The Steam Deck is a pretty great piece of hardware. Capable of running AAA games like Elden Ring and smaller indie titles alike, it’s honestly the perfect handheld for experiencing the treasure trove of Steam’s more obscure library. In particular, these are 10 of the best underrated games you can play on Steam Deck.
Incision
What better way to kick back with your Steam deck than with a gorefest like Incision? It’s like an adrenaline injection, providing the perfect symphony of carnage, guns, and buckets of blood.
Incision definitely wears its inspirations on its sleeve, with Quake, Doom, and the like all clearly visible in most every aspect of the game. It marries that high-intensity gameplay with vaguely Lovecraftian creatures to create such a vile atmosphere. No room feels safe, and it doesn’t help that the haunting soundtrack feels like it’s trying to creep into your mind. It’s awesome.
Thankfully, there’s a demo you can download if you’re on the fence about it, but I doubt it’ll be long before you put Incision on your wishlist.
Flight of Nova
I wasn’t part of the camp that was upset over the lack of realistic ship landing in Starfield. It wasn’t the experience I was looking for; I have Elite Dangerous for that. However, if you were, and you need to scratch that itch, I suggest giving Flight of Nova a try.
It essentially boils down to you being a space trucker, like the Heavy Metal Queen from Cowboy Bebop. There’s no combat here; it’s just you and the cargo you’re hauling. You’ll swoop down onto a planet, grab the haul, and get out. Of course, that’s easier said than done. We’re talking realistic physics here and an atmosphere working against you. Dip too low and you’ll end up painting the planet with ship parts.
It’s tough, but fair, and if you want to give it a shot, Flight of Nova has a demo!
Sea of Stars
Fans of JRPGs like Chrono Trigger or Golden Sun already got their hands on Sea of Stars, but if you don’t visit that camp, this one likely flew right under your radar. It draws some pretty obvious inspiration from those games, yet created something truly unique.
While it’s inspired by JRPGs, Sea of Stars doesn’t have all the same trappings and doesn’t follow the formula to the T. Its narrative isn’t convoluted or even that groundbreaking, but it’s clean. What it does best is in its presentation and combat.
The detail given to its 16-bit aesthetic is lovely, and the spritework is absolutely beautiful. The combat, meanwhile, is intuitive, but isn’t something you mash buttons through. Enemies have randomized weaknesses, which you exploit with specific party members. You can time attacks to deal extra damage or block damage, abilities have secondary effects, and your team has combat attacks à la Chrono Trigger.
As a whole, it’s the perfect gateway drug into JRPGs. Give it a look if you’re interested in the genre, but aren’t ready to dive into a heftier or more intimidating experience.
A Short Hike
I’m really digging this new wave of games that are short but sweet, especially if you’re looking for a palette cleanser after 60+ hours with a very long RPG like Baldur’s Gate 3. One that immediately jumps to mind, and is perfect to play on a Steam Deck, is A Short Hike.
You play as Claire and you’re given the Hawk Peak Provincial Park to explore, creating this slow burn, open-world kind of game. Naturally, there are plenty of hiking paths to follow, and those lead to some pretty cool secrets and treasure, but the real joy is going off the beaten path. With the ability to climb and fly (Claire is a bird, by the way), the freedom of exploration is top-notch. You’ll pass other hikers, too, which I highly recommend speaking to, given their funny dialogue and quirky personalities.
There’s a quietness to A Short Hike that makes it such a cozy experience. I can’t recommend it highly enough if you need something calm and relaxing to while away some time with.
Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is an amazing game, but sits in a sort of gray area. On one hand, it’s won a few BAFTA awards, and you probably have a friend or two who sung its praises. On the other hand, it goes under-appreciated once people see its themes and story are deeply intertwined with politics. That’s totally fine if that isn’t your cup of tea, but if it is, know that the game will never let you take off your thinking cap.
As a detective solving cases, what you’ll engage with the most is dialogue. That, and storytelling, are Disco Elysium’s bread-and-butter; in fact, you won’t be doing a whole lot of fighting. Instead, your actions are what move the game along, and any seemingly benign choice can have drastic consequences down the road.
You’ll see your choices not only have an impact on the city of Revachol, but you as well through the Thought Cabinet. Make a habit of being a responsible goody two-shoes or a raving madman, and you can open up unique dialogue options and stat modifiers to further compound your playstyle.
Disco Elysium truly makes you think twice about your decisions, and is one of those games that’ll stick with you long after you’ve set your Steam Deck down. If that sounds great to you, we can’t recommend it highly enough.
Spiritfarer
I’m a sucker for charm and hand drawn art, so when Spiritfarer caught my eye, I had to give it a look. What I didn’t realize was just how much the game was going to make me feel.
Its touching narrative is weaved really well into its gameplay and gives your actions a sense of purpose. As a Spiritfarer, it’s your job to send spirits on their way to the afterlife, like Charon of Greek mythology, only with far more whimsy
And like Charon, you even get your own boat, which acts as both your mode of transportation and your base of operations. It’s also where spirits will hang out, who you interact with until it’s their time to move on.
With how much quality time you spend with them, you aren’t just letting another spirit go — you’re letting go of a friend, and it’s a decision that will swtick with you like few other moments in games you could hope to load up on your Steam Deck.
My Time At Portia
If you spend plenty of time with Stardew Valley and Minecraft, then you’ll spend just as much time with My Time At Portia.
On top of a completely different art style, it has a slightly darker tone. It may not look like it at first, given its colorful and bubbly nature, but My Time At Portia is post-apocalyptic, which is a breath of fresh air. You aren’t just growing crops or mining because you need something to do. Instead, it’s because it might help your community, too.
There’s also a skill system in My Time At Portia, too, which I always find appealing in these sim games. It heightens that sense of progression instead of relying solely on the expansion of your workshop.
Brotato
If you’re a huge fan of Vampire Survivors, then you might as well play Brotato, too.
Brotato has a simple premise: You are a six-weapon-wielding potato fighting waves and waves of aliens. The kinds of weapons you can use are numerous and creative, from sticks and firearms to Excalibur, the very sword from Arthurian legends. Best of all, an entire run never exceeds 30 minutes, so it won’t eat much of your Steam Deck’s battery.
It’s a tad more goofy and looks more like an old flash game, but you’ll love it all the same. And yes, you do play as a potato; in fact, the game is so addicting and comfy, you’ll probably turn into a couch potato yourself.
House Flipper
House Flipper surprised me big time. I wasn’t expecting it to be as fun as it is, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. But then it hit me: House Flipper is like the perfect marriage between PowerWash Simulator and Teardown. It satisfies all the same parts of my brain!
Like Teardown, you can go nuts on a house, breaking down walls and destroying furniture in order to restore it to a pristine and livable state. Where it’s like PowerWash Simulator is in the cleanup. Your properties are awfully dirty, from mold and mildew to bug infestations. To take a dilapidated home and turn it into a sweet pad — furniture and all — is like a dopamine hit.
Signalis
Last and certainly not least, there’s Signalis, a surprise hit horror title from 2022.
Normally, I groan when a game uses amnesia, but Signalis gets a pass from me because it strings you along at a steady pace and it’s important to the story. And this one is definitely a tearjerker, which isn’t something you immediately expect.
If we’re talking vibes, Signalis is heavy with atmosphere, combining bleak dystopian tones with PS1 era-inspired graphics and science fiction. In fact, you see bits of Resident Evil, System Shock, Silent Hill, and even anime and Lovecraft all through its DNA. The game uses those inspirations to great effect too. via mechanics like limited inventory, scarce supply of ammo, environmental storytelling, and brilliant puzzles.
Best of all, Signalis is only a few hours long. You can finish it in a day, which might sound like a bummer to some, but is far less of a downside thanks to its multiple endings.
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