SDHQ's Best Steam Deck Games of 2022

Man what a year this has been. With so many new and incredible games, and the release of the Steam Deck, so much has transpired that is worth noting. With so many games to play, some new and some old, we want to highlight some of the best experiences we have found this year.

While we are focusing on new games that released this year, we will also be including older ones since all of them were new experiences on the Steam Deck! So without further adew, let's kick things off for our best of 2022 list!

Best New Device

Steam Deck

I feel like, especially knowing our site, this was a pretty obvious one. But with the release of the Steam Deck, affordable mobile PC gaming became a reality. With Valve's SteamOS, we found ways to customize any and all games to make them work in ways we couldn't have expected.

Best Action-Adventure

High On Life (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

Quite possibly one of the funniest games I have played this year, High on Life is a first-person shooter where you have to save your planet from becoming drugs. Filled to the brim with action, talking guns, and tons of the infamous humor of Justin Roiland, this game is a blast on the Steam Deck and well worth your time.

PlayStation Studios Games (Verified)

While a lot of these games came out before this year, PlayStation has been releasing their games on PC and they have been phenomenal to play on Deck. This includes Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man + Miles Morales, Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

Evil West (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

A dark menace is creeping across the American frontier and the only way to stop them is eviscerating all enemies that cross your path. As one of the last vampire hunters, you will blaze through intense, gory combat while upgrading your weapons and tools alone or with a friend. This is another blast to play on the Deck and feels incredible!

Best Shooters

Impaler (Unknown) (SDHQ Review)

A small game that honestly feels fantastic and well-refined. With a focus on Steam Deck support, this $3 arena shooter plays perfectly with 6+ hours of battery, a solid 60 FPS, and gyro support. This is an easy must-have for the Deck.

Crysis Remastered Trilogy (Playable/Verified)

The Crysis Remastered trilogy is a prime example of how big AAA shooters can crush Steam Deck support. At 40 FPS, these games can run very stable while looking fantastic. Each one of these 3 games sports an engrossing single-player campaign where you will use your nanosuit powers to save the world. On top of that, each one supports mixed input support so gyro controls work perfectly. We also have our reviews up for Crysis Remastered 1, 2, and 3!

DUSK (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

While this fast-paced horror shooter was released in 2018, it has been one of my favorite games to play on the Steam Deck. It feels incredible, supports mixed input for gyro, and runs like a damn charm. If you are a fan of retro-style FPS games, this is one for you.

Best RPG

Marvel's Midnight Suns (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

Take on the role of your customizable character, The Hunter, and team up with marvel heroes in this strategy RPG. With a unique turn-based card system and RPG elements to configure your heroes the way you want to, this is an awesome RPG that feels great on the Deck. And with a Steam Deck specific patch coming soon, it will get even better!

Dying Light 2 (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

The horrible virus has taken over civilization and has fallen back to the dark ages. Now, using your parkour and combat skills, you will have to help save one of the last human settlements and shape civilization for the future. With an update to FSR 2.0, Dying Light 2 is an essential experience on the Steam Deck.

Songbringer (Verified)

Imagine if the original Zelda game was set in a science-fiction world and procedurally-generated, Songbringer is what you would get. Released in 2017, this awesome game feels incredible to play on the Steam Deck and definitely worth a shot to check out, especially if you enjoy classic-inspired games!

Best JRPG

Chained Echoes (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

Band together with a group of heroes and your trusty mech to bring an end to the war between the kingdoms of Valandis. With beautiful pixel art inspired by the 16-bit era, exotic landscapes, and addicting combat, Chained Echoes is quite possibly one of my favorite JRPGs that I have played this year. And yes, it runs fantastic on the Deck.

Crisis Core: Reunion -Final Fantasy VII- (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

Take part in the prequel to Final Fantasy VII and how the events spanning across one of the biggest Final Fantasy games began. Slash through real-time combat and utilize the DMW system to unleash limit breaks and level up your abilities and hero. I am a little biased as I loved this game when it originally came out in 2007 (this is a remaster/remake), but it still hits hard today! And yes, it runs really well on the Steam Deck!

Astlibra Revision (Verified)

This is a game I discovered from the community during the Winter Sale and holy hell it is amazing. With awesome artwork, intense boss battles, and lots of ways to fine-tune your character, Astlibra easily made its way into one of my favorite JRPGs to cross my path. Oh, and it runs beautifully on the Steam Deck!

Best Souls-Like

Elden Ring (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

What more do I need to say about Elden Ring that hasn't been said before? It is an incredible game and well worth the full price tag. On top of that, it can run extremely well at both 30 and 40 FPS. This is an essential Deck game.

The Last Hero of Nostalgaia (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

Become the last hero of Nostalgaia in this satirical souls-like game. Filled with video game Easter eggs and influences, you and a friend can brave the pixelization together and crush your enemies as a cynical narrator tears you down at every turn. The game runs well on the Steam Deck and feels fantastic to play.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

I know, it didn't release this year, but this fast-paced souls-like game just felt incredible on the Steam Deck. I did play this a couple times on my desktop PC and PS4, but playing it on Deck felt completely different and much more enjoyable!

Best Platformers

2D

Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 (Verified)

The next installment in the high-speed action series delivers on all fronts with intense gameplay and a decent story. The game also works right out of the box on the Steam Deck, so enjoying this one is almost a guarantee!

Rain World (Playable)

Another one I discovered from the community for the winter sale. As a Slugcat, you are separated from your family and must find your way back to them and survive. This is an older one too, but it just feels fantastic on the Steam Deck! Make sure to set resolution to 1280x768 or you won't be able to see your character!

3D

Spark the Electric Jester 3 (Playable)

Think of a game that combines Sonic Adventure's 3D high-speed platforming with Devil May Cry-inspired combat and Spark the Electric Jester is what you get! Number 3 in this series expands the story more and added stages from the last entry to make this game much bigger than its predecessors. Can run really well on the Deck with some configuring!

Sonic Frontiers (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

Join Sonic on his first open-zone adventure. With newfound freedom, you will blaze your own trail while discovering side quests, scaling gigantic structures, taking down insane enemies, and solving puzzles to power up and go fast! The game can run decently well on Steam Deck at 30 and 40 FPS with some configuring and it is a damn good time!

Tinykin (Verified)

Help Milo get back to his home planet with the help of the Tinykin! This gorgeous game runs fantastically on the Steam Deck and reeks of Pikmin influence, which I am not complaining about. This is another amazing game for the Steam Deck and runs near perfectly with some configuring.

Best Metroidvania

Tunic (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

Explore a vibrant land filled with lost legends, ancient powers, and ferocious monsters as a small fox in a big adventure. TUNIC is a gorgeous game and paired with the vibrant plugin from Decky Loader or Crankshaft, it shines like an absolute charm. On Steam Deck, this one has no trouble running either and can be fully enjoyed!

The Knight Witch (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

The Knight Witch is a fast-paced adventure game with shoot 'em up combat in a gorgeous hand-drawn world. Using card-based spells to destroy enemies and leveling up through close bonds, you will have to save your home from the War Golem invasion and find out who's behind this.

Infernax (Verified)

An old-school metroidvania that sports multiple endings, challenging gameplay, and ruthless monsters where leveling up and upgrading are essential. This open-world experience runs like a charm on the Steam Deck and has no issues whatsoever!

Best Roguelike

Brotato (Verified)

Pick up your guns and defend yourself until rescue comes. As the sole survivor from a spaceship, you will run around and shoot everything while upgrading your Brotato as you survive waves of enemies (heavy influence from Vampire Survivors). Runs perfect, another Steam Deck essential, end of discussion!

Soulstone Survivors (Playable)

Think if Vampire Survivors were 3D and had a bit more progression systems added in and Soulstone Survivors is what you get! It is an awesome and addicting experience and keeps me from completing more reviews to fit in just 1 more run. It does start to drop framerate as it gets more intense, but the devs say they are working on more optimizations.

Dome Keeper (Verified)

Defend against waves of alien attacks while drilling below for materials to upgrade yourself and your base of operations. This is an addicting experience and runs perfectly on the Steam Deck, highly recommend checking this one out!

Best Horror

Signalis (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

As a classic psychological horror game, Signalis will drop you into a dystopian future that tells the story of a Replika named Elster. Stranded on a cold planet, you will journey into the depths while encountering strange horrors, all while trying to solve puzzles and manage your scarce resources. This is easily one of my favorite horror games I have played on the Steam Deck and it runs really well!

Scorn (Unsupported) (SDHQ Review)

The atmospheric first-person horror game has finally graced us with a release and holy hell it is horrific. With a graphic open-ended world, each interconnected region tells a story with its world as you interact to solve puzzles and defend yourself when needed. The game runs really well on the Steam Deck and deserves more than its Unsupported rating.

Faith (Verified)

Pick up that crucifix and perform exorcisms while discovering a world of dread, isolation, and mystery. This incredibly beautiful 8-bit world has 3 chapters with multiple endings, satanic cults, a fantastic soundtrack, and runs like a damn charm on the Steam Deck.

Best Strategy

Depersonalization (Unknown)

Depersonalization is a strategy RPG game that consists of different modules, each of which having multiple endings and branch routes to keep things intriguing. Create a variety of characters and advance the story through exploration, reasoning, investigating, and more. A community layout will be needed and does utilize mouse controls, but it will be a worthwhile experience.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

A remaster of the remake of the original 1997 game, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is an incredible strategy game that improves upon every aspect of the gameplay systems, while retaining its branching story with multiple endings and 3D battle system we have come to know and love. There were many improvements with this release and it runs perfectly on the Steam Deck without any issues.

The DioField Chronicle (Verified) (SDHQ Review)

This is a love it or hate it kind of game and I was in the former category. The DioField Chronicle features a really good story that utilizes a real time tactic system for its battles. And it can be fully enjoyed on the Steam Deck with little to no issues, other than some cutscenes dipping down in frames.

Best Survival

Dwarf Fortress (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

With Dwarf Fortress's re-release, we can finally come back to one of the greatest simulators to ever exist as you build up your fortress. This will easily be one of the most complex games you play, so expect a lot of text, but you will also get 7 hours of battery along with it! Use our "Steam Deck Layout V1" community controller layout to help with its controls!

Project Zomboid (Verified)

While it came out in 2013, Project Zomboid is still in early access and actively being developed. That being said, this game is incredible on the Deck. It is the ultimate zombie survival game where you will build, loot, craft, and farm while fighting off zombies in this massive open-world sandbox. And you can do this all with friends, what more could you ask for!

RimWorld (Verified)

RimWorld released in 2018, but it got specific Steam Deck support and patches, including a customized controller layout from the developers. This is a sci-fi colony sim with incredible depth that simulates psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, medicine and injuries, and so much more. On top of that, it also features a gigantic community driven workshop so adding new gameplay elements, content, and more is so easy. This is an endless game that still keeps me going to this day.

Developers of the Year

Indie Developers

It goes without saying that some of the most incredible experiences on the Steam Deck come from Indie developers. Impaler, Tinkyin, Brotato, Signalis, Soulstone Survivors, and many more games are supported on the Deck thanks to the dedication from these teams. And with pledged support from many others, including Sea of Stars dev, Sabotage Studios, there will be a lot more to look forward to.

Square Enix

While Square's relationship with PC has been a weird one, there has been a lot of turn-around from them lately. This was clearly shown in the last couple months with Triangle Strategy, DioField, Tactics Ogre, and Crisis Core Reunion as they all not only worked well on PC (and came to Steam), but work tremendously well on the Steam Deck. Their support has been incredible and they deserve the props for it.

PlayStation Studios

Like mentioned above, PlayStation's games have been fantastic showcases of their support for the PC ecosystem and that extends to the Deck. Every single one of their huge games, which have no business running on a portable device like this, run extremely well with some settings configurations. Regardless of that, these are games that shouldn't run no matter what (I can't believe Uncharted 4 runs still). Kudos to you PlayStation!

Indie Game of the Year

Vampire Survivors (Duh) (Verified)

I feel like this one goes without saying, but Vampire Survivors absolutely dominates this year on the Steam Deck. It constantly topped the charts on the most played game on Deck month after month and there's a reason for that. The game has you select a character where you will fight wave after wave of enemies while constantly leveling up with new powers and upgraded abilities. You can also use in-game currency to buy passive upgrades. For the price, this is an incredible game and one that deserves to be a part of your Steam Deck library.

PERSONAL: Lunistice (Verified)

Lunistice is a 3D platformer heavily inspired by the 32-bit era. As Hana, a Tanuki, you will travel through 7 different worlds on the dreamscape to uncover the secrets of The Lunistice. Speed your way through levels and enemies and try to get a S-rank or even just beat your own time.

This is a small game that was meant to be an affordable and simple, but it is one of my favorite experience on the Steam Deck. The pace of the game is fantastic, not feeling too fast or too slow, and runs like butter on the Deck. I can't think of one bad thing to say about this game other than I wish there was more content, but for $5, this is a no-brainer.

AAA Game of the Year

Elden Ring (Duh)

An extension of what was said previously, Elden Ring completely changed the souls-like genre and pushed it in ways I didn't expect. It took the formula that FromSoftware created from Demon Souls and Dark Souls and pushes it successfully into an open-world, engrossing, and exciting new experience that feels much more refined than ever before. This is a game worthy of the title of Game of the Year and we are happy to include it among our list.

PERSONAL: High on Life (Playable) (SDHQ Review)

Also an extension to what was said above, High on Life shines when you are just letting the ridiculousness flow. I remember trying to record a video multiple times for Twitter to show off gameplay, but I had to record it over and over because I couldn't stop laughing. I fell in love with the hilarious world and humor, while enjoying some tight gameplay. You can also change the frequency of the jokes and the guns talking, but the vibrant world and humor completely captured me.

And that is our Best of 2022 Steam Deck list! Of course, this is our opinion, but we would love to hear what you guys think! Let us know in the comments if you agree, disagree, or what games you feel should have placed here.