This week’s Steam Deck compatible games countdown is a busy top 10 of new releases. I’ve ranked the ten most played games that launched in the last seven days and carry a Verified or Playable rating, from a piano trainer at number 10 up to Warhammer Survivors at number one.
If you read my Verified and Playable countdown from Monday, or the newly compatible list for November at the weekend, a couple of names here will look familiar. Those looked at games that had just been rated, including older titles. This one is only releases from the last seven days, ordered by how many people were playing in an 11 November snapshot.
How this week’s Steam Deck compatible games list works
Every game here launched in the past week and is already rated Verified or Playable on the handheld. I’ve ordered them by current players in that snapshot. The weekly stats and compatibility ratings come from the free GOS Companion app, which tracks player peaks along with Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Steam Frame status, and can alert you when a rating changes.
Before writing this up I checked every rating against Valve’s own compatibility data, and every player figure against SteamDB and Steam Charts on Thursday evening, 12 November. Player peaks move by the hour, so a few of the numbers below differ slightly from the snapshot the ranking was based on. Where I couldn’t confirm a figure, I’ve left it out rather than guess.
10. Piano Glow
TheAlanski’s Piano Glow turns piano practice into an online multiplayer game. You can play any song on a computer keyboard or a real piano, with leaderboards and training modes for ear, sheet reading and rhythm. Around 300 players were online in the snapshot, and it peaked at just over 400 on 8 November.
Deck and Machine are both rated Playable. Valve’s notes say the game sometimes shows non-Deck controller icons, you’ll sometimes have to bring up the on-screen keyboard yourself, and some text is small. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
9. Road Rash: 30th Anniversary Edition
Electronic Arts has brought Road Rash back for its 30th anniversary, in the first ever digital release of the combat racing classic. This edition adds a fully relicensed soundtrack, higher-resolution cinematics and gameplay at up to 60 frames per second. Nearly 400 players were online in the snapshot, and it peaked at around 650 on 7 November.
Deck and Machine are both Playable. Valve’s notes say you’ll sometimes have to bring up the on-screen keyboard yourself, and the game doesn’t support the handheld’s native resolution, which can mean a slightly softer picture. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
8. Dominus Gladiatus
Brain Seal and PlayWay’s Dominus Gladiatus is a brutal gladiator management sim. You recruit, train and equip your fighters, then make life or death decisions through a deadly tournament against rival houses. Over 400 players were online in the snapshot, and it peaked at just over 1,200 on launch day, 5 November.
This is one of three games in the list that are Verified on both the handheld and the living-room box, so it’s an easy pick on either device. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
7. County of Fortune
Nepos Games and Aquila Interactive’s County of Fortune is a medieval city builder on a much bigger scale, now in early access. You found villages across a whole county, weave trade along rivers and roads, and guide noble houses as the region grows. Nearly 500 players were online in the snapshot, with a peak of nearly 1,000 on 8 November.
Deck and Machine are both Playable. Valve’s notes say some functions need the touchscreen or a community controller layout, you’ll sometimes have to bring up the on-screen keyboard yourself, and some text is small. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
6. Wielders of the Essence
Lavapotion and Coffee Stain Publishing’s Wielders of the Essence mixes horde survival with a touch of incremental base building. You cast spells and command troops through eight-minute runs, then take your town from puddle to paradise. Over 800 players were online in the snapshot, and it peaked at around 2,000 on 7 November. It also appeared, lower down, in my November newly compatible list.
Deck and Machine are both Verified. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
5. Underkeep
Rake in Grass’s Underkeep is a fantasy dungeon crawler built around a party of adventurers. You explore a fully handcrafted world, upgrade your gear and plan your moves in tactical turn-based battles. It launched on 5 November and also appeared in Monday’s newly rated countdown. Nearly 1,500 players were online in this snapshot, with a 24-hour peak of around 1,900 and an all-time high of just over 2,900 on 8 November.
Deck and Machine are both Playable. Valve’s notes say some functions need the touchscreen or a community controller layout, you’ll sometimes have to bring up the on-screen keyboard yourself, and some text is small. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
4. Annihilated
Death Kumiai and Flashlight Games’ Annihilated is a story-driven roguelite RPG about a broken hero. Their party has been wiped out, and you carry one survivor out of a cursed dungeon to learn what broke them. There are four routes, four heroes and four reckonings. It peaked at just over 3,000 players on 11 November, with more than 2,000 still playing when the snapshot was taken.
Deck and Machine are both Playable. Valve’s notes say the game sometimes shows non-Deck controller icons, and some text is small. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
3. Booster Pack Heroes
zup and Funday Games’ Booster Pack Heroes is an incremental tower defense game built around ripping open card packs. Every pack could hold your next foil powerhouse as you defend the tower against an endless onslaught of monsters and fight through the realms. Around 6,000 players were online in the snapshot, matching a launch peak of just over 6,200 on 11 November.
The handheld is rated Playable and the Steam Machine is Verified. Valve’s Deck notes say some text is small. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
2. ZED ZONE
Leven Liu and INDIECN’s ZED ZONE starts with a crash landing in a quarantine zone overrun by zombies and monsters. You gather materials, upgrade your skills and build shelters, then fight off zombie hordes and mysterious mechs as you chase a glimmer of hope. It peaked at around 14,000 players on 10 November, and around 10,000 were still playing in the 11 November snapshot.
Deck and Machine are both Playable. Valve’s notes say some functions need the touchscreen or a community controller layout, you’ll sometimes have to bring up the on-screen keyboard yourself, and some text is small. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
1. Warhammer Survivors
Auroch Digital’s Warhammer Survivors is the official grim and dark bullet-heaven game from the developers of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. You play as over 40 iconic champions from Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar. The 11 November snapshot had around 13,500 players online and a peak of around 14,000. SteamDB now puts the all-time high at just under 16,500, also on 11 November, and it was still close to 14,000 when I checked this evening.
Deck and Machine are both Verified. I’ve written up how it holds an easy 60 FPS on the handheld. Steam Frame isn’t rated yet.
What stands out in this week’s Steam Deck compatible games
It’s a Playable-heavy list on the handheld, with three games Verified and seven Playable. The Steam Machine does a little better, with four Verified and six Playable, because Booster Pack Heroes gets the full Verified badge there. Steam Frame is the gap: none of the ten have been rated for the headset yet.
The top three sit in a different league for player counts. Warhammer Survivors, ZED ZONE and Booster Pack Heroes all launched mid-week and were still in the thousands when the snapshot was taken, while the rest of the list is a mix of smaller launches from earlier in the week. Every rating in the countdown matches Valve’s official data. A Playable rating always comes with notes on what needs a little extra effort, so check each game’s Steam page before you buy.
Wrapping up
That’s this week’s top 10 new compatible releases, from Piano Glow up to Warhammer Survivors. It’s a mixed list, with a piano trainer, a classic racer and a licensed bullet heaven at the top alongside a run of indies. I’ll be back next week with the next batch of new launches.
