Indie games on Steam Deck
Not every indie game plays equally well on the Steam Deck. Valve's official Verified and Playable ratings are a good starting point, but they don't tell you how smooth the framerate actually is, how long your battery lasts, or whether the community has found workarounds for known issues.
This page combines Valve's official compatibility data with thousands of real player reports from ProtonDB to give you an honest, up-to-date verdict on every indie game — so you know exactly what you're getting before you buy or install.
Best Indie games on Steam Deck
These are the indie games that run best on the Steam Deck right now, ranked by their overall playability verdict. A "Runs great" verdict means the game is Verified or Playable by Valve and the ProtonDB community consistently rates it Gold or Platinum — no major issues, no workarounds needed.
Games rated "Playable" run but may need minor tweaks like adjusting graphics settings or using a specific Proton version. Either way, every title in this list has been confirmed working by real Steam Deck players.

Vampire Survivors
Runs great
Cult of the Lamb
Runs great
Balatro
Runs great
Hades
Runs great
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Runs great
Slay the Spire 2
Runs great
Stardew Valley
Runs great
Stray
Runs great
Brotato
Runs great
Hollow Knight
Runs great
Dead Cells
Runs great
Slay the Spire
Runs great
HoloCure - Save the Fans!
Runs great
Black Mesa
Runs great
Rocket League®
Runs great
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Runs great
Celeste
Runs great
Palworld
Runs great
A Hat in Time
Runs great
CrossCode
Runs great
Pizza Tower
Runs great
Risk of Rain 2
Runs great
BALL x PIT
Runs great
Satisfactory
Runs great
Most played Indie games on Steam Deck
Popularity on the Steam Deck isn't always the same as the best overall experience — but it's a strong signal. These indie games have the highest number of community compatibility reports, which means a large and active player base has tested them thoroughly on the Deck.
High report counts also mean more shared fixes, more up-to-date settings guides, and a better chance that any issues you run into have already been solved by the community on ProtonDB or Reddit.

Fall Guys
Playable
Vampire Survivors
Runs great
Cult of the Lamb
Runs great
Balatro
Runs great
Hades
Runs great
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Runs great
Slay the Spire 2
Runs great
Stardew Valley
Runs great
Stray
Runs great
Brotato
Runs great
Hollow Knight
Runs great
Dead Cells
Runs great
Slay the Spire
Runs great
HoloCure - Save the Fans!
Runs great
Black Mesa
Runs great
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Runs great
Rocket League®
Runs great
Celeste
Runs great
Palworld
Runs great
CrossCode
Runs great
A Hat in Time
Runs great
Pizza Tower
Runs great
Risk of Rain 2
Runs great
BALL x PIT
Runs great