world, rich lore and incredible combat system is something you must experience. In fact, there is a reason Elden Ring is a game that even Elon Musk recommends everybody play.

The only downside to this is that Elden Ring can realistically only run at 30 FPS without major graphical downgrades. It will significantly eat up your battery due to the game's demanding nature.

The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 is a massive RPG that requires you to put in hundreds of hours for full completion. This makes the 2015 Game of the Year a perfect fit for on-the-go gaming.You can grind out all the side missions, gather the best gear and explore the world as Geralt while killing time on a commute.

Despite the game being fairly hardware-demanding, the Steam Deck has no issues running The Witcher 3 at 60 FPS at 720p resolution, allowing you to explore the continent with great visuals and performance.

God of War series

Sony's decision to release their exclusives on the PC has allowed players to enjoy God of War portably on the Steam Deck. This masterpiece in storytelling can now be enjoyed portably wherever you wish. Note that God of War has been known to drain the Steam Deck's battery much faster than other games.

This is probably due to the highly demanding nature of the game as it has no loading screens and vast worlds to load. Despite this, God of War is such a great game that one should enjoy it on whatever platform they can.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Even after 13 years of release, Skyrim continues to be a classic that every gamer should play. In this case, the game being so old actually works in its favour. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim takes much less storage space on your Steam Deck compared to other decks. This is a godsend as The Steam Deck's storage cannot be extended.

Additionally, the game does not require any significant graphical downgrades just to run consistently at 60 FPS. Similar to The Witcher 3, you can easily grind out the game whenever you get a chance.