The Steam Deck is quickly becoming one of the most popular gaming consoles around, especially for handheld gamers. Whether it can compete with the likes of Xbox and PlayStation in the future remains to be seen, but Valve have certainly pulled off something special with the Steam Deck.
Big games keep on getting added to Steam Deck’s Verified list, including the recent Steam release of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. First-party Sony titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Days Gone and God of War have also been verified. However, there are a whole host of AAA games yet to receive Valve’s green tick of approval that work great on the Steam Deck. Here are some the of the best non-verified games to play on the Deck.
7 Grand Theft Auto 4
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For a game that came out way back in 2008, Rockstar Games' famous hit Grand Theft Auto 4 is still a pleasure to play. Booting it up on the Steam Deck is extra special, as never before have gamers been able to play GTA 4 this smoothly on a handheld device.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is not verified on the Steam Deck, but it should be. Players who have the Steam version will run into no issues when installing and starting up the game. Once you get past Rockstar’s initial loading screen, the game runs flawlessly on good settings. Due to its age, GTA 4 can also be enjoyed at a smooth 60fps.
6 Grand Theft Auto 5
Sticking with Rockstar’s GTA series, their next blockbuster game Grand Theft Auto 5 also works a treat on the Steam Deck despite not receiving Valve’s seal of approval. Running the game at high settings at 60fps is possible but toning down the fps meter will give players a far better experience.
Seeing this open-world masterpiece run so well on a handheld is what dreams are made of for portable fans. GTA 5 is arguably the biggest release of all time, and now it can be played on the go anywhere the player wants. Steam Deck owners owe it to themselves to try GTA 5 on the handheld system.
5 Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolutionhas divided opinion among fans since its release, and the last two versions have taken a more open-world approach as opposed to Absolution’s linear story gameplay. However, this particular Hitman game may just have found its home on the Steam Deck.
With this shooter being a PS3 and Xbox 360-era title, the graphics are sharp and still hold up, and the Deck’s smaller screen coupled with the boost in performance on the PC make this a very pretty and playable game on the Steam Deck. Hitman: Absolution runs nicely at high setting at 60fps with no frame rate issues despite being a non-verified title on the Deck.
4 Batman: Arkham Knight
Not only is Batman: Arkham Knight non-verified on the Steam Deck, it’s currently listed on the store as unsupported. According to Valve, this award-winning Batman hit won’t function on the Deck, but fans of the series will be pleased to know that it works just fine. Strangely, Batman: Arkham City is listed as playable, but Arkham Knight is unsupported.
Not much is left to be said about Batman: Arkham Knight – this story-heavy game is a masterpiece, so to see it playing so well on the Steam Deck is a joy to behold. Players should not be put off by Valve’s unsupported tag and should get downloading right away.
3 Max Payne 3
Another non-verified Rockstar game that works incredibly on the Steam Deck is Max Payne 3. Over ten years have passed since this underappreciated 2012 game hit store shelves, but the gun-mechanics, general gameplay, and stunning graphics still hold up superbly well today, especially on the Steam Deck’s 800p, 7-inch display.
Max Payne 3 should definitely be verified, as playing this on the Steam Deck in docked or handheld mode is a real pleasure. Players are able to play this Rockstar classic with high graphics and buttery-smooth 60fps gameplay.
2 Red Dead Redemption 2
Sticking with award-winning games from Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption 2 is another Rockstar blockbuster that can be enjoyed on the Steam Deck. This one will take a little more tweaking in the settings, but once the gamer has it dialed in, Red Dead 2 can absolutely be played on the Deck.
Lowering the graphics and capping the frame rate at either 30fps or even 40fps will give the player a far greater experience. Don’t expect this to run well at 60fps, but it doesn’t really need to. There has even been a Steam Deck update that has fixed issues for this game, which shows how good Valve’s support for this system is. The graphics remain stellar, and the gameplay is smooth when lowering the frame rate settings. Seeing this run well on the Steam Deck is nothing short of extraordinary.
1 Resident Evil 3 Remake
Strangely, Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 Remake has been given Valve’s green light of approval, but the newer Resident Evil 3 Remake is still listed as unsupported on the Steam store. However, rest assured Resident Evil 3 runs just as well on the Steam Deck and should be verified.
Despite this remake version changing a lot from the original 1999 release, Resident Evil 3 is still a great game in its own right. The graphics are outstanding, and the gameplay is just about as Resident Evil as it gets. This horror title runs great on the Steam Deck despite the unsupported tag and deserves to be played on Valve’s shiny new system.
