Ontes's 10 Underrated Gems that plays amazing on Deck! - March 2026

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

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Visual novels usually follow the same formula of prioritizing story and choices over gameplay mechanics. The Ace Attorney series adds an extra layer to that structure. It blends a masterful detective experience with genuinely challenging puzzles, humor-filled moments and engaging courtroom drama. Originally designed for the Nintendo 3DS, it naturally feels right at home on the Steam Deck. The pacing, controls, and presentation translate perfectly for handhelds.

CRISIS CORE: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

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A great and very well-optimized remaster of a massive PSP classic. Reunion brings impressively upgraded visuals along with meaningful quality-of-life improvements to this beloved prequel. It blends a strong emotional story with fun, fast-paced combat, goofy moments, and an incredible soundtrack. It’s also one of the most optimized titles I’ve tested on the Deck,delivering a consistent 60 FPS on the highest settings while still looking gorgeous. Since it was originally built for handheld play, it feels especially natural and fluid on the Steam Deck.

Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition

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Titan Quest was a hugely popular ARPG back in the day. While it’s not in the spotlight as much anymore, the Anniversary Edition gives it a second life. The recent updates introduced smooth and fully functional controller support, which works like a charm on the Steam Deck. If you’ve ever wanted a Diablo II experience set in Greek mythology, grinding loot, turning your brain off, and tearing down hordes of enemies you really can’t go wrong with Titan Quest. It was also recently released on mobile platforms, which makes it feel surprisingly natural and at home on the handhelds as well.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is easily one of the most underrated RPGs of all time. It combines Bethesda-style RPG depth with extremely fluid hack&slash combat, all set in a gorgeous, stylized open world bursting with color. The remastered version, Re-Reckoning, adds tons of new content, builds and smooths out many of the rough edges the original had. Thanks to its vibrant, toon-inspired art style, the visuals hold up beautifully and look great no matter where you play it, especially on the Deck

Palia

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If you enjoy life-sim games, you’ve probably heard of Palia, a gorgeous social MMO that continues to receive regular updates. Often described as a love letter to Stardew Valley fans, it blends cozy MMO elements with a diverse cast of NPCs to befriend or romance. Its peaceful and smooth gameplay loop ensures that almost everything you do contributes to your overall progression, without ever feeling overwhelming or stressful. Since it was originally released on the Nintendo Switch, it’s very well optimized and feels right at home on the Steam Deck.

Alice: Madness Returns

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One of my personal favorites, Madness Returns is a direct sequel to the long-forgotten cult classic American McGee’s Alice. It blends fun, responsive combat with classic N64-style platforming to keep things constantly engaging. Where the game truly shines is in its striking art direction and dark humor. The story follows Alice (inspired by Alice in Wonderland) in a twisted reimagining of the tale, exploring her slowly deteriorating mind through a haunting and imaginative version of Wonderland. Its visual identity is driven heavily by its unique art style, and since being a fairly dated title, it runs and plays perfectly on the Steam Deck.

SOMA

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SOMA is by far my favorite horror game of all time. It blends a survival horror style similar to Outlast and Amnesia with one of the best stories I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Beneath its sci-fi horror surface, SOMA delivers a haunting philosophical dive into consciousness, identity, and the terrifying implications of digital immortality. It’s less about jump scares and more about existential dread that lingers long after the credits roll. When I think of an underrated gem, SOMA is the first title that instantly comes to mind. It also runs at a solid 60 FPS and looks and plays beautifully on the Steam Deck.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered

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Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an amazing experience that blends classic JRPG structure with creature collecting mechanics and real-time combat, all wrapped in a breathtaking Studio Ghibli-inspired art style. It mixes emotional storytelling with charming world-building, light strategy, and a memorable soundtrack. It focuses on warmth, atmosphere, and that sense of childlike adventure rarely seen in modern RPGs. On the Steam Deck, its vibrant art direction shines, plays at solid 60 fps and It's overall a beautiful experience.

Ryse: Son of Rome

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Ryse was a technical and graphical showcase at launch, originally released as an Xbox One launch title. It highlighted the power and optimization of CryEngine in a way few games did at the time. Even today, its visuals still hold up surprisingly well against modern releases. Gameplay wise, it offers solid melee combat built around cinematic executions and plenty of QTE moments. But the real reason I’m recommending this gem is the experience itself, seeing such insane visuals running on a handheld like the Steam Deck feels genuinely impressive and fun.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

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Originally released as a sequel to the 1999 point-and-click classic The Longest Journey, Dreamfall follows a similar formula, blending two beautifully realized worlds: the sci-fi realm of Stark and the fantasy realm of Arcadia. Built upon the rich foundation of those two worlds, it delivers powerful storytelling, meaningful dialogue, and creative puzzles that reward patience and attention. It’s an emotional journey that every adventure game fan should experience at least once. As an old-but-gold title, performance on the Steam Deck is very solid. While there are minor control quirks, it remains a highly enjoyable experience overall. And if you really enjoy the game, I highly recommend continuing with the third entry in the series, Dreamfall Chapters.