Valve’s Steam Deck has quietly grown into one of the most important handheld devices for PC gaming. While it still sits behind the Nintendo Switch in overall sales, new research from Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo, shows how the platform is shaping the success of several indie titles on Steam.
Which Games Thrive on Steam Deck
Indie Hits Finding a Home on Steam Deck
A recent analysis focused on games that earned more than $1 million in revenue on Steam and received over 100 player reviews from users who spent at least half their total playtime on the Steam Deck. Among those games, UFO 50, Dungeons of Hinterberg, OlliOlli World, Minishoot Adventures, and 1000xRESIST led the pack in the percentage of Deck-focused reviews.
Developer Derek Yu, who created UFO 50, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck and that his team regularly tests the experience on the device. According to data, this type of optimization and testing has played a key role in how indie games perform on the platform.
What’s most notable is that several of these titles didn’t hit the usual PC performance benchmarks, such as reaching 1,000 to 1,500 peak concurrent users. Despite this, they achieved strong overall sales thanks to the Steam Deck audience. Minishoot Adventures, for example, has sold around 130,000 copies on Steam, while 1000xRESIST surpassed 100,000.
Which Games Thrive on Steam Deck
Beyond the Top Five
Looking past the leading titles, data shows that the Steam Deck’s top 30 includes a mix of indie favorites and classic collections. Games such as Thank Goodness You’re Here!, Crow Country, Cassette Beasts, and the Castlevania and Kingdom Hearts collections have also built solid audiences on the platform.
The report highlights that Steam continues to be the strongest platform for indie releases, even for games that launch on multiple systems. Simultaneous Nintendo Switch releases typically generate about 60 to 65 percent of their total sales on Steam. When a Switch version arrives later, sales there often drop to around 10 percent compared to Steam’s numbers.
GameDiscoverCo suggests that many indie players own both a Steam Deck and a Switch. For these players, purchase decisions often come down to convenience and timing, with many opting to buy a game on whichever platform releases it first.
Which Games Thrive on Steam Deck
What Genres Work Best
When looking at the genre breakdown, data found that action-adventure, JRPGs, action RPGs, platformers, and turn-based combat games dominate among the top 50 most-played titles on Steam Deck. Across the broader list of the top 100, the most common tags include singleplayer, adventure, action, RPG, JRPG, and story-rich experiences.
These trends show that the Steam Deck audience favors traditional single-player experiences that play well on a portable device, aligning with the broader preferences seen among dedicated PC and indie fans.
Which Games Thrive on Steam Deck
Steam Deck’s Audience and Market Reach
According to estimates, between five and seven million Steam Deck units have been sold. For comparison, Nintendo’s Switch 2 sold 5.82 million units in its first few months. IDC’s February 2025 report placed the Steam Deck’s install base at around four million units at that time.
While the total number of Steam Deck users represents just 0.7 percent of all Steam users, their engagement levels are much higher. The device accounts for about 2.75 percent of total Steam playtime, suggesting that owners are highly active and use the system extensively.
GameDiscoverCo believes that targeting the Steam Deck exclusively may not be necessary for most developers. However, studios already planning to support the Nintendo Switch or those with extra development capacity could see the platform as a meaningful way to capture additional sales and visibility among dedicated players.
Which Games Thrive on Steam Deck
The Role of Steam Deck in Modern PC Gaming
The Steam Deck’s growing presence is changing how indie developers approach cross-platform strategies. It bridges the gap between portable convenience and the flexibility of PC gaming, allowing studios to reach a highly engaged audience without needing to abandon the traditional Steam ecosystem.
Although it may not yet rival the Switch in market size, the Steam Deck has proven itself as a platform capable of turning niche indie projects into profitable releases. For developers balancing PC and console launches, it represents a valuable addition to the mix.
Source: Simon Carless, GameDiscoverCo
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Steam Deck? The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming device developed by Valve that allows players to access and play their Steam library on the go.
How many Steam Decks have been sold? Estimates suggest between five and seven million units have been sold, with IDC reporting around four million devices in use as of early 2025.
Which games are most popular on Steam Deck? UFO 50, Dungeons of Hinterberg, OlliOlli World, Minishoot Adventures, and 1000xRESIST as leading titles based on player engagement and sales.
Should indie developers target the Steam Deck? While it’s not necessary to design exclusively for the Steam Deck, optimizing for it can boost sales, especially for games also launching on Nintendo Switch.
What genres perform best on Steam Deck? Action-adventure games, JRPGs, RPGs, platformers, and turn-based combat titles are among the most successful genres on the device.
Here is a complete list of all the games mentioned:
- UFO 50
- Dungeons of Hinterberg
- OlliOlli World
- Minishoot Adventures
- 1000xRESIST
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- Castlevania (collection)
- Kingdom Hearts (collection)
- Crow Country
- Cassette Beasts
