5 Top Steam Deck Compatible Games in 2022

While the handheld gaming market used to be dominated by Nintendo, Valve’s Steam Deck, an all-in-one, handheld and portable PC gaming console, is becoming more popular in the gaming community. As of May 2022, around 1.5 million devices were sold. 

However, it’s important to note that not every Steam game is compatible with the Steam Deck. Valve’s list of compatible games will continue growing, but you may want to know which Steam games you can play if you ordered a Steam Deck soon.

Let’s learn more about Steam Deck games and discuss five of the best Steam Deck compatible games to play in 2022. 

How to Check if a Game is Compatible With Steam Deck

If you’re an avid gamer, you know how frustrating it is to turn on a gaming device and deal with bugs or issues with the user interface (UI), let alone the game crashing. While these problems might not happen on every Steam Deck game, they could happen if the game is not verified.

Games on the Steam Deck fall into one of these four categories:

• Verified
• Playable 
• Unsupported
• Untested

Most Steam games are designed to be played on a gaming PC. However, the Steam Deck is a new device that designers will need to consider when developing their games.

Valve is continually play-testing some of the most popular and widely played games on the Steam Deck to determine their levels of compatibility. On the Steam Deck website, you can check which category games fall under, so you know if you’re able to play it on the portable PC console.

5 Top Steam Deck Compatible Games to Check Out This Year

If you have a Steam Deck or plan on buying one, you may want to know which games you can play on it. Below are five of the best Steam Deck compatible games worth playing this year.

1. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is one of the most talked about games in the community this year, and for a good reason. People love playing Elden Ring, despite it being one of the most complex and difficult games out there. 

Now that Elden Ring is officially verified and compatible with the Steam Deck, you can take Elden Ring anywhere and get lost in all of its glory. Some gamers experience frame rate dips while playing Elden Ring on Steam Deck, but overall, it performs well and will keep you playing for hours on end.

2. God of War

God of War and titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Deathloop were huge successes in gaming this year. Thankfully, all three are Steam Deck compatible. 

God of War is seemingly too intense for gameplay on a handheld console. Still, thus far, reviews about its performance on Steam Deck are generally positive. 

3. Cuphead

Cuphead is a fun and exciting game you can play on your Steam Deck. On r/SteamDeck, players share their Cuphead gaming experiences and claim it’s super fun to play on the new handheld console. 

The game is pretty difficult, although that wasn’t the creator’s intention. If you’re interested in playing and have or plan on ordering a Steam Deck, make sure to download Cuphead.

4. Hades

Hades is another Steam Deck verified game that works perfectly on your device. The game receives a 10/10 rating on Steam and other outlets like Epic Games and PCMag give it high ratings, too. 

Hades has exciting gameplay, an engaging narrative and amazing music and aesthetics. All of this should carry over to the Steam Deck. Some avid gamers suggest starting the game and using the Vulkan rendering option to give you the best performance.

5. Neon White

The last Steam Deck compatible game you should consider downloading is Neon White. It’s a super-fast, action-packed game about ridding the world of demons in Heaven. The game is fairly new, as it was only released in June 2022, but it is Steam Deck verified.

One gamer on r/NeonWhite even said that the game was “a masterpiece” on the Steam Deck handheld console. Neon White is also available on the Nintendo Switch, but some players who’ve played the game on both consoles say it performs better on the Steam Deck.

Steam Deck Compatible Games: Honorable Mentions 

Aside from the five games above, here are some other Steam Deck compatible games you may be interested in:

• Apex Legends
• Stray
• Stardew Valley
• No Man’s Sky
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
• RimWorld
• DOOM Eternal

If you ever need to check if a game is compatible with the Steam Deck, visit the Steam Deck website and click on the Deck Verified option.

Play Steam Deck Compatible Games in 2022

While other portable gaming consoles on the market have garnered popularity in recent years, Valve’s Steam Deck is giving them a run for their money. These consoles are shipping much quicker than Valve expected, so if you’ve reserved a Steam Deck, it’s only a matter of time until you’re playing your favorite compatible games.