Top Picks for Steam Deck Gaming (September 2023)

Last year, Valve released the Steam Deck as their answer to the handheld market. This portable device comes with specs close to a gaming PC but with extreme mobility due to its form factor. Released in 2022, the Steam Deck is going strong. However, there’s stiff competition in the market from other handheld devices, as well as upcoming handheld devices, like the PlayStation Portal. And to keep up, the Steam Deck will need to be able to offer, as well as support the biggest titles.

Although the Steam Deck is a handheld, it can run some pretty serious AAA titles on it without a problem. The device can play most of the games in the Steam library and also run games from other digital stores. With an infinitely expanding selection of games, it can get hard to find the real gems. Here are our top picks for the best games for the Stream Deck.

Top 10 games to play on the Steam Deck

Street Fighter 6 

The Street Fighter series is one of the most popular fighting games out there. Over the years, the game has transitioned across platforms. From arcade machines to modern consoles, the series has evolved amazingly. Street Fighter 6, the latest game in the series, packs all the action of the older games and gives it a new punch. Street Fighter 6 is definitely one of the top picks for a good fighting game on the Steam Deck.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Released on August 3, 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 became one of the highest-rated games of all time with a metascore of 97.

The game is an RPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons. The game was made by Larian Studios, who are known for being the makers of the Divinity series. 

Hogwarts Legacy

An open-world RPG based on the lore of the Harry Potter Books and movies. The game captures a time from years before the events of the books. The game was launched on 10 February 2023 and ever since has been a game with a lot of hype from die-hard Harry Potter fans and gamers alike.

God Of War

The new God of War series takes a spin after finishing every god in Greek mythology. The Norse Mythology series allows players to explore a very different side of Kratos, one who is not quick to go to war. The series allows players to explore Kratos as a Father.

Moreover, the story heavily revolves around his son, Atreus. With the series no longer being exclusive to the PlayStation, the 2018 GOTY winner and its largely successful sequel are an obvious choice for this list.

Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal is a popular JRPG that was developed by Atlus. Although the game was released as a PlayStation exclusive. It became available for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC, and also Steam Deck.

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Even though the game was released back in 2017 for the PlayStation 4, it only became available for the Steam Deck on October 21, 2022. 

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Yet another PlayStation release that later came to the Steam Deck was Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The third-person platformer was released on 11 June 2021 for the PlayStation and 2 years later, for the Xbox, PC, and Steam Deck. Players can now enjoy playing with their favorite Lombax and Robot duo on the go with the Steam Deck

Cuphead

Cuphead is a notoriously difficult cartoon-style side scroller. This game brings back a lot of the early 90’s cartoon art style into this indie game. The game was released on 29 September 2017 and is one of the most challenging games you might ever come across. 

Elden Ring

The highly acclaimed game by From Software, Elden Ring won GOTY 2023.

And it wasn’t an easy task, considering it faced competition from God of War Ragnarok. The difficult gameplay, amazing graphics, and captivating story make this game worth playing for hours on end. 

The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is a different take on the series made by Red Barrels Studios. This new title breaks from the traditional Outlast games and introduces co-op modes. The game also takes a different direction from its stealth survival style gameplay and pushes players to engage in more combat as now it’s no longer a 1 vs. all battle. 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

It is really difficult to make a list of games without mentioning Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This highly acclaimed game has won many accolades for its story and its gameplay. Players can spend hours in the shoes of Gerald from Rivia and being able to do that on a handheld only makes it easier to the vast lands and kill monsters.

Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal is a popular JRPG that was developed by Atlus. Although the game was released as a PlayStation exclusive. It became available for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC, and also Steam Deck. Even though the game was released back in 2017 for the PlayStation 4, it only became available for the Steam Deck on October 21, 2022. 

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