Having been out for almost a full year, the Steam Deck has had time to mature a bit with plenty of updates and quality-of-life improvements. Valve has continued to support its handheld with constant updates that fix bugs, add useful features, and improve compatibility for a larger selection of games. Steam’s top-played games often consist of free-to-play games, so it’s important for Valve to ensure many of these perform well on the Steam Deck. Although some of the biggest F2P games like Warzone 2.0 require workarounds to run on the handheld, the following are some of the best games available on Steam Deck that cost nothing and perform well out of the box.
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Apex Legends
As one of the most popular and content-rich Battle Royale games available, Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends has maintained an active playerbase since its surprise release in February 2019. Set in the same universe as the beloved Titanfall games, Apex Legends is an FPS with high-octane action, agile movement mechanics, and a growing roster of playable champions with unique abilities. This live service game is currently going strong and recent leaks of Apex Legends’ Season 16 show there’s plenty to look forward to as well.
When the Steam Deck first launched, many multiplayer games were not working due to anti-cheat software, with Apex Legends being one of them. Those problems have been resolved in several cases now, making Apex Legends’ Steam success reflect on Steam Deck as well, making it one of the most fun and intense Battle Royale experiences possible on a handheld. The performance may dip every so often, though, so it’s recommended to lower a few settings to be safe.
Team Fortress 2
Originally released all the way back in October 2007 as part of The Orange Box, Team Fortress 2 is a class-based FPS with an extremely loyal fanbase. Having been released nearly ten years before Blizzard came out with Overwatch, TF2 is also one of the first multiplayer games to offer microtransactions. The skins available in TF2 offer different stats and abilities, however, so gamers who don’t want to feel outmatched because of their wallets may want to look elsewhere.
Still, the gameplay is at least easy to pick up for first-time players and matches provide quick and chaotic battles that are perfect for short play sessions on the Steam Deck. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t perform as well as one would think, and players may need to make minor adjustments to the controls. Regardless, the fact that Team Fortress 2 is among the top-played games on Steam speaks volumes about its lasting appeal.
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Path of Exile
Path of Exile stands out among the plethora of Diablo-like action RPGs due to the impressive level of complexity through its different character builds. While Diablo 3 offered a more cartoonish style that divided fans, PoE fully embraces a grittier aesthetic with a dark, ruined world that contrasts with bright effects and abilities. Path of Exile perfects the addictive formula of loot-based RPGs, giving players plenty of reasons to keep grinding for that next piece of gear. On Steam Deck, PoE does a great job of adapting the controls since the game is also available on consoles. Performance is very solid, with the game holding 60 FPS fairly well even on higher settings. PoE also offers above-average battery life, allowing gamers to get the most out of every time they boot up the game.
Warframe
For years, Warframe has been in countless discussions about being an underrated game, to the point that it’s almost become a cliche to say. However, for many, that statement has not changed, as the game has combat that’s fast and fun with gameplay systems that offer surprising depth. There is a tremendous amount of content to go along with its addictive gameplay, and Warframe’s cross-play shows that it is still receiving game-changing updates almost ten years after its release.
At this point, Warframe remains a popular game on Steam, and it has been overhauled and refined into a game that is nearly unrecognizable from its past self. Over the years the developers have added major features such as open-world sections and co-op space combat, complete with the ability to board enemy ships. On high settings, Warframe’s performance impresses on the Steam Deck, giving players a smooth 60 FPS and only dropping into the mid-low 50s when the action gets extra intense.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Steam Deck is perfect for MMO fans, as players are able to log on for quick sessions to complete daily and weekly challenges, progress through quest lines, or participate in group activities. There are many popular F2P MMOs like Lost Ark, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Guild Wars 2 that are all capable of running on the Steam Deck. However, many require workarounds that some users may not want to go through.
Star Wars: The Old Republic performs very well on the Steam Deck right out of the box with 60 FPS being achievable almost anywhere except for player hubs, which is normal for MMOs. Plus, the highly customizable UI and controls make Valve’s handheld a viable option for long-time players wanting to take the game on the go. The now 11-year-old Star Wars: The Old Republic gives fans the freedom to play out their own light or dark side story and the Steam Deck allows them to explore the galaxy far, far away from anywhere in the Milky Way.
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