The Steam Deck is a portable all-in-one computer created by Valve, designed for gaming. Equipped with a built-in Steam system, it enables user-friendly operation and comfortable gaming wherever you are.
Picture this – the lights are dimmed, the household is asleep, and you’re sitting under your favourite blanket in bed, starting up a terrifying horror. Sounds like a perfect evening, right? However, this horror doesn’t have to be just another forgettable film, but a game you’ll never get out of your head. Steam Deck is perfect for this scenario!
Today, we’ve prepared a list of the best horror games on Steam Deck that are not only compatible with this portable device, but will also guarantee you a remarkable gaming experience.
Why the Steam Deck is Ideal for Horror Games
Have you always enjoyed playing games on handheld consoles, but many of your favourite titles weren’t available on devices like the PSP, PS Vita, or Switch? Now, almost the entire Steam library is at your fingertips!
The Steam Deck excels at playing horror games. Its portable design allows you to continue your gameplay wherever and whenever you want while being fully immersed in the game. Another advantage is that this device offers quite substantial graphics and performance capabilities, allowing you to play even the newest titles on it.
Saving your game progress on your Steam account enables smooth continuation of the gameplay on your PC, and vice versa. Moreover, unlike other handheld devices, the Steam Deck is a computer, so… you can play games with mods!
Resident Evil Village (RE8):
| Release date: | 2021-05-07 |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Developer: | Capcom Development Division 1 |
The eighth instalment of the RE series. Although this game is available on several platforms, including the portable Switch, playing it on the Steam Deck offers a unique opportunity for gameplay with all the features offered by the PC, including mods!
In this title, we once again step into the shoes of Ethan Winters, known from RE7: Biohazard, who appears to be leading a peaceful life with his wife, Mia, and their baby daughter. One day, Mia gets murdered by Chris Redfield (known from the early games), and their baby get kidnapped. Ethan embarks on a journey to find the child and ends up in a mysterious, isolated village.
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Alan Wake
| Release date: | 2012-02-16 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Remedy Entertainment |
This game was initially one of the most recognizable and powerful exclusives for the Xbox 360, and it made its way to the PC two years later. Before the era of the Steam Deck, this game was never available on any handheld device, which makes this portable computer an exceptional platform for gameplay!
In the game, we play as the eponymous character, Alan Wake – an acclaimed thriller and horror writer who suddenly finds himself struggling with writer’s block. Together with his wife, Alan decides to take a break in a quaint town to relax and find inspiration. However, the picturesque resort quickly transforms into a nightmarish place, seemingly born from the author’s imagination.
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Phasmophobia
| Release date: | 2020-09-18 |
| Genre: | Co-op, Horror |
| Developer: | Kinetic Games |
This is a rather unconventional game, designed for cooperative play and virtual reality. However, neither a VR headset nor a full team is required to play this title. Its major strength is the open cross-platform gameplay, enabling players from different platforms to engage in the game together.
In this title, you assume the role of one of the four members of a research team tasked with conducting paranormal investigations and tracking down ghosts in various haunted places, such as an abandoned school, hospital, or prison. Interestingly, the game uses voice recognition, allowing players to communicate with ghosts using their own voices!
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Amnesia: Rebirth
| Release date: | 2020-10-20 |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Developer: | Frictional Games |
The third instalment of the outstanding first-person survival horror series, Amnesia. As in the previous titles, your character is almost defenseless, and your best chance of survival in encounters with nightmarish creatures is to run and hide. The game is filled with logical puzzles and delights in its dark atmosphere.
In this game, you step into the shoes of a woman named Tasi Trianon, who awakens in the middle of the Algerian desert with a gap in her memory. She embarks on a journey into the desert to uncover her past, understand why she is in such a strange place, and find out who she is. Along the way, she must confront her weaknesses and the lurking creatures in the dark.
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Observer
| Release date: | 2020-08-28 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Bloober Team |
This intriguing game combines elements of adventure, thriller, psychological horror, and detective games, set in a cyberpunk world – in Krakow, in the year 2084. Its gripping storyline, interspersed with nightmarish sections, is quite impressive!
In this game, you step into the shoes of a neural detective, known as an Observer, named Daniel Lazarski, who works for a police unit funded by the Chiron Corporation. When Daniel receives a letter from his long-missing son, he launches an investigation. Clues lead him to the slums of Krakow, filled with dangerous individuals cast aside by society. To push the investigation forward, he must enter the minds of those people… minds filled with nightmares.
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Outlast 1&2
| Release date: | 2013-09-04 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Red Barrels |
Both of these games are chilling survival horrors in which nearly defenseless journalists face true nightmares. It’s interesting to note that the first game was inspired by real events, making it even scarier!
In the first game, you assume the role of a reporter who breaks into an abandoned psychiatric hospital due to rumours of dangerous experiments taking place there. Upon arrival, he discovers a truth even more horrifying than the rumours.
The second game tells the story of a journalist who, with his wife, follows the trail of a mysterious murder or suicide of an unidentified woman. The couple becomes separated in a helicopter crash, and the location where their helicopter crashes turns out to be a hideout for apocalyptic cultists.
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Soma
| Release date: | 2015-09-21 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Frictional Games |
Another horror game by Frictional Games on our list, following Amnesia. Throughout the entire game, a claustrophobic tension and a sense of being hunted is maintained. It’s perfect for playing at night with the lights off!
In this game, you assume the role of Simon Jarrett, who ends up at the PATHOS-II, an underwater research facility. He quickly realizes that the artificial intelligence running the facility has gone haywire and killed all the staff. Simon must uncover the secrets of this place and escape from the underwater trap.
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The Evil Within 1&2
| Release date: | 2014-10-14 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Tango Gameworks |
Known as some of the darkest survival horrors, The Evil Within games continue to be highly regarded by players nearly a decade after their release. Interestingly, they are the works of the creator who defined the survival horror genre with Resident Evil – Shinji Mikami.
In both games, you assume the role of Detective Sebastian Castellanos. In the first game, the man sets off to a creepy town with two partners to investigate evidence of a crime that took place at a psychiatric hospital. However, it becomes clear that Sebastian will have to confront supernatural forces.
In the second game, broken by the fire that took his wife and daughter, Castellanos discovers that his child did not share the same fate as her mother. Instead, she was kidnapped to become a part of an idyllic, alternative reality. Much like Harry from Silent Hill, Sebastian leaves everything behind to find his daughter.
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Visage
| Release date: | 2018-10-02 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | SadSquare Studio |
A terrifying psychological horror game with a non-linear storyline influenced by choices and decisions you make. Interestingly, many events in the game are generated randomly, providing a unique experience for every player with each playthrough.
In this game, you step into the shoes of Dwayne Anderson, who, after murdering his family, awakens in an empty room, having heard a voicemail from a neighbour who mentions not seeing him for weeks. When Dwayne tries to leave the house, he discovers that all the doors are locked. While trying to find a way out, he navigates through the experiences of the people who once lived in his house and died tragically.
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Dead Space
| Release date: | 2023-01-27 |
| Genre: | |
| Developer: | Motive Studios |
At the end of our list, we certainly can’t forget the classic, inspired by sci-fi horror movies like Alien. It’s a very atmospheric game that you must play on Steam Deck if you haven’t had the chance on the PS3 or X360 in the past.
In this game, you take on the role of engineer Isaac Clarke, who responds to an S.O.S signal from a nearby mining ship. When he arrives, he finds that the ship’s crew has been slaughtered and partially transformed into horrifying zombie-like mutants, attacked by mysterious space parasites. Isaac must uncover what led to the massacre and escape from the infected ship as quickly as possible.
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Conclusion
The Steam Deck is a gaming portable computer that offers enormous entertainment opportunities anywhere and anytime. Thanks to it, you can immerse yourself in captivating gameplay on the go or relax comfortably on your couch. Is there a better way to spend a long autumn evening than under your favourite blanket, playing an engaging and thrilling game?