Best Difficult Steam Deck Games

Steam currently has 7,239 Difficult games, but not all of them can be played on the Steam Deck. Explore our list with the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Difficult game rankings were last updated on 12/5/2024.

Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:

1. Hades

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.

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Hades holds the #1 spot for "best Difficult Steam Deck game" with a Player Score of 97. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 271,503 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 266,865 positive reviews and 4,638 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $24.99
Release Date 9/17/2020
Franchise Supergiant Games
Developer Supergiant Games
Publisher Supergiant Games
Steam App Id 1145360

2. Balatro

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.

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Balatro has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 95,110 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 93,499 positive reviews and 1,611 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $13.49 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $13.49
Release Date 2/20/2024
Franchise Playstack
Developer LocalThunk
Publishers
Steam App Id 2379780

3. Pizza Tower

Pizza Tower is a fast paced 2D platformer, with an emphasis on movement, exploration and score attack. Featuring highly stylized pixel art inspired by the cartoons from the '90s, and a highly energetic soundtrack.

Pizza Tower banner

Pizza Tower has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 63,122 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 62,125 positive reviews and 997 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 1/26/2023
Developer Tour De Pizza
Publisher Tour De Pizza
Steam App Id 2231450

4. Slay the Spire

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!

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Slay the Spire has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 169,857 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 166,181 positive reviews and 3,676 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $8.49 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $8.49
Release Date 1/23/2019
Developers
Publishers
Steam App Id 646570

5. ULTRAKILL

ULTRAKILL is a fast-paced ultraviolent retro FPS combining the skill-based style scoring from character action games with unadulterated carnage inspired by the best shooters of the '90s. Rip apart your foes with varied destructive weapons and shower in their blood to regain your health.

ULTRAKILL banner

ULTRAKILL has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 137,590 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 134,658 positive reviews and 2,932 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $24.99
Release Date 9/3/2020
Franchise New Blood Interactive
Developer Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher New Blood Interactive
Steam App Id 1229490

6. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

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.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth banner

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 314,978 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 306,916 positive reviews and 8,062 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $14.99
Release Date 11/4/2014
Developers
Publisher Nicalis, Inc.
Steam App Id 250900

7. Katana ZERO

Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.

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Katana ZERO has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 68,545 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 67,198 positive reviews and 1,347 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $14.99
Release Date 4/18/2019
Developer Askiisoft
Publisher Devolver Digital
Steam App Id 460950

8. Hollow Knight

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.

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Hollow Knight has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 382,657 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 371,516 positive reviews and 11,141 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $14.99
Release Date 2/24/2017
Developer Team Cherry
Publisher Team Cherry
Steam App Id 367520

9. Celeste

Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight platformer from the creators of TowerFall. Brave hundreds of hand-crafted challenges, uncover devious secrets, and piece together the mystery of the mountain.

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Celeste has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 111,307 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 108,490 positive reviews and 2,817 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 1/25/2018
Franchise EXOK Games
Developers
Publisher Maddy Makes Games Inc.
Steam App Id 504230

10. Rhythm Doctor

Save patients with your rhythm mastery! Rhythm Doctor is a rhythm game where you heal patients by defibrillating in time to their heartbeats. Learn each patient's unique heartbeat and defeat boss viruses trying to sabotage your rhythm, all set to heart-pumping, soul-soothing music.

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Rhythm Doctor has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 20,565 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,243 positive reviews and 322 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $15.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $15.99
Release Date 2/26/2021
Franchise 7th Beat Games
Developer 7th Beat Games
Publishers
Steam App Id 774181

More Difficult Steam Deck Verified Games

Explore even more rankings for the 10 best Difficult games available on Steam.

ImageName
Actions
Hades steam charts
3,009
9/17/2020
97
$24.99
Steam Charts
Balatro steam charts
13,868
2/20/2024
97
$13.49
Steam Charts
Pizza Tower steam charts
491
1/26/2023
97
$19.99
Steam Charts
Slay the Spire steam charts
8,595
1/23/2019
97
$8.49
Steam Charts
ULTRAKILL steam charts
2,269
9/3/2020
97
$24.99
Steam Charts
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth steam charts
20,228
11/4/2014
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
Katana ZERO steam charts
99
4/18/2019
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
Hollow Knight steam charts
5,086
2/24/2017
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
Celeste steam charts
1,451
1/25/2018
96
$19.99
Steam Charts
Rhythm Doctor steam charts
53
2/26/2021
96
$15.99
Steam Charts

Soures & References

Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.

  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Steam Store. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Hades on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 11). Balatro on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 11). Pizza Tower on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, November 30). Slay the Spire on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 9). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 11). The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, November 4). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Hollow Knight on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Celeste on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 5). Rhythm Doctor on Steam. Steam Store.

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