Best Retro Steam Deck Games
Steam currently has 9,289 Retro 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. Retro game rankings were last updated on 5/19/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
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1. Vampire Survivors
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.
Vampire Survivors holds the #1 spot for "best Retro Steam Deck game" with a Player Score of 97. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 229,842 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 226,510 positive reviews and 3,332 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.
2. Pizza Tower
Pizza Tower is a fast paced 2D platformer inspired by the Wario Land series, 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 #2 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 57,846 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 56,983 positive reviews and 863 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 |
3. 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 #3 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 112,613 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 110,278 positive reviews and 2,335 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 |
4. 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 #4 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 64,805 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 63,551 positive reviews and 1,254 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 |
5. 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 #5 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 93,094 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 90,879 positive reviews and 2,215 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 |
6. Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gunplay and skull crushing close combat.
Hotline Miami has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 94,455 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 91,882 positive reviews and 2,573 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $1.99 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 | $1.99 |
| Release Date | 10/23/2012 |
| Developer | Dennaton Games |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Steam App Id | 219150 |
7. Papers, Please
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.
Papers, Please has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 68,170 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 66,279 positive reviews and 1,891 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 | 8/8/2013 |
| Developer | Lucas Pope |
| Publisher | 3909 |
| Steam App Id | 239030 |
8. Baba Is You
Baba Is You is a puzzle game where the rules you have to follow are present as blocks you can interact with. By manipulating them, you can change how the game works, repurpose things you find in the levels and cause surprising interactions!
Baba Is You has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 19,806 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 19,383 positive reviews and 423 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 | 3/13/2019 |
| Developer | Hempuli Oy |
| Publisher | Hempuli Oy |
| Steam App Id | 736260 |
9. Half-Life
Named Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Valve's debut title blends action and adventure with award-winning technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players must think to survive. Also includes an exciting multiplayer mode that allows you to play against friends and enemies around the world.
Half-Life has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 126,512 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 122,200 positive reviews and 4,312 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.
10. Cuphead
Cuphead is a classic run and gun action game heavily focused on boss battles. Inspired by cartoons of the 1930s, the visuals and audio are painstakingly created with the same techniques of the era, i.e. traditional hand drawn cel animation, watercolor backgrounds, and original jazz recordings.
Cuphead has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Retro Steam Deck games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 159,876 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 154,102 positive reviews and 5,774 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 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 | $19.99 |
| Release Date | 9/29/2017 |
| Developer | Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc. |
| Publisher | Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc. |
| Steam App Id | 268910 |
More Retro Steam Deck Verified Games
Explore even more rankings for the 10 best Retro games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 6,999 | 10/20/2022 | 97 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,241 | 1/26/2023 | 97 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 3,839 | 9/3/2020 | 96 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 357 | 4/18/2019 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,742 | 1/25/2018 | 96 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 866 | 10/23/2012 | 96 | $1.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 611 | 8/8/2013 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 233 | 3/13/2019 | 95 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,302 | 11/19/1998 | 95 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 2,127 | 9/29/2017 | 95 | $19.99 | 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, May 19). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 19). Vampire Survivors on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 7). Pizza Tower on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 18). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 25). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 2). Celeste on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 16). Hotline Miami on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 11). Papers, Please on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 13). Baba Is You on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 18). Half-Life on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 18). Cuphead on Steam. Steam Store.