The top 100 list has already been posted, but I thought this article makes some interesting observations on the list.
Overall the variety of games and experiences on that list really show how versatile the deck is, and that people can still have a great time with games that aren’t a perfect experience on the deck.
I don’t care for Linux compatibility anymore. I just play whatever game I want to. Luckily I almost never play multiplayer games so that is also no problem for me.
We’ve come a long way, games on Linux used to require a lot of research to see if they would work. Now, except for some multiplayer games, I just buy games and assume they’ll work
I remember back like ten years ago, you had to run Steam inside wine if you wanted to even begin the process of getting a game to run on Linux.
It’s incredible how far we’ve come since then. Most of the time I don’t even bother checking compatibility before installing something. Most of the time it just works as if I was running Windows.
It’s also nice that you can easily return games if they don’t run well on your system (at least with steam).
I’m honestly amazed to see AAA games constantly at the top of the SD most-played list.
BG3, Helldivers, CP2077, etc.
I have tried some of these, and while they work just fine, it’s typically not a great experience LOL
I can vouch for BG3, it runs surprisingly well (fans going to the max of course). I have graphics on medium with the upscaling AMD FSR 2.2 on and it’s perfectly fine on both the small screen and connected to the TV.
Re: OP’s thoughts, I also have a desktop but usually my spouse is on it :) The SteamDeck also travels a lot nicer of course!
it runs surprisingly well
Have to disagree 😂 I mean it runs fine with all the graphics at bare minimum. Which is not great.
Maybe I have the low, low standards of “does it run at all and I can stand to look at it” lol, in which it performs pretty well! I definitely wasn’t planning on playing current release AAA games on the deck so anything that runs I’m pleasantly surprised.
My wife played the beta version on the deck last summer, and let me tell you, that version was baaaaad. It’s really improved with the new upscaling!
Maybe I have the low, low standards
Well you’re in good company. Just not with me. I play on a living room PC.
It’s pretty fine until act 3 when the sheer amount of NPCs running around max out the CPU usage and drop the FPS down below 20 pretty much no matter what graphical settings you try to run as there is just no power left for the GPU.
OTOH, BG3 is a turn based game so low FPS isn’t an obstacle for playing it, it’s more of a visual nicety, like higher resolution or clearer textures, itself.
Yeah, I’m curious about that as well. Makes me wonder if a lot of Steam Deck owners don’t own other gaming PCs, or if they just value portability/etc over graphics and framerate.
I own a nice gaming PC. I just never really use it now that I have my SD. Veing able to game anywhere and immediately stop and start my game back up by just tapping the power button is exactly what I needed for gaming. As a “responsible” adult I don’t have a lot of undisturbed straight lengths of time to game at the pc, and if I only have 30 minutes, it’s like it isn’t even worth trying.
Yeah I definitely feel that. As a parent with multiple kids, the suspend/resume of the deck is it’s best feature.
I bet it’s the latter. I love mine, and “good enough” is often just fine for portable gaming. I’d rather maximize battery than worry about beautiful graphics; that’s what my desktop is for.
I sold my gaming PC and replaced it with a Steam Deck. Yes - after trying stadia (and then buying a switch), graphics don’t scratch my itch nearly as much as portability. I already spend too much time sitting at a desk at work, when I am playing to relax I prefer being on a couch, bed, kitchen, garden, or wherever I happen to feel like, but definitely not tied to a desk.
That’s why I put my gaming PC in the living room (w/SteamOS)
That’s definitely better but still doesn’t do it for me. One of my favourite pleasures is playing in bed on a lazy weekend morning 😄
Playing in bed puts too much pressure on my elbows and my palms and blood ceases to flow but glad you enjoy it.
I did not own a PC for a while. I played BG3 exclusively with my Steam Deck hooked up to a monitor and M+KB. It was honestly great.
Protondb.com is a much better resource than the Deck Verified system, when you want to see if a game runs on the Steam Deck ; not saying the article is wrong, but it seems to be a common misconception to see the Deck Verified badge as a must have for a game to run well.
I use the protondb badges extension deck loader. Quite convenient.
And I’ve played a small handful of “Verified” games that needed some kind of modification to play 100% correctly (River City Girls, for example, requires an older Proton version to play 100% correctly).
Be good if they could have a spilt rating for user scores or just incorporate protondb to handle the non steamdeck compatibility.
