In a year filled with exciting advancements in PC gaming hardware, no other product has impacted the PC gaming landscape more than Valve’s Steam Deck. Announced in 2021 as Valve’s first foray into the handheld PC gaming market, the Steam Deck leverages the power of AMD's RDNA2 architecture with a revamped SteamOS using a Proton compatibility layer for Windows games to create a console-like experience for PC gaming on the go. Despite a lengthy order queue throughout the year and some growing pains as the system matures, 2022 was firmly the year of the Steam Deck.
However, it was also a big year for PC gaming as a whole, with this year marking the release of notable console ports, genre-defining titles, and a slew of breakout indie hits. Of course–seeing as the Steam Deck is a gaming PC at its core–when it’s a good year for PC gaming, it’s a good year for the Steam Deck. In 2022, Valve’s hearty handheld proved that it was more than capable of taking on the latest games hitting PC, and it might be the go-to system for users looking for ways to fit gaming into their day-to-day life or on their next trip. The following 10 games are the best 2022 had to offer for the Steam Deck, all of which were Steam Deck Verified, and are in no particular order.
Cult of the Lamb
Developed by Massive Monster, Cult of the Lamb is one of 2022’s best indie games of the year thanks to its engaging dungeon crawler mechanics and addictive base-building gameplay loop, hosted by a cult of furry woodland animals harboring a massive bloodlust. Cult of the Lamb is a natural fit for the Steam Deck thanks to its short-burst roguelite gameplay and fun base-building mechanics that lets players pop in and out at their leisure. What’s more, Cult of the Lamb runs great on the Steam Deck, and its 2.5D art style goes a long way in preserving the system’s battery. Gamers can keep building their cult and manipulating minions wherever they go.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring and the Steam Deck have been a perfect match for each other since day one. Not only did Elden Ring release on the same day as the Steam Deck, but Valve’s handheld is also one of the best platforms to experience what many consider 2022’s game of the year. Elden Ring runs incredibly well on the Steam Deck and, in some cases, even runs better than the PC and console versions, thanks to Proton’s shader compilation functions. The troublesome stutter from Elden Ring’s PC and console counterparts is completely gone on the Steam Deck, and the whole experience is smooth from start to finish. The ability to take the entire expanse of The Lands Between on the go is easily one of Steam Deck’s greatest selling points.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered/Miles Morales
Two of PlayStation’s biggest games, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales, made the jump to PC this year to the surprise of many fans. They also happen to be some of the best PlayStation ports so far. On the Steam Deck, both games offer an experience roughly equal to the base PS4 version of both titles; however, in some instances, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on Steam Deck actually looks better than the PS4 version due to the enhanced asset quality for the remastered edition on PS5 and PC. Other PC-centric features like FSR 2.1 and a robust suite of adjustable graphics settings take these ports to the next level in terms of scalability. Overall, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales are a showcase for the Steam Deck’s relative power in a handheld form factor and are also fantastic superhero action-adventure games in their own right.
Neon White
Frantic and fast-paced, Neon White on the Steam Deck is a joy to play and the perfect game for those short-burst gaming sessions that Valve’s handheld excels at delivering. Neon White combines breakneck freerunning courses with a tight suite of shooting mechanics to create an addictive speed-running experience that keeps players constantly replaying levels to beat their best times. On the Steam Deck, Neon White shines, taking full advantage of the device's gyro mechanics to help players land perfect shots, and the game barely makes the handheld break a sweat thanks to its simple yet unique art style. Slick, speedy, and highly replayable, Neon White is a can’t-miss title for Steam Deck owners.
Pentiment
Pentiment’s laid-back and immersive narrative gameplay structure makes it one of the best story-driven experiences this year on the Steam Deck. Through its authentically crafted late medieval art style–evoking illuminated manuscripts of the Holy Roman Empire–and its book-like user interface, Pentiment on the Steam Deck feels like gamers are curling up with a novel on their lap at every turn. As a smaller project by Obsidian, Pentiment oozes passion for the time period and is quite a compelling branching-narrative murder mystery too. Gamers in possession of a Steam Deck who love story-heavy games with light RPG elements should absolutely give Pentiment a chance.
Persona 5 Royal
One of the most celebrated JRPGs of the past decade finally hit PC this year and has found a warm welcome on the Steam Deck. There is not much to say about Persona 5 Royal that hasn’t already been said. In 2016, Atlus released what many consider one of the best turn-based JRPGs ever, and it has only been iterated upon and enhanced with Persona 5 Royal and its next-gen ports. On the Steam Deck, Persona 5 Royal is superb, running at a solid 60 FPS in most instances with the graphics settings maxed out. Turn-based life-sim JRPGs like Persona have always been great fits on handheld systems where players can pick up and put down the game whenever they want and never lose any momentum over hundreds of hours of playtime. Persona 5 Royal on the Steam Deck continues to prove why JRPGs and handheld systems have historically had an incredible relationship.
Rogue Legacy 2
Roguelike games have always thrived on handheld consoles due to their “one more run” nature that players can’t get enough of and feels great to take anywhere they go. Rogue Legacy 2 on the Steam Deck is no different. Rogue Legacy 2 is a challenging yet rewarding indie hit developed by Cellar Door Games. The game takes rigorous 2D platforming and roguelike mechanics and mixes them with a base-building progression system that makes each new run feel like players are building toward something great. It’s an addictive gameplay loop that naturally lends itself to quick gaming sessions but could easily spiral into an hours-long event where players constantly say, "just one more run."
Triangle Strategy
Turn-based strategy RPGs came back in a big way in 2022, and one of the year's best ones was Triangle Strategy. While one could argue that Square Enix was the champion of the Steam Deck this year, releasing games like Tactics Ogre: Reborn, The DioField Chronicle, and Harvestella as natural fits for the system, it is Triangle Strategy that feels most at home on Valve’s handheld. Triangle Strategy’s gorgeous HD-2D art style looks fantastic on the Steam Deck’s 7-inch screen, and there is something that feels right about playing a game that carries on the legacy of Final Fantasy Tactics, War of the Lions, and Tactics Advance on a modern handheld device. A story filled with Intrigue, gameplay filled with strategy, and a graphical style in which gamers can lose themselves make Triangle Strategy a wonderful experience on the Steam Deck.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
In a big year for PlayStation Studios games hitting PC and the Steam Deck, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection stands out among the rest. Iron Galaxy and Naughty Dog’s porting efforts are head and shoulders above many other studios right now, and the care they took in ensuring Nathan Drake’s final adventure can run across a myriad of systems really shows on the Steam Deck. Valve’s handheld can play Uncharted at a mix of medium and high settings–often without FSR–at a stable 30 to 40 FPS. Regardless of what settings players choose, Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy always seem to look great on the handheld screen. As one of two next-gen PS5 exclusives to hit PC this year, seeing Valve's Steam Deck admirably handle Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection demonstrates that this handheld has enough power in the tank to stay relevant for quite some time.
Vampire Survivors
Since the Steam Deck’s launch, Vampire Survivors has routinely topped the charts on Valve’s “Most Played” list for the system, and for a good reason. If there is one game that encapsulates everything great about the Steam Deck, it would have to be Vampire Survivors. It does everything that an excellent mobile game should do. Vampire Survivors is simple to learn, engaging to play, and has enough depth to keep players glued to their seats while also being the perfect pick-up and put-down game. Poncle's indie darling has also become such a phenomenon for the Steam Deck due to its unwavering and commendable dedication to simply being the most video game a video game can be. Vampire Survivors proves that sometimes the simplest and silliest games can stand toe to toe with behemoth AAA titles in the discussion for best games of the year.