Best Experimental Steam Deck Games
Steam currently has 1,351 Experimental 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. Experimental game rankings were last updated on 4/22/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best experimental games on Steam
- Best experimental Steam games for Mac
- Best experimental Linux games on Steam
- Free experimental games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. Gorogoa
Gorogoa is an elegant evolution of the puzzle genre, told through a beautifully hand-drawn story designed and illustrated by Jason Roberts. Winner of Debut Game at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award at the GDC 2018 Choice Awards.
Gorogoa holds the #1 spot for "best Experimental Steam Deck game" with a Player Score of 95. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 16,098 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 15,717 positive reviews and 381 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 | 12/14/2017 |
| Developer | Buried Signal |
| Publisher | Annapurna Interactive |
| Steam App Id | 557600 |
2. Pony Island
Pony Island is a suspense puzzle game in disguise. You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by the devil himself. It is not a game about ponies.
Pony Island has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 15,690 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 14,948 positive reviews and 742 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 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 | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 1/4/2016 |
| Franchise | Daniel Mullins Games |
| Developer | Daniel Mullins Games |
| Publisher | Daniel Mullins Games |
| Steam App Id | 405640 |
3. Coffee Talk
Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator about listening to fantasy-inspired modern peoples’ problems, and helping them by serving up a warm drink or two.
Coffee Talk has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,826 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,371 positive reviews and 455 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $12.99 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 | $12.99 |
| Release Date | 1/29/2020 |
| Franchise | Toge Productions |
| Developer | Toge Productions |
| Publisher | Toge Productions |
| Steam App Id | 914800 |
4. Manifold Garden
Rediscover gravity and explore an Escher-esque world of impossible architecture. Witness infinity in first-person and master its rules to solve physics-defying puzzles. Cultivate a garden to open new paths forward, where an eternal expanse awaits.
Manifold Garden has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,913 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 5,650 positive reviews and 263 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 | 10/20/2020 |
| Developer | William Chyr Studio |
| Publisher | William Chyr Studio |
| Steam App Id | 473950 |
5. Progressbar95
Progressbar95 is a unique indie game with a strong nostalgic vibe. It turns vintage GUI elements like panels, buttons and icons into game elements! Simple and addictive gameplay based on dozens of mini-games and puzzles. The game will make you smile!
Progressbar95 has achieved a Player Score of 91, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,314 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,220 positive reviews and 94 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 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 | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 9/8/2020 |
| Developer | Igor Uduslivii |
| Publisher | Spooky House Studios UG haftungsbeschraenkt |
| Steam App Id | 1304550 |
6. Voxelgram
Voxelgram is a relaxing 3D puzzle game where you sculpture models by following logical hints. It is a 3D variation of nonograms/picross. No guessing involved, only deduction and dioramas made out of solved puzzles!
Voxelgram has achieved a Player Score of 91, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 473 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 465 positive reviews and 8 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 11/7/2019 |
| Developer | Procedural Level |
| Publisher | Procedural Level |
| Steam App Id | 1158470 |
7. ウーマンコミュニケーション
It often happens that lewd words are inadvertently made up in conversation, doesn't it? This game is probably the world's first adventure game where you will find such "inadvertent lewd words" to advance the game!
ウーマンコミュニケーション has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 463 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 454 positive reviews and 9 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $12.99 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 | $12.99 |
| Release Date | 10/25/2023 |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2095090 |
8. Human Resource Machine
Program little office workers to solve puzzles. Be a good employee! The machines are coming... for your job. From the creators of World of Goo and Little Inferno.
Human Resource Machine has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,150 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 3,899 positive reviews and 251 negative reviews — making it "Very 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 | 10/15/2015 |
| Franchise | Tomorrow Corporation |
| Developer | Tomorrow Corporation |
| Publisher | Tomorrow Corporation |
| Steam App Id | 375820 |
9. Gachi Heroes
Gachi Heroes is a game about the dark fantasies. That's amazing an endlass journey in which you will know yourself with your favorite gachimuchi characters. How deep would you go?
Gachi Heroes has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,188 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,070 positive reviews and 118 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $0.99 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.
10. Ynglet
In Ynglet you jump between bubbles that float in the sky like you’re a space dolphin, as you melt into a highly reactive and dynamic soundtrack created by Ynglet’s custom (and needlessly complicated) music software!
Ynglet has achieved a Player Score of 89, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Experimental Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 318 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 311 positive reviews and 7 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 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 | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 6/5/2021 |
| Franchise | Triple Topping |
| Developer | Nifflas |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1015920 |
More Experimental Steam Deck Verified Games
Explore even more rankings for the 10 best Experimental games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 7 | 12/14/2017 | 95 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 32 | 1/4/2016 | 93 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 33 | 1/29/2020 | 93 | $12.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 13 | 10/20/2020 | 92 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 10 | 9/8/2020 | 91 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 14 | 11/7/2019 | 91 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 4 | 10/25/2023 | 90 | $12.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 23 | 10/15/2015 | 90 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 10/26/2018 | 90 | $0.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 6/5/2021 | 89 | $4.99 | 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, April 22). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 22). Gorogoa on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 19). Pony Island on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 2). Coffee Talk on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 18). Manifold Garden on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 10). Progressbar95 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 19). Voxelgram on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). ウーマンコミュニケーション on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 23). Human Resource Machine on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Gachi Heroes on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Ynglet on Steam. Steam Store.