In my experience, action games on a small handheld are inferior to playing on a desktop or big screen with controller. The Steam Deck is heavy and gives you far less dexterity than when playing with a console controller, and the extra energy spent holding the device detracts from ease of playing high action games as well.
So I’ve mostly given up on playing fast-paced and action games like Doom or Hades on Steam Deck, preferring to play those on my Desktop or from the couch with a console controller. Instead I’ve found turn-based and slower paced games like Darkest Dungeon and Stardew Valley to be much more conducive to the Deck.
Here’s some of my recommendations, but I’m very much looking for others, so please let me know your list:
- Darkest Dungeon
- Graveyard Keeper
- Stardew Valley
- Coromon
- Monster Train
- Pillars of Eternity
- Disco Elysium
- Into the Breach
Tactics Ogre Reborn. Managed to be fast and chill paced at the same time. (If trying it, avoid the newbie trap of playing it as an RPG. Assume it’s like Into The Breach. Hit on weaknesses, use your debuffs, and it’s a friggin blast. A 500 hour+ blast. That’s a lot of blast. With a really well written adaptive story. )