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With the Steam Spring Sale 2025 in full swing now, here's some updated recommendations for games to grab for the Steam Deck. I already gave a few suggestions in the initial sale launch post.

Most of my picks are Steam Deck Verified, with just a couple being rated Steam Deck Playable for minor reasons that still generally work great. All of them are under £10 as well, great if you're on a budget!

First up, we're going to start with what I'm calling the Steam Deck Essentials Collection. Games that are all great and that everyone talks about that you just need to own. This list is a true no-brainer for you to grab.

Cult of the Lamb (£9.74)

Start your own cult in a land of false prophets, venturing out into diverse and mysterious regions to build a loyal community of woodland Followers and spread your Word to become the one true cult.

Stardew Valley (£6.59)

You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (£6.59)

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with heavy Rogue-like elements. Following Isaac on his journey players will find bizarre treasures that change Isaac’s form giving him super human abilities and enabling him to fight off droves of mysterious creatures, discover secrets and fight his way to safety.

Portal (£1.67)

Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon and will offer gamers hours of unique gameplay.

Portal 2 (£1.70)

The "Perpetual Testing Initiative" has been expanded to allow you to design co-op puzzles for you and your friends!

Vampire Survivors (£2.99)

Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you.

Hollow Knight (£6.39)

Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.

Hades (£8.39)

Defy the god of the dead as you hack and slash out of the Underworld in this rogue-like dungeon crawler from the creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre.

Slay the Spire (£4.99)

We fused card games and roguelikes together to make the best single player deckbuilder we could. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and Slay the Spire!

Bloons TD 6 (£2.35)

This one is actually Steam Deck Playable. As long as you don't mind fiddling with the controls, it's awesome.

The Bloons are back and better than ever! Get ready for a massive 3D tower defense game designed to give you hours and hours of the best strategy gaming available.

For this next set, I've picked out a bunch that I also think are really great and worthy of adding to your Steam Library. Again, I consider these generally a no-brainer that all gamers should try. So much entertainment for such low prices it's nuts. Steam sales are also.

These are all great:

Control Ultimate Edition (£8.74)

Winner of over 80 awards, Control is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Dying Light (£2.79)

First-person action survival game set in a post-apocalyptic open world overrun by flesh-hungry zombies. Roam a city devastated by a mysterious virus epidemic. Scavenge for supplies, craft weapons, and face hordes of the infected.

WHAT THE GOLF? (£5.26)

A silly physics-based golf parody where every golf course is a new surprising type of golf, some brilliant or hilarious, others so absurd you will ask yourself: WHAT THE GOLF?

Mad Max (£2.39)

Become Mad Max, the lone warrior in a savage post-apocalyptic world where cars are the key to survival. In this action-packed, open world, third person action game, you must fight to stay alive in The Wasteland, using brutal on-ground and vehicular against vicious gangs of bandits.

Crysis Remastered 1+2+3

Okay, technically three games, but stick with me here. The first is also only rated Playable (but works well), because yes - the Steam Deck can run Crysis. The third in the series is also just over that £10 mark by itself but still worth it! Together they're £13.49 as a bundle so works out less than £5 each.

Prey (£4.99)

In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted.

Alan Wake (£2.84)

A Dark Presence stalks the small town of Bright Falls, pushing Alan Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save his love.

Fallout 3 (£5.27)

Only rated Playable but it really works well overall.

Prepare for the Future™ With Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, experience the most acclaimed game of 2008 like never before. Create a character of your choosing and descend into an awe-inspiring, post-apocalyptic world where every minute is a fight for survival.

Fallout New Vegas (£4.49)

Only rated Playable but it really works well overall.

As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare “winner takes all” and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3.

Fallout 4 (£6.49)

Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, welcome you to the world of Fallout 4 – their most ambitious game ever, and the next generation of open-world gaming.

As the sole survivor of Vault 111, you enter a world destroyed by nuclear war. Every second is a fight for survival, and every choice is yours. Only you can rebuild and determine the fate of the Wasteland. Welcome home.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (£4.99)

I was a little torn on including this but it's such a fantastic series. The EA app can be a nuisance, but overall it works well.

The Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from the highly acclaimed Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors, and packs — remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD.

Titanfall 2 (£2.49)

One of the best single-player FPS experiences around. The EA app can be a nuisance, but overall it works well.

Respawn Entertainment gives you the most advanced titan technology in its new, single player campaign & multiplayer experience. Combine & conquer with new titans & pilots, deadlier weapons, & customization and progression systems that help you and your titan flow as one unstoppable killing force.

DOOM (£1.59)

Developed by id software, the studio that pioneered the first-person shooter genre and created multiplayer Deathmatch, DOOM returns as a brutally fun and challenging modern-day shooter experience. Relentless demons, impossibly destructive guns, and fast, fluid movement provide the foundation for intense, first-person combat – whether you’re obliterating demon hordes through the depths of Hell in the single-player campaign, or competing against your friends in numerous multiplayer modes.

Undertale (£0.69)

UNDERTALE! The RPG game where you don't have to destroy anyone.

Middle-earth: The Shadow Bundle (£5.99)

Includes both Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. They're both Verified too.

Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle of Middle-earth.

Finally, a special extra shout out for:

Balatro (£10.87)

It's just above that £10 mark but it's quite essential so you know what they heck everyone keeps talking about. It's also a genuinely great game that just deserves it.

The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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hardpenguin 5 hours ago
Also: Skyrim. Brotato. My Time At Portia. Sleeping Dogs. THPS 1+2. Into The Breach. Hitman. Dungeon Clawler.

Actually some of those might be slightly above 10 pounds. I don't care. Great fun on Steam Deck!
R Daneel Olivaw 4 hours ago
  • Supporter
These are some great suggestions!

I also want to throw into consideration my all time favorite Deck game:

DREDGE ... !!!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1562430/DREDGE/
RFSharpe 1 hour ago
  • Supporter Plus
There are a number of games on this list that I had not considered playing on my Deck. Thanks Liam!

I enjoy playing bullet heaven/hell games on the Steam Deck. My favorite is:

Halls of Torment
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2218750/Halls_of_Torment/
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