The Steam Spring Sale is here, and now that the dust has settled, we’ve identified a few Steam Deck Verified games that you need to play. As a bonus, they have discounts of up to 90% off thanks to the seasonal sale, so there’s no excuse not to give them a try.
The Steam Deck is still the best handheld gaming PC for most gamers looking for a portable alternative to their stationary gaming rig. While Valve’s Verification system has come under fire in recent months, especially with known incompatible games being listed as Playable, all the games on this list work with no issues at all.
The Walking Dead Telltale Definitive Series – 90% off
A heart-wrenching tale of a little girl who struggles to survive but ultimately grows up during the zombie apocalypse, Telltale’s The Walking Dead series put the studio on the map and its first season is widely considered one of the greatest narrative games of all time.
While its gameplay might be more point-and-click than action, The Walking Dead still creates moments of incredible tension, and with every conversation, you’re carving out a truly unique narrative, with no two playthroughs being the same. In addition to the four main seasons of The Walking Dead, this definitive edition also comes with the 400 Days and Michonne side stories.
$4.99 / £4.19
Heavy Rain – 90% off
An iconic PlayStation title from Quantic Dream, Heavy Rain is an interactive action-adventure game that focuses heavily on storytelling, with gameplay often being reduced to in-the-moment decisions enacted through quick-time events or investigating confined areas for story clues.
I didn’t like Heavy Rain when I first played it, but upon falling in love with other narrative games such as The Quarry and Until Dawn, I was able to revisit Heavy Rain with a new appreciation. It runs great on the Steam Deck and has multiple endings for great replayability, not bad for under $2.
$1.99 / £1.69
Resident Evil 7 – 60% off
Resident Evil 7 was a major return to form for the once-flailing horror franchise. First-person perspective was introduced, and the game takes place in a very isolated setting to dial up the creepiness. This new formula was then at the core of the Resident Evil revival, which has seen multiple remakes released, alongside Resident Evil 8, as a direct sequel.
Not one for the faint of heart, Resident Evil 7 runs great on the deck, specifically the OLED model which handles the darker overall lighting conditions of the game a little better.
$7.99 / £6.39
Castlevania Lords of Shadow Ultimate Edition – 80% off
A far cry from the old-school 2D platformer, Castlevania Lords of Shadow is a third-person action hack-and-slash game that re-imagines the lore of Castlevania for a modern audience.
As someone who wasn’t much of a Castlevania fan, Lords of Shadow, and its eventual sequel, were still games I massively enjoyed because of the way that gameplay leaned into God of War territory. It had a story that was well told and voice-acted perfectly, with names such as Sir Patrick Stewart, Robert Carlyle, and Jason Issacs as part of the cast.
$5.99 / £3.99
Firewatch – 80% off
The rise in popularity of ‘walking simulators’ peaked with games such as What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, and Firewatch. This atmospheric indie game from Campo Santo never lets you know what’s next, with the vibe often swinging from casual exploration to spooky murder mystery.
If you’ve been known to stick on a video game soundtrack from time to time, the Firewatch soundtrack is excellent and can be purchased with the game for less than $10.
$3.99/£3.35
If you need more inspiration, you can read more about the best Steam Deck games, which include everything from huge triple-A games to indie darlings.
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