Two years after launching, not only is Valve’s Steam Deck better than ever, but it also has a plethora of new big and small games arriving and working perfectly out of the box. There are some exceptions of course, but 2024 has been superb for the platform. While looking at what’s been out since early January, there were far too many games I wanted to highlight, but I decided to put together a list of my favorites. The games featured here include we’ve reviewed and some surprises. This list is in no particular order as usual. I’ve also specified if a game is marked Steam Deck Verified or Playable by Valve.
The Best Steam Deck Games of 2024 So Far
Tekken 8
Tekken 8 is not only a return to form for the franchise in pushing visuals, but also a fantastic fighting game across the board that has been a joy to play on every platform. On Steam Deck, I was initially worried how it would run as a PS5 and Xbox Series X title, but it is surprisingly good on the system both online and offline. If you haven’t played Tekken in a while, Tekken 8 is more than worth getting, and I’m glad to see it look gorgeous throughout with its amazing character designs and stages. Tekken 8 more than made up for how disappointing Tekken 7 was for me. Tekken 8 is officially rated Steam Deck Playable by Valve.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
After multiple delays, Granblue Fantasy: Relink hit Steam and PlayStation platforms, and it delivered a super fun action RPG that has been awesome to play solo and with friends. It also serves as a brilliant introduction to Cygames’ amazing Granblue Fantasy world and feels built for Steam Deck with how good it looks and runs on the system. Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an easy game of the year contender that I will be playing throughout the year online and offline. Granblue Fantasy: Relink is officially rated as Unsupported on Steam Deck by Valve, but it plays great. Hopefully they fix the rating soon.
Persona 3 Reload
As a remake of the original Persona 3, I was shocked at how modern Atlus made it feel with this remake. The gameplay enhancements, new visuals, redone music, and new voice acting all come together to make Persona 3 Reload feel like a brand-new modern Persona game. The lack of the Persona 3 Portable story content is disappointing, but this release has everything else I wanted from a remake of one of Atlus’ best games. Persona 3 Reload is officially rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
When I beat Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth earlier this year, I thought it was one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. A few months later, I’ve begun thinking of it as one of my favorite games of all time. While it isn’t as accessible with a few games I’d recommend playing before it to get the most out of the experience, it is a fantastic experience from start to finish, and a superb turn-based RPG that I adore. I really want to just replay it right now. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is officially rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve.
Last Epoch
I didn’t really bother with this during early access, but properly jumped in with controller support and do not regret it one bit. Lost Epoch with its offline support and polished action RPG experience right now has been a game I’ve enjoyed dipping into daily on Steam Deck. I haven’t even looked into the online yet because the offline mode is so good. This is a brilliant action RPG with its classes, skill trees, and soundtrack. Last Epoch is officially rated Steam Deck Playable by Valve.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
I had this on my list of the 2024 games I wanted to play on Steam Deck, and I’m glad it delivered with its narrative and gameplay. I always had faith in the developer, but Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has been one of the nicest surprises of 2024. It is an action RPG that combines some mechanics from other games I have enjoyed, but the narrative is what really elevates it to greatness. I’m definitely going to replay this on PS5 in the future, but it is an easy recommendation on Steam Deck. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is officially rated Steam Deck Playable by Valve.
Penny’s Big Breakaway
Aside from a few issues that got fixed post-launch, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a fantastic 3D platformer. It has sublime gameplay, a superlative soundtrack, and gorgeous visuals. The icing on the cake is it looks perfect while running at 90fps on Steam Deck OLED. I don’t even care about the other versions of the game after playing it here. Penny’s Big Breakaway is my favorite 3D platformer since Super Mario Odyssey and I hope the soundtrack gets a vinyl release in the future. Penny’s Big Breakaway is officially rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve.
Logiart Grimoire
Let’s be real here. This is just Picross on Steam Deck, and I’m glad it exists. Jupiter, developers of the actual superb Picross games, released this as a new IP, but is Picross with a twist, and my only complaint is the soundtrack isn’t what I usually like when I’m playing these games. It runs flawlessly on Steam Deck and is worth buying. I hope we get more like this from Jupiter on PC in the future. Logiart Grimoire is officially rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve.
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
When Nightdive Studios announced a remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces, I was excited because I had heard a lot about the game, but hadn’t ever played it. The remaster released and is excellent outside one performance-related problem that may or may not be a problem for you. Thankfully, the Steam Deck refresh rate option on the OLED model allowed me to manually fix this and get a perfect experience. The game is great fun to play as well, but I specifically recommend it on Steam Deck OLED if you own one. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is officially rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve.
Balatro
Alongside Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Balatro is a strong contender for Game of the Year 2024. I play it daily and I cannot wait for it to come to iOS so I have it on every single device. Balatro is a poker roguelike that features so much depth hidden away that I’m constantly surprised at it even 80 hours later. I’m listening to the main theme right now as well. Don’t sleep on Balatro. Balatro is officially rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve.
Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story
The only problem with Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is that I want more from it. I wish it covered all of Jeff Minter’s games including the more recent releases, but barring that complaint, this is basically everything I wanted from a new Gold Master series release, and it even got us Llamatron on modern consoles and PC. Digital Eclipse keeps raising the bar and I can’t wait to see what’s next in the series. If you have even the smallest interest in indie game development or Jeff Minter, this is an essential. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story has been rated Steam Deck Playable by Valve.
If you’re wondering why there are 11 games in this article instead of the usual 10, I was going to cut one to have as a bonus, but figured every single game in this list is worth your time on Steam Deck so here we are.
Hopefully this feature helped you find something you haven’t played this year so far yet. I’m looking forward to what else manages to get on my (potential) Game of the Year list in the coming months. You can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for our Steam Deck coverage, this feature, or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
