When Valve announced its first major venture into the console market, gamers throughout the world got excited at the possibilities it offered for playing games on the go. The Steam Deck is essentially a small customizable PC that runs on Steam OS allowing players to tap into their current library of games.
With over 30,000 games available to purchase on Steam, there are a plethora of options for gamers to choose from to try on this new console. As there is such a staggering amount of options available, players will want to find games that would work especially well on the new handheld to try first.
10 XCOM Chimera Squad
Even though the XCOM games are famously difficult, they are all turn-based. As a result, players have plenty of time to plan and think about their moves. XCOM: Chimera Squad is currently only on PC, so Steam Deck looks to be a great way to play this beloved title. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is available on the PS Vita, but it plays poorly. XCOM 2 is available on Nintendo Switch.
9 Gears Tactics
The Gears of War series has been known for its intense third-person action since its debut on the Xbox 360. Gears Tactics slows this down for a more strategic experience. Taking cover is still a big part of the gameplay, but that's because it plays like XCOM and Wasteland 3. It is available for Xbox consoles too, but playing it portably offers an opportunity to take on some of the side quests on a bus or train.
8 Fortnite
Fortnite is available on just about every modern platform under the sun, including portable consoles. All the same, being able to play the PC version on the go will be a great addition to the Fortnite ecosystem.
Jumping into a quick game just to fool around or do some daily challenges is a solid way to spend a short gaming session. Though it is competitive, Fortnite allows for many different types of players, from deeply competitive people to creative types who just want to build.
7 Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima's most recent title is expectedly narrative-heavy. All the same, there are a ton of things to do outside the main story. Once you set up a nice infrastructure in the open world, it is joyful and relaxing to do deliveries between outposts utilizing all the structures. It feels like reaping the reward for hours of hard work. It is also great to do while listening to a podcast or music.
6 Baldur's Gate 3
This game is not officially out yet, but Baldur's Gate 3 has been receiving a lot of positive press from its Early Access release. Like many RPGs, it is all about balancing equipment and paying attention to stats. Where one can get restless doing this on a couch or in front of a desktop, RPGs have always found a good home on portable consoles purely for this reason. Fans cannot wait to get their hands on the full release, but early access offers quite a lot of content by itself.
5 FTL
FTL, or Faster Than Light, is an impressively punishing roguelike. The element of chance and dealing with impossible and unfair situations is just what fans love about it. People can do dozens upon dozens of runs through deep space before ever actually winning. Space is scary and dangerous, so it only makes sense for FTL to be so difficult. Adapting to the systems and honing FTL skills is a great thing to do on a morning commute.
4 Heavy Rain
Other Quantic Dream games available for PC would also count in this entry. Initially a PS3 exclusive, Heavy Rain eventually made its way to PC. Though quick-time events are a part of the gameplay, a majority of the game is making decisions and cinematics. One's appreciation of these games varies depending on personal tastes. They are all technologically impressive, so seeing them on a handheld will be a novelty regardless of the games' quality.
3 ARK
ARK already has a release on the Nintendo Switch, but it is one of the poorest conversions around. The framerate often runs in the single digits and the visuals are lackluster.
With Steam Deck we might finally get a version of the game on a portable system that runs fine. The survival mechanics make gathering resources a good way to pass the time.
2 Command & Conquer
Multiplayer might not be the best for RTS games on the Steam Deck, but there is nothing wrong about single-player. The recent Command & Conquer Remastered was particularly well-received and seen as one of the finer remasters in recent years. Going through these classics again on a handheld will be a totally new way to appreciate them. Mouse control might be a problem, but only hands-on experience will tell how Steam Deck's alternative works.
1 Fallout 1 And 2
The real-time, first-person combat of the Bethesda Fallout games might not make for the ideal handheld experience, but the older titles from Interplay Entertainment are just the thing for portable platforms. It's a wonder why these weren't brought to the PS Vita or Nintendo Switch in the past. Though the newer games have a big audience, some fans prefer the classics for the unforgiving difficulty and deeper RPG mechanics.