All articles tagged with #steam deck
A curated list of 15 PC games that run well on the Steam Deck without requiring tweaks, mixing enduring favorites like Vampire Survivors, Stardew Valley, and Hades with newer hits such as Balatro, Dave the Diver, Blue Prince, Dredge, Deep Rock Galactic Survivor, Elden Ring, Resident Evil 2, Big Hops, Warframe, TMNT Shredder’s Revenge, and Megabonk—emphasizing portable, bite-size sessions and optional co-op where available.
Valve says AI-driven data-center expansion is straining RAM and storage, leading to Steam Deck stockouts (OLED may be intermittently unavailable in some regions; the LCD 256GB model has been discontinued) and signaling broader memory-supply pressures affecting the gaming hardware ecosystem, with reports that other major platforms (PS6, Switch 2) are weighing timing or pricing as memory costs rise.
Valve says the Steam Deck OLED may be intermittently out of stock in some regions due to memory and storage shortages, tying its supply issue to a broader RAM/storage crunch that has delayed other hardware; Valve has discontinued the 256GB LCD Steam Deck and aims to launch new hardware in the first half of 2026.
Stardew Valley returns to No. 1 on Steam Deck’s January 2026 top-20 list, as Elden Ring makes a comeback and Cult of the Lamb’s DLC renews interest; the piece notes new entries like Fallout New Vegas and titles that left the chart, with Steam Deck HQ promising more coverage.
Cairn is a thoughtful climbing-survival game from The Game Bakers that blends precise limb control, stamina/food/water management, and a lore-driven ascent of Kami. The PC version shines, but the Steam Deck port is verified yet prone to noticeable frame drops when the mountain is shown broadly, often dipping below 30 FPS. Lowering the resolution and using SteamOS’ FSR helps stabilize performance, though battery drain increases. Despite Deck hiccups, the core climb remains engaging, aided by accessible options (auto-save, fall rewind, etc.) and a save system that rewards careful planning.
Steam Deck’s Verified/Playable badge rollout has surpassed 25,000 titles (25,010 per SteamDB), highlighting rapid growth in games deemed a good or playable fit on Valve’s handheld. The official Steam store count may differ because SteamDB includes delisted titles, and a badge doesn’t guarantee a perfect experience, but the milestone underscores expanding compatibility with recent additions like CAIRN and Once Upon a Shell.
Fans have recompiled the Nintendo 64 classic Banjo-Kazooie to run natively on modern PCs (Windows and Linux) and Steam Deck, delivering widescreen visuals, higher framerates, faster load times, and reduced input latency—plus potential for mods—though it remains an unofficial effort outside of official Microsoft revival.
Junk Store released a 1.1.13 update to its free Decky Plugin that adds Lossless Scaling Frame Generation (lsfg-vk), enabling Steam Deck users to boost game framerates in Game Mode without extra plugins; the free version supports Epic Games Store, while broader storefront support via Junk Store 2.0 is paid (~$40/year). It requires the Decky Plugin Framework and there are alternative free launchers like Unifideck, Heroic Launcher, and Lutris for other storefronts.
A new free indie title on Steam, Lavalamp by Space Lemmings, released January 10 and playable on Steam Deck, has earned over 200 user reviews with 95% positive ratings. The first‑person exploration game offers a short, ~1‑hour experience with a psychedelic, flexible narrative and no monetization, drawing praise for its relaxing atmosphere and quirky vibe from players.
The 2025 Steam Awards, based on 43.8 million player votes, crowned Hollow Knight: Silksong as Game of the Year, beating several competitors. Other winners include Silent Hill f for Visual Style and Arc Raiders for Most Innovative Gameplay. The awards highlight popular and innovative games, with Arc Raiders being the top seller during the holiday season.
Hollow Knight: Silksong won Steam's Game of the Year at the 2025 Steam Awards, reflecting its widespread popularity and anticipation since its September release, along with other awards like Best Game You Suck At and Best Game on Steam Deck for Hades II.
This article lists various free games available for Steam Deck and handheld devices as of January 2, 2026, including titles from Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Amazon Prime, with some requiring accounts or specific tools for access.
Steam on Linux maintained a 3.19% market share in December 2025, showing steady growth driven by the Steam Deck and AMD's open-source support, with AMD Linux CPU use reaching nearly 72%, the highest ever, indicating a strong trend towards Linux gaming.
The article lists the top 20 most played games on the Steam Deck in 2025, highlighting popular titles like Stardew Valley, Baldur's Gate 3, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, and discusses their performance and experience on the device.
Arc Raiders was the top-selling game on Steam by revenue during the holiday period, surpassing popular titles like Battlefield 6 and Cyberpunk 2077, according to SteamDB, with the Steam Deck also ranking high among top sellers.