Cover-Credits:
Valve’s Steam Deck was introduced to the market on 25th February 2022. Ever since its release, the console has been praised for being an innovative handheld due to its compatibility with various PC games and software. The console is expected to sell an estimated 3 Million units by the end of this year which comes as no surprise. Even though the device’s specifications are lower than the current-gen consoles, the Steam Deck is definitely capable of handling some graphically intensive games on the go, thanks to its RDNA 2 graphics and Zen 2 processor. Let’s take a look at some of the best AAA games that can run on Valve’s handheld.
AAA Games That You Should Definitely Experience on the Steam Deck
Here are some of the best games that provide you with an immersive handheld experience. Keep in mind that the games listed below were selected based on the criteria that they can run on the console with at least 30 FPS on the lowest settings.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is a 2023 action RPG title based on the Harry Potter series. The game immerses you in the world of Hogwarts by giving you the role of a new fifth-year student who tries to keep up with the rest of the class. The game is verified to run on the Steam Deck and it will do so while maintaining at least 30 frames per second with FSR 2.0 enabled.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
This PlayStation 5 exclusive title was brought to PC on 26th July 2023. This third-person platformer was verified to run on Steam Deck from day one and it does so flawlessly, with little to no stutters. Insomniac Games have certainly lived up to their name providing an amazing single-player handheld experience.
Elden Ring
This 2022 Game of the Year title by FromSoftware provides you with an exhilarating souls-like experience on the go. Although the game ran terribly at launch, Valve has optimized the game for the Steam Deck which now runs smoothly even on high settings. If you wish to experience the brutal world of the Lands Between on the go, look no further than Valve’s handheld.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Yep, you read that right. The brand new party-based RPG from Larian Studios has been recently verified to run on the Steam Deck. Baldur’s Gate 3 manages to run on the console with at least 30 FPS on medium settings albeit with a few negligible stutters here and there, provided you have enough storage to handle the game’s massive 150 GB file size. Currently, the Steam Deck is the only portable console capable of handling this AAA title which places it in a league of its own!
Forza Horizon 5
Even though Valve’s testing concludes that the game is Playable on the Steam Deck, this 2021 racing game can run provide upto 45FPS on low to medium settings with the FSR set to the Balanced setting. Similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, the Steam Deck is the most optimized console out there that can run Forza Horizon 5 with acceptable performance.
