With everything the Steam Deck is capable of, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for games that are able to be played in the palm of one's hands only previously seen on a home console. Accessing titles like Marvel's Spider-Man, Elden Ring, and more, this has hugely popularized the Steam Deck as it feels like it has next to no limits of what is possible on Valve's handheld device, but because of so many options available due to the vast offering of the Steam storefront, it's easy to forget some of the must-have titles that have a core focus on storytelling and narrative-focused gameplay.
Life Is Strange: True Colors
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The series Life Is Strange has made a name for itself with emotional, evocative, and captivating storytelling that tailors itself to player choices. Throughout the years it's become synonymous with great writing accompanied by incredible music, and all of these combine to create a wonderful experience with jaw-dropping moments frequently throughout.
True Colors took the series a different direction but kept the core foundation of Life Is Strange the same, following Alex Chen in a much more open area of Colorado that gave the player a bit of freedom while still remaining a focused narrative. With an easy pick-up-and-play style fit for the Steam Deck, it's a fantastic experience to get lost in whether at home or on the go.
UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection
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UNCHARTED has long been a beloved series since the PlayStation 3 and has consistently been a technical achievement with each entry of Naughty Dog's illustrious franchise, pushing what it means to have seamless cinematic gameplay and excellence in production value. While the Legacy of Thieves Collection doesn't come with the original trilogy, it does come with the series' most ambitious and cinematic: UNCHARTED 4: A Thief's End and UNCHARTED: Lost Legacy.
Though these games are on par with what some films label as an IMAX Experience, the Steam Deck is a powerhouse handheld that sacrifices very little to keep the experience on par with its original console release. Both UNCHARTED 4 and Lost Legacy lend themselves extremely well to the handheld experience, though this is expected as UNCHARTED also saw release on PlayStation Vita with Golden Abyss
Detroit: Become Human
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Quantic Dream comes from a long line of narrative-based games that have all been influential to some degree. With titles like Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls that popularized the genre, they've consistently pushed the boundaries of technology to bring some of the most profound and unique stories in gaming, with each of their games having the potential to make a great film.
Detroit: Become Human plays out in a fairly linear fashion, but has plenty of replay value to discover new routes, scenes, and outcomes that can change the course of the story at a moment's notice. Since it's so well-paced, it's a great experience for Steam Deck owners looking to play something as a cinematic or episodic before bed or to binge.
God of War
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Though God of War has always been based around epic narratives with hack-and-slash combat and puzzles, it wasn't until the soft reboot in 2018 that God of War had really become a force to be reckoned with as it contained excellent writing, captivating gameplay, and one of the most engrossing stories the medium had ever seen.
As the Game of the Year award winner at The Gamer Awards in 2018, God of War cemented itself as a must-play title for those looking for the next epic cinematic experience. This translation to the Steam Deck has also been a mighty one worthy of Kratos, as the game fits any setting for players to get immersed in.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
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The Dark Pictures Anthology by Supermassive Games has been a wildly successful series of games that have taken players through storybook scenarios all within horror and a cast of characters that can live or die at any moment. The games have all been known for their cinematic sequences and include a movie mode once completed, making it great for any movie night on the Steam Deck.
House of Ashes marked the third of the series following Man of Medan and Little Hope, soon to be succeeded by The Devil In Me, and saw a group of soldiers finding themselves underground only to realize that they're not alone. For fans of films like The Descent or As Above So Below, House of Ashes shines (and scares) on the Steam Deck's large screen, perfect with the lights off.
The Walking Dead: Telltale's Definitive Series
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The long-running series of The Walking Dead has seen many media adaptations since the TV show helped catapult Robert Kirkman's comic series into mainstream popularity, but no adaptation, spinoff, or side story set in the universe has ever met the excellence of storytelling that Telltale's take on The Walking Dead has had since its 2012 debut.
As one of the best episodic video games filled with shocking and emotional moments, the Steam Deck makes them perfect for short and long sessions. As a perk, Clementine's story in Telltale's Definitive Series compiles every season for the ultimate narrative adventure.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
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A Plague Tale: Innocence offered a vastly different experience to the traditional period piece historical format of storytelling in video games, omitting the guns and wars in favor of The Black Death in the mid-1300s. Following Amicia and her little brother Hugo, players must avoid a pandemic of rats as they survive and endure.
A Plague Tale: Innocence focuses heavily on stealth as players keep the rats at bay, and the time period gives plenty of beautiful architecture with such high visual fidelity that immersion is guaranteed. For the Steam Deck, A Plague Tale is a linear story easy to delve into no matter where one is, and Steam Deck's power means the game can be experienced as intended on or off the TV.
Tomb Raider (2013)
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It may feel a bit dated by today's standards graphically, but Tomb Raider was one of the best franchises that rebooted in 2013 and was followed by Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider as a reinvention of the iconic Lara Croft. Sitting at an Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, Tomb Raider (2013) was an important stepping stone in defining the future of both Lara Croft and adventure games as a whole.
With all sorts of crafting elements, epic set pieces, stunning environments, and more, Tomb Raider (2013) is a linear and focused adventure that gives some of the best performances video games have seen to date, and it's a worthy play for the Steam Deck when feeling nostalgic.
Journey
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Journey has been a timeless classic for many reasons, but the way it connects to the player emotionally in a short setting makes it a must-play for anyone with a Steam Deck that has yet to try it out. Its linear focus from beginning to end of the player going through a desert to help the character find their way home is a gripping tale of focus and determination.
Because Journey is so straightforward, it doesn't ask for much of the player, but Journey still remains one of the most unique indie games that feel like a AAA experience to this day and is fitting for almost any setting with the Steam Deck and those wanting a nice bite-sized experience.
Judgment
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SEGA's flagship Yakuza series has seen some incredibly deep storytelling that captivate players. In Judgment, the core foundation and mechanics of what made Yakuza beloved remain in the DNA of it, and the added detective aspect of the game makes it immediately engrossing as players go through the massive city of Kamurocho.
Kamurocho is an elaborate city filled with plenty to do and uncover, and with cutscenes that can sometimes last well into the 10-plus-minute mark for bigger sequences, it's a great experience when looking for a cinematic adventure that'll thrill alongside adrenaline-fueled fights.