Table of Contents
Yup, you guessed it… Vampire Survivors was #1 🧛
The Steam Deck is very close to a full year since its initial release date on February 25th 2022. With the past year behind us, it’s interesting to look back and see which were the most popular and played games for the new PC handheld.
Most played Steam Deck games of 2022
- Vampire Survivors
- Elden Ring
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Hades
- Persona 5 Royal
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Stardew Valley
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Grand Theft Auto V
- The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
- Valheim
- God of War
- Fallout 4
- Brotato
- Slay the Spire
- The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
- No Man’s Sky
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Monster Hunter Rise
These are the top 20 Steam Deck games by playtime in December 2022, which I think is a good reflection of the most popular games the whole year for the Deck.
Source, the official Steam Deck Twitter account:
As we reach the end of the year, let's take a quick look at the top 20 games of December on Steam Deck, sorted by playtime.
Happy New Year! What have you been playing? pic.twitter.com/5GmNlGtnOk
— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) December 31, 2022
My personal top 10 Steam Deck games of 2022
To be honest, I haven’t had the chance to play each and every game listed above on the Steam Deck, but here are my top 10 games I find extremely enjoyable on the deck (in no particular order):
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
I like playing GTA IV more than GTA V on the Steam Deck due to the performance being better. Also, GTA IV is still a superb game that has aged well, that includes both Episodes from Liberty City; The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned.
The only thing I don’t like about Grand Theft Auto games on Steam Deck is that you have to log in to Rockstar Social Club in order to save or load your game. So if you’re on an airplane or somewhere without an internet connection, you’ll have to start a new game…
Vampire Survivors
I couldn’t believe how addictive this game was. I think I’ve never got so hooked on a video game so fast before in my life. A good addition and a must-have for the Steam Deck indeed. Truly inspiring how a single guy managed to create this game from head to toe. Congrats to Luca Galante for his productive year.
Art of Rally
A cute indie arcade racing game that you will instantly fall in love with if you’re into rally games like Dirt and WRC series. What I enjoy most about this title is the realistic physics and drift mechanics, it’s surprisingly accurate and an absolute delight on the Deck!
Aperture Desk Job
Probably “the best game” for the Steam Deck, as in, the most optimized controls, graphics, and experience, created specifically for the Steam Deck by Valve themselves. A satirical tutorial of factory working that’s what you would expect from a Portal game. Also, if you’re into the Half-Life and Portal lore then this title is a good placeholder for the next games in the series.
Syberia II
I had the idea of installing this nostalgic adventure game on the Steam Deck in the winter period (fitting, I know), to see if it holds up to my memory and if it runs properly on the Deck. Without a doubt, Syberia II is one hell of an adventure on the Steam Deck.
Wreckfest
As a huge FlatOut fan, I tried the original trilogy series on the Steam Deck with no luck… The controls are really bad, virtually impossible to get by in the menus and on track. Luckily for me, the next best thing is Wreckfest, the spiritual successor to the FlatOut series, and a fun-fueled demolition derby.
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Clearly, side-scrollers like Ori work best on the Steam Deck and the Blind Forest is the perfect example. Not to stir any controversy but I feel like the Blind Forest is above the Will of Whisps but that’s just my personal opinion. Both are great games that are worth your time on the Steam Deck.
Limbo
I remember playing this game when it came out for the PC back in 2010 and thinking “damn, I could get used to this new genre”. It’s a shame that to this day we haven’t got a well-deserved sequel to this game. I know Inside is a spiritual successor and a very good addition to the Steam Deck as well, but I’m still waiting for a proper Limbo 2 game.
Dead Space
The original Dead Space game is surprisingly comfortable to play on the Steam Deck. The game runs at a smooth 60 FPS, without ever dropping below in my experience. It will be interesting to see if the Dead Space remake will run as well, probably not.
Dirt 3 Complete Edition
Apart from the clumsy name selection and profile creation, Dirt 3 fits the Steam Deck like a glove. Perfect controls, stable performance across the board, and an enjoyable experience as a whole for the Steam Deck. This game should definitely be marked as Deck Verified ✅.
All-in-all, the Steam Deck’s first year was a successful one in my eyes, with a TONE of compatible games on Steam. It’s definitely a breakthrough in the handheld gaming industry and a console that’s here to stay.
