The annual Steam Summer Sale has arrived, offering a great chance to buy some games you’ve been eying up for a long time without having to pay the full price. We’re going to shine the spotlight on some great Steam Deck titles, new and old, that you should consider picking up if you haven’t already.
As the best handheld gaming PC, the Steam Deck isn’t short of great games, and Valve has even highlighted a special section within the Steam Summer Sale specifically for the most popular Deck titles included in the sale.
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
Few games tell a story and create a world quite like Disco Elysium. Despite its massive critical success, the game remains somewhat underappreciated due to its methodical approach to gameplay. You’ll either love it or give up after a few hours.
If it does resonate with you, Disco Elysium is a wild ride that adopts non-traditional role-playing game elements, relying heavily on dialogue to build the world, develop your character skills, and tell the game’s story.
Gritty and unique, Disco Elysium is a game that topped many ‘Game of the Year’ lists for players around the world, and we even scored it 9/10 in our Disco Elysium review. It’s Steam Deck Verified too, meaning it plays without issue on Valve’s handheld.
Civilization VI
I’ve lost countless hours to Civ VI, let alone across the entire franchise, and despite Civilization VII being announced recently, you shouldn’t sleep on the most recent game in the franchise.
As turn-based strategy games go, few have the name recognition boasted by Sid Meier’s Civilization. It’s well-earned, too, as no two playthroughs are ever the same, and you’re in complete control of whether a game lasts just a few hours, or maybe even a few days!
World domination is the name of the game, but how you achieve this is completely up to you. War, peace, technological development, or creating world wonders. Each strategy is valid and it’s always fun to push yourself towards win conditions you’ve never attempted before.
It runs great on the Steam Deck, although the text is a little small at times, and the many DLC packs give you a ton of content to work through while we wait for the next game.
Baldur’s Gate 3
While our list of the best Steam Deck games isn’t in any particular order, there’s a case to be made that Baldur’s Gate 3 may be the best game on Steam Deck. It has no right running so well on limited hardware, yet it’s a smooth experience from start to finish, which is more than can be said for some of its console ports.
This expansive RPG is a brilliant adventure across realms we’ve come to know across previous games and general Dungeons & Dragons lore. Not only is this a great game to play through, but there just so happens to be a ton of replayability thanks to certain decisions you’ll need to make along the way.
It rarely finds itself on sale, so make sure you jump at the chance to buy Baldur’s Gate 3 in the Steam Summer Sale. You won’t regret it.
Batman: Arkham Knight
As a huge Batman fan, I never quite understood the hate for Batman: Arkham Knight. Yes, the Batmobile is overutilized, but otherwise replaying the game earlier this year had me believing it’s just as good as the two previous Arkham titles.
The court of public opinion has shifted, as it tends to do, over time. Arkham Knight is now remembered more fondly than I thought it would be, and the now-iconic Rocksteady approach to world building and combat design are at their best in this trilogy-ending game.
It’s Verified for Steam Deck and is a great open-world game to play, whether you have a strong connection to the Batman universe or not.
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 & 2.5 ReMIX
Only just released on Steam, these Kingdom Hearts remakes are Steam Deck Verified and offer the best way to acclimatize yourself with the long-running KH franchise.
Often seen as Final Fantasy meets Disney, although it’s much more than that, the Kingdom Hearts series was absent from PC for far too long before the game debuted on the Epic Game Store last year.
A brilliant mix of emotional storytelling, platforming, and strategic combat gameplay, the Kingdom Hearts games can be enjoyed by anyone, but it’s best to start off at the beginning and avoid getting confused by sequels, prequels, and spin-offs.
Monster Hunter Rise
Another Steam Deck Verified title, Monster Hunter Rise does little to reinvent the franchise, but this isn’t necessarily an issue with an IP as established as Monster Hunter.
If you’re looking to scratch the Monster Hunter itch before the arrival of Wilds, which is expected to release next year, then Monster Hunter Rise offers the best way to prepare yourself, and for a fraction of the cost.
You can even grab a game bundle containing Monster Hunter Rise and its Sunbreak expansion together, as well as one with MH: Rise and MH: World. The Monster Hunter games still regularly feature on the Steam Deck most played list each month, which is a testament to their popularity.
If you’ve yet to buy one of Valve’s handhelds, you can also grab an LCD model in a special Steam Deck Summer Sale offer, which is running through until July 11.