GameDiscoverCo: Which games are successful on Steam Deck
Steam Deck is the second (third?) largest portable console after Nintendo Switch 1/2, yet we know a little of it.
GameDiscoverCo analyzed games that earned over $1 million on Steam and have more than 100 reviews from users who played them primarily on Steam Deck (over 50% of playtime).
Top 5 games by percentage of Steam Deck player reviews: UFO 50 (20.2%), Dungeons of Hinterberg (17.7%), OlliOlli World (17.7%), Minishoot Adventures (15.6%), 1000xRESIST (15.5%).
Many of these games didn’t hit expected PC benchmarks (1000-1500 CCU peak), but thanks to the Steam Deck audience, they still became commercially successful. For example, Minishoot Adventures sold 130 thousand copies on Steam, and 1000xRESIST sold over 100 thousand copies.
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The top 30 also includes Thank Goodness You’re Here!, Castlevania and Kingdom Hearts collections, and indie projects Crow Country and Cassette Beasts.
According to GameDiscoverCo, Steam remains the key platform for many indie games. Even projects with simultaneous Switch releases generate at least 60-65% of sales on Steam (Thank Goodness You’re Here!). And delayed Switch releases bring even less, around 10% of total Steam sales (Crow Country).
There’s a hypothesis that many indie game fans own both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, and simply buy the game wherever it launches first (and where it’s more convenient for them to play).
Genre Profile of Successful Games
Dominant genres among the top 50 games on Steam Deck: JRPG, Action-Adventure, Action RPG, platformers, and turn-based combat games.
Top 6 tags among the top 100 games: Singleplayer, Adventure, Action, RPG, JRPG, Story Rich.
Steam Deck Audience
According to GameDiscoverCo estimates, 5 to 7 million people bought the Steam Deck (for comparison: Switch 2 sold 5.82 million units in its first months). IDC estimated the install base at 4 million devices in February 2025.
Steam Deck users represent about 0.7% of total Steam users. However, the share of playtime on Steam Deck is higher - around 2.75% of total Steam playtime. This means the platform is primarily purchased by enthusiasts.
GameDiscoverCo believes it’s not worth targeting the Steam Deck specifically yet. But if you’re planning a release on Nintendo Switch 1/2, or resources allow, it can bring additional sales.