TheSteam Deckis quickly becoming one of the most popular gaming consoles around, especially for handheld gamers. Whether it can compete with the likes ofXboxandPlayStationin the future remains to be seen, but Valve have certainly pulled off something special with the Steam Deck.
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Big games keep on getting added toSteam Deck’s Verified list,including the recent Steam release ofUncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. First-party Sony titles such asMarvel’s Spider-Man Remastered,Days GoneandGod of Warhave 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 thebest non-verified games to play on the Deck.
7Grand Theft Auto 4
For a game that came out way back in 2008, Rockstar Games' famous hitGrand Theft Auto 4is still a pleasure to play. Booting it up on the Steam Deck is extra special, as never before have gamers been able to playGTA 4this smoothly on a handheld device.
Grand Theft Auto 4is 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 4can also be enjoyedat a smooth 60fps.
6Grand Theft Auto 5
Sticking with Rockstar’sGTAseries, their next blockbuster gameGrand Theft Auto 5also 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 thisopen-world masterpiecerun so well on a handheld is what dreams are made of for portable fans.GTA 5is 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 tryGTA 5on the handheld system.
5Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolutionhas divided opinion among fanssince its release, and the last two versions have taken a more open-world approach as opposed toAbsolution’slinear story gameplay. However, this particularHitmangame 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: Absolutionruns nicely at high setting at 60fps with no frame rate issues despite being a non-verified title on the Deck.
4Batman: Arkham Knight
Not only isBatman: Arkham Knightnon-verified on the Steam Deck, it’s currently listed on the store as unsupported. According to Valve, this award-winningBatmanhit won’t function on the Deck, but fans of the series will be pleased to know that it works just fine. Strangely,Batman: Arkham Cityis listed as playable, butArkham Knightis unsupported.
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Not much is left to be said aboutBatman: Arkham Knight– thisstory-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.
3Max Payne 3
Another non-verified Rockstar game that works incredibly on the Steam Deck isMax Payne 3. Over ten years have passed since thisunderappreciated 2012 gamehit 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 3should 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.
Sticking with award-winning games from Rockstar,Red Dead Redemption 2is 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 2can 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.
1Resident Evil 3 Remake
Strangely, Capcom’sResident Evil 2 Remakehas been given Valve’s green light of approval, but the newerResident Evil 3 Remakeis still listed as unsupported on the Steam store. However, rest assuredResident Evil 3runs 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 3is still a great game in its own right. The graphics are outstanding, and the gameplay is just about asResident Evilas 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.
