Best Difficult Steam Deck Games
Steam currently has 7,557 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 3/21/2025.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
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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.
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 277,804 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 272,972 positive reviews and 4,832 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.
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 140,425 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 137,711 positive reviews and 2,714 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 | 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 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 65,693 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 64,629 positive reviews and 1,064 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!
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 178,241 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 174,354 positive reviews and 3,887 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 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 | $24.99 |
| 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 has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Difficult Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 160,499 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 156,883 positive reviews and 3,616 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. 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.
Katana ZERO 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 70,206 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 68,822 positive reviews and 1,384 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 |
7. 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 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 336,564 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 327,647 positive reviews and 8,917 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 |
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.
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 404,289 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 392,343 positive reviews and 11,946 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.
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 117,544 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 114,544 positive reviews and 3,000 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 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 | $9.99 |
| 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.
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 21,026 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,699 positive reviews and 327 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.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,780 | 9/17/2020 | 97 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 16,169 | 2/20/2024 | 97 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 187 | 1/26/2023 | 97 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 17,539 | 1/23/2019 | 97 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 2,268 | 9/3/2020 | 96 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 110 | 4/18/2019 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 24,551 | 11/4/2014 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 7,873 | 2/24/2017 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 1,686 | 1/25/2018 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 85 | 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. (2025, March 21). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 21). Hades on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 31). Balatro on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 22). Pizza Tower on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 22). Slay the Spire on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 30). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 24). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, April 1). The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 27). Hollow Knight on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 27). Celeste on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 28). Rhythm Doctor on Steam. Steam Store.