Steam Next Fest Febuary 2025 Recommendations for Steam Deck

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The Steam Next Fest has been underway since Monday, and there are an incredible amount of awesome demos to try. There are so many great ones to play on the Steam Deck as well, and I wanted to go through and find some of my favorites to recommend. So, I found 14 different games I recommend checking out and trying on your Steam Deck.

There are really so many games that I want to list here, but that would make this list way too long. I recommend checking out the full event for yourselves, but these 14 were some of my favorites that really stood out to me:

Haste: Broken Worlds - Coming Soon

Haste: Broken Worlds completely blindsided me. I expected it to be a fast-paced platforming game, which it is, but it's so much better than I had envisioned. Each level is filled with obstacles to overcome and shards to get with roguelike-esque upgrades, and it felt exhilarating to run through each procedurally generated level. It also runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck, hitting 60 FPS easily at medium-quality settings. The full version should only get better from here, so I am convinced that this will be a must-have Steam Deck game.

Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade - April 23rd

I was actually a bit surprised by Yasha. At first, I didn't think much of it, it seemed like it would be another Hades-esque roguelike, but it has just enough depth and charm to stand out. I really enjoy the gameplay elements and having two different attacks, abilities, blocking, and weapon switching mechanics, all wrapped in a charming package set in the Edo period. It also runs perfectly on the Steam Deck, easily hitting 90 FPS while under an 11W battery drain. It looks like this is going to be a great game to play on the Deck!

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 - 2025

This is an intriguing one. It's a match 3 horror game with gameplay akin to a Metroidvania in some aspects. It's got branching pathways, a choice-based narrative based on traits you have, and the match 3 gameplay has some interesting concepts like abilities and items you can use based on what symbols you match. It has great controller support and is running like a charm on the Steam Deck at 90 FPS with around a 12W battery drain. This is a game I am definitely going to be watching closely.

Koira - April 1st

A beautiful little game about saving a puppy and going on a heartwarming adventure. I can tell its going to be a gorgeous and enjoyable tale just based on the demo, and it is perfect on the Steam Deck. It is running at 90 FPS with a 10W battery drain average. I see no reason why this wouldn't be an incredible title to play on the go.

Shape of Dreams - May 2025

The more I played Shape of Dreams, the more it grew on me. It's a roguelike mixed with MOBA-esque gameplay mechanics, and it works really well. The moves are flashy and combat is generally quite exciting. It's decently playable on the Steam Deck right now, but I can see it getting better and more optimized leading up to release.

Ruffy and the Riverside - Coming Soon

Ruffy and the Riverside feels like a mix between Paper Mario and Banjo Kazooie in a lot of ways. It has an awesome paper aesthetic, a gorgeous world with cute characters, and a really awesome swapping mechanic to turn different items into different materials. It runs decently on the Steam Deck, almost always sticking above 45 FPS, and I can see this being a great game to play on the go.

Castle V Castle - Coming Soon

This is a small game of going back and forth, building up your own castle, and trying to take down the enemy. It is way more addicting than I thought it would be, and I love the way you try to raise your materials/stocks and take the enemy's materials away. It also runs perfectly on the Steam Deck and I doubt the final game will be tough to run. There's no controller support, but I didn't feel like that ruined the experience.

The King is Watching - Coming Soon

The King is Watching is another great game that I ended up playing way more than I expected. You put down buildings in a grid and choose which ones operate at any given time to maximize your resources to defend and grow your kingdom. It's a fantastic game and truly works great on the Steam Deck. It doesn't have controller support either, but it's still a solid experience with the trackpads.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die - 2025

This is a Hades-like roguelike with an aesthetic that reminds me a bit of Little Nightmares. It looks fantastic, feels great, and has a unique color matching relic system to give you more buffs as you run around and slice up enemies. It runs perfectly on the Steam Deck, hitting 90 FPS at around 14W battery drain.

GLUM - 2025

The best way I can describe GLUM is Anger Foot, but in a fantasy world with magic. It is packed with humorous moments and really enjoyable effects that make it a blast to play. It isn't the greatest on the Steam Deck right now, but it does show some promise and it is playable. I have hope this will be optimized better for the Steam Deck as development goes on.

Demon Tides - 2025

Demon Tides is shaping up to be a solid 3D platformer that is quite enjoyable to play. It does have some rough edges so far, especially on the Steam Deck, but I like the core fundamentals we have here. There's also a Steam Deck graphics preset, but with a little bit of optimization, I can see this being an awesome game to play on the go.

Birdigo - 2025

Of all the roguelikes I have played, I didn't expect to see a word-building roguelike. Still, here it is, and it works better than I expected. It has solid controller support, plays perfectly on the Steam Deck, and is way more fun than I expected.

UPSTREAM - March 2025

Have you ever wanted to play Gettting Over It with Bennett Foddy, but be a fish trying to swim and jump to other pools of water? That's UPSTREAM. I enjoyed playing it a lot, even if I fell constantly, and the simple controls make it easy to learn. It runs ok on the Steam Deck, but with some proper optimization, it could be a ton of fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown - To Be Announced

A grid-based strategy game fits perfectly with the TMNT universe, and that's what this game proves. It has a great aesthetic, intriguing mechanics like level mutations, and a more dynamic feel to it overall. I really enjoy it, especially on the Steam Deck! It is running at a nice 90 FPS at 12W battery drain, so I am very optimistic that this will just be a great time.

And that's all for this list! There are so many great titles to check out for the Steam Next Fest, so I recommend going to the page and checking out more.

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