Finding the best FPS for the Steam Deck isn’t easy. As we’ve already established in our must-play RPG shortlist for the Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld PC isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all sort of device. It’s quite simple, really: some games straight-up play better on handheld PCs than others do. With that in mind, it should be self-explanatory that any given list of best games to play on the Deck absolutely needs to consider what the device does well and what it doesn’t. This list of must-play FPS games is written precisely with that in mind.
While it would be phenomenally easy to list off a few of the latest and greatest first-person shooters on Steam, doing so wouldn’t ensure a good playing experience on the Deck, specifically. To that end, we’ve set out to find first-person shooters that genuinely feel good to play on Valve’s gaming handheld, and preferably with solid performance, to boot.
What are the best FPS games for the Steam Deck?
To best illustrate the issues in choosing the right game for the Deck, look no further than Bethesda’s own Starfield. While it’s certainly possible to run Starfield in a relatively enjoyable fashion on the Deck, the experience isn’t what one would call ideal. Users need to drop settings to the bedrock just to get a playable 30 FPS, all the while also hemorrhaging battery life. It’s tricky business getting the latest AAAs to do well on the Deck.
In choosing the best FPS titles for the Deck, we decided to forego the cutting edge of the industry almost entirely. Instead, we’ve been looking back at older games and some less punishing contemporary releases. The goal was to hook you up with FPS titles that genuinely feel good to play on the Deck, are preferably slower than your average twitch shooter, and are quick and easy to set up!
Top 10 must-play Steam Deck FPS games
#10: Resident Evil Village
It’s a well-established fact by now that Capcom’s RE Engine is, essentially, black magic. Of course, not really, but all the games developed on it are pretty dang performant. As the mainline numbered Resident Evil games are now first-person shooters and quite good in their own right, while also retaining the franchise’s slower pace, Village deserved a spot on this list. On the Deck, RE: Village runs and looks great, and its more methodical gameplay loop sets it apart from some of the faster games on this list while also allowing Deck users to stick with a stable 30 or 40 FPS cap, instead of the usual 60.
#9: Prey (2017)
Arguably the best immersive sim title Arkane Studios has ever produced, Prey is less a shooter than a first-person adventure with puzzle-solving elements. Still, there is a healthy amount of shooting involved, and the whole thing works incredibly well on Valve’s handheld PC. While it’s possible to get an almost locked 60 FPS on the Deck, we’d recommend capping it at 40 instead, as Prey is about as far removed from twitch shooters as it gets. At the same time, you’ll get far superior battery life to keep mucking about on the Talos station longer!
#8: Dishonored
The second Arkane Studios entry on this list is the even older Dishonored. Widely critically acclaimed as one of the best games of all time, it has aged like fine wine thanks to its stylized graphics. And, unlike its successor (which is a stellar title in its own right), it is incredibly performant and easy on the Deck’s battery. Dishonored controls really well on the Deck, and for those who haven’t yet had the chance to play it, we’d recommend doing so on the go.
#7: Borderlands 3
Including a looter-shooter was a must for this list, and though virtually all the Borderlands games do work reasonably well on the Deck, we opted for Borderlands 3 in the end. The reason for this is simple: while older franchise entries do run somewhat better, Borderlands 3‘s combat gameplay is miles ahead of either of its two mainline predecessors. At the same time, getting a locked 40 FPS on the Deck is well within reach here, and though you won’t be getting stellar battery life, we felt that great gunplay was worth the juice, all things considered.
#6: Titanfall 2
As ridiculous as that might sound at face value, considering the game’s speed, Titanfall 2 has turned out to be a perfect fit for the best FPS on Steam Deck. Its awesome campaign mode is a must-play for every FPS fan in the first place, but thanks to Respawn Entertainment’s great gamepad support, experiencing it on the Deck is every bit as good as playing the game using the regular mouse and keyboard combo. Multiplayer is a tad iffy, granted, but the rest of Titanfall 2 just feels great on the Deck, and that’s more than good enough for it to have made the list.
#5: Halo: The Master Chief Collection
This list would’ve been incomplete without at least one Bungie title, and we ended up settling with the latest relevant version of Halo, thanks to the efforts of 343 Industries. Specifically, getting Destiny 2 to run on the Deck reliably is a mess by default, and Halo really is the next best thing. As with Titanfall 2, you won’t get any multiplayer playtime in MCC on the Deck, but all featured Halo campaigns run and play amazingly well. Almost as if they had originally been made with the controller in mind…
#4: Doom (2016)
Doom Eternal, certainly, works well enough on the Deck. We opted to include 2016’s Doom reboot on this list instead, however, due to the game’s simpler combat loop. Whereas Eternal forces the player into learning its particular brand of blood ballet, what with all the gun swapping and whatnot, Doom is far more straightforward and simple in that respect. It simply feels like a better fit on the Deck, whereas Eternal is the superior choice for mouse ‘n’ keyboard gaming, as far as we’re concerned.
#3: Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is more than just a great example of a live-service game done right. It is also among the best fps you could play on your Steam Deck! True enough: endgame-tier raids can get a bit hectic if you’re used to playing DRG with a mouse, but the game doesn’t so much as hiccup on the Deck, and every part of its delightful gameplay loop feels right at home on the device. Expect great performance, great battery life, and more content than you could shake a pickaxe at.
#2: Portal 2
It’s a bit of a cop-out, we’ll admit, but Portal and Portal 2 are practically made for the Deck. We went with Portal 2, specifically, because the original does feel a tad bit like a proof of concept, with the sequel being a fully realized experience. It runs great and feels great on the Deck, but its puzzle-focused gameplay means even those with precisely zero experience playing shooters with a gamepad will have plenty of time to react to the situation at hand.
#1: Half-Life 2, Episode One, Episode Two
Finally, there’s Valve’s crowning glory: the Half-Life franchise. Specifically, Half-Life 2 and its Episodes, which function like standalone expansion packs. Recent updates to these games mean that they are a natural choice for the Deck, especially thanks to Valve’s work on optimizing how they control with a gamepad. As they’re story-focused single-player games, the Half-Life 2s are a great choice for the Deck if you haven’t yet played them. For those who did, on the flip side, this is an opportunity to experience them anew – on the go.
Published: Sep 24, 2023 02:30 pm