Many gamers were surprised when Valve announced the new OLED Steam Deck. Especially since the company had stated in the past that it wouldn’t be releasing a Steam Deck 2 anytime soon. While the new Steam Deck OLED isn’t a successor to the original console, that new screen certainly makes it feel like a Steam Deck 1.5.
So, what are some of the best games to take advantage of that fancy new OLED display? Here are some of our top picks.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
Dragon Quest XI S is already one of the better games to play on the Steam Deck, and the exquisite art style lends itself perfectly to an OLED display. Full of vibrant colors and a beautiful world, Dragon Quest XI S really pops on the right screen.
The game is officially listed as “Playable” on the Steam page, but we can confirm that it runs very well on the Steam Deck with smooth frame rates. There’s also a generous ten hour demo available on Steam, so you can give the game a go before committing to buying it. Be careful, though. Once you get started, you might not be able to stop.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remasted/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Mile’s Morales
A double entry because there’s a lot of overlap between the two games. You can’t really go wrong with whichever Spider-Man game you choose. We’d recommend playing in release order if you’re new to the franchise though. That’s Spider-Man first and then Spider-Man: Miles Morales second.
The standout for both games on an OLED display is swinging your way around New York City. Sure, there are some great cinematic moments in each game, but there’s nothing quite like being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man stopping crimes and helping folks out. Especially on an OLED screen.
Both games also run surprisingly well on the Steam Deck, which is an impressive feat considering they’re some of the biggest titles from the PS4 era. Valve confirms this by listing the games as “Verified” for the Steam Deck, which is the highest level of compatibility.
Hi-Fi Rush
Another game with a charming art style, Hi-Fi Rush, is packed to the brim with color. A stylistic action rhythm game, Hi-Fi Rush is a cross between playing a comic book, music video, and game all in one. That makes it perfect for an OLED screen, and it lends itself well to handheld gaming as it can be played in short chunks.
Moreover, Hi-Fi Rush is a very light game hardware-wise, at least by 2023 standards anyway. The minimum requirements are a Ryzen 3 1200 and RX 560, both of which are very long in the tooth. That means it runs super smooth on the Steam Deck, as well as being Steam Deck “Verified.”
The low specs combined with the beefier battery in the Steam Deck OLED should mean it’s one of the longer-lasting games on the system, too.
Cyberpunk 2077
Battery life? Who needs long battery life when you can be cruising your way through Night City in Cyberpunk 2077? The dark, seedy city is a superb experience on an OLED screen, for exactly the opposite reason to many of the games on this list.
OLED displays are great at showing colors that pop, but they’re also known for deep blacks that are impossible to match on LCD panels. That makes Cyberpunk 2077 one of the best games to show off the dark side of what the OLED Steam Deck can do. The shadows, alleys, and neon lights of Night City will really put the OLED display to work.
Although Cyberpunk 2077 is known for being one of the most graphically intensive games on PC, it’s “Verified” for the Steam Deck. Developer CD Projekt Red provides a specific Steam Deck graphics profile in the game’s settings, so you’re good to go on the first boot.
Baldur’s Gate 3
If you’re looking for just one game to show off on your OLED Steam Deck, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a top contender. It’s Steam Deck “Verified” and one of the most well-received games of 2023.
What makes it a good all-rounder for the Steam Deck’s OLED display is its sheer breadth of areas. There are vibrant towns, villages, and nature, along with dark, dank castles, crypts, and dungeons. All of which will show off different aspects of the Steam Deck’s OLED display.
It’s a game that many players have spent hundreds of hours in, and during that time, you’re likely to see just about everything the OLED panel on the new Steam Deck can do.
