The Best Studios With Steam Deck Compatible Games - 2024 Edition

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The other day, I was thinking about games that I can play on the Steam Deck and how some developers just optimize their games so well. So, in this article, I want to highlight the studios I feel are doing a fantastic job at optimizing their games and getting them running well on limited power devices like the Steam Deck.

I am not going to include indie studios since they generally make very compatible games, like Motion Twin and Supergiant Games. I want to focus on AAA, AA, and more acclaimed indie publishers that develop and publish many titles. The list is in no particular order and is purely my opinion based on my experiences so far.

All Games Will Run

Nightdive Studios

Nightdive Studios is a developer that focuses on remastering classic games and bringing them to new life with more modern features and better visuals in terms of lighting, shadows, and higher-resolution textures. They have done a great job remastering these games and are working on their next remaster for The Thing (which looks incredible). These guys are one of my favorite studios for Steam Deck games because every single game runs nearly flawlessly on the Deck, including the awesome System Shock remake. If you want solid first-person shooters that run at 90 FPS on your device, Nightdive should be the first studio you look at.

New Blood Interactive

While I mulled over this one a bit, I put New Blood Interactive here instead of the "Most Games" category below. Every one of their games has run wonderfully on the Steam Deck at release, even if it wasn't perfect. Fallen Aces both had issues on Deck at release, but not long after, we got significantly better support to make the game playable. They are a fantastic publishing studio and one to watch out for if you want wonderful shooters on your Steam Deck.

NIS America

I am a huge fan of JRPGs, and of all the studios that develop/publish them, NIS/NIS America has been one of the best for Steam Deck-compatible titles. Every game they have published runs decently on the Steam Deck, with most being able to easily hit 60 FPS with little compromise. This includes Falcom's The Legend of Heroes and Ys series, Disgaea, the Labyrinth games, and FURYU Corporation's titles (CRYMACHINA and REYNATIS). I am confident that whatever NIS publishes a game will perform very well on the Deck.

Nixxes Software

The fact that any PlayStation game can run on the Steam Deck is a joy, but one of their PC porting studios has really gone over and above to make games work that don't feel like they should. Nixxes Software works primarily with Insomniac Game's releases (Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank) but has also helped out with Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima. The former of those two is a bit harder to run but is still playable. They are also working on Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and Spider-Man 2, both of which I have confidence will run on the Steam Deck. They are a fantastic studio that optimizes the games for PC well and includes necessary features like upscaling, and I don't doubt that any game from them will be great on the go.

SEGA

SEGA has been crushing it with games they publish with Steam Deck support. This year alone, every single game they released is running on Deck without sacrificing too much visually. RGG's Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, ATLUS's Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series (and Metaphor), and Sonic Team's new Sonic X Shadow Generations and Sonic Superstars have all been very playable on Deck, and it has been awesome to see. I am especially amazed by Yakuza/Like a Dragon games running as well as they do while it still looks so phenomenal.

XSEED Games/Marvelous

Every game from XSEED and Marvelous has run wonderfully on the Steam Decks. From Cuisineer to the recently released Farmagia, I have had no trouble playing all of these games and having a good time portable. Even though some are rated Unsupported, like No More Heroes 3, the game is still fully playable with Proton GE. So, with this in mind, I would consider anything coming from them as safe bets that they will be great on Deck.

Serenity Forge

The indie publisher, Serenity Forge, has had a hand in releasing some of the best indie games like Slay the Princess and LISA, but I haven't seen a game from them that hasn't run well on the Steam Deck. KEYLOCKER, Long Gone Days, Lifeless Moon, Arcadian Atlas, Doki Doki Literature Club, and more are all running very well on the Deck, and it's great.

Most Games Will Run

Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco is another one that most games will run and be very enjoyable on the Deck, but some require some big changes. Baten Kaitos, SAND LAND, and even Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero and Tekken 8 are all great to play on the Steam Deck. They also include From Software, where most of their games are wonderful on Deck (Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is a mixed bag at times). There are some games they publish, like Unknown 9: Awakening, which isn't the best experience, but the majority of their games are fantastic on the Deck.

Square Enix

I have been largely happy with most of the games developed and published by Square Enix that have been released on the Steam Deck. Their recent releases, like Romancing SaGa 2, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest Monsters, and even the upcoming Fantasian, are all running exceptionally on the Deck. Some games they have released aren't the best, including Final Fantasy 16, Strangers of Paradise, and Forspoken, but the bulk of their games are wonderful on the go.

Capcom

Capcom gives me a feeling similar to Square Enix. The bulk of their games will run well on the Steam Deck, while some do, or most likely will, have some trouble. Capcom has amazed with their optimization thanks to the RE engine, which makes games like Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, Street Fighter 6, and Resident Evil 4 run well. We also have smaller games like Ghost Trick, Marvel Vs. Capcom, and Kunitsu Gami are all running wonderfully, too. We do have games like Dragon's Dogma 2, which can't be played, and the upcoming Monster Hunter: Wilds may have some trouble running, but I have confidence most of their titles will run without issue.

Devolver Digital

Devolver Digital is one of the best indie publishers out there, and tons of their games run fabulously on the Steam Deck. Neva, Sumerian Six, The Crush House, Children of the Sun, Pepper Grinder, Phantom Abyss, and more of their awesome catalog all run splendidly on the portable device. However, there are also some games that need some big compromises to get running more stable. The Plucky Squire and Anger Foot are two such examples, and while they are awesome, they need some heavy changes to become playable and stable. Overall, I would say all games CAN run, but not all will be enjoyable without major compromises.

KONAMI

For the most part, all KONAMI games are really great on the Steam Deck. The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, Castlevania Dominus Collection, and Contra: Operation Galuga are all great examples of that. There are still some games that aren't perfect, like the SILENT HILL 2 remake, but the majority will be very playable. Even Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner will work if you use Proton GE, so I would say KONAMI's published games have a good chance of being playable on the Deck.

Community-Recommended Studios

I also went ahead and asked the community across Bluesky and Twitter/X which studios they felt were the best for Steam Deck support, and while some of the answers matched mine, there were a few I wasn't expecting:

• 2K-Firaxis
• Annapurna Interactive
• ATLUS (SEGA)
• Bandai Namco
• Blizzard
• Capcom
• CD Project Red
• Devolver Digital
• Enhance
• Focus Entertainment
• FromSoftware
• id Software
• Nightdive Studios
• Nihon Falcom
• Nixxes Software
• PH3 GmbH
• Running With Scissors
• SEGA
• Sony/PlayStation
• Supergiant Games

What do you think? Do you have any studios you feel are great with Steam Deck support? Let us know in the comments!

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