RimWorld

Disco Elysium, and old AAA games like Tomb Raider Legend or Sleeping Dogs

Tetris any version even tetris 2

• Try one of these three if you want huge replayability and / bang for your buck:

Hades (Amazing production value; the score alone is worth playing through the game, and the combat is fantastic)

Slay the Spire (Still probably the best ‘deck-builder’ rogulike game despite dozens of game inspired by it since)

Darkest Dungeon (brutal but satisfying turn based dungeon crawler + town builder rpg with a Lovecraftian vibe. It nails tone and ‘vibes’ incredibly well)

• Looking for Action-Adventure ?

Marvel’s Spider-Man, and / or Miles Morales (they run surprisingly well on the Deck, are a lot of fun, and have genuinely well written versions of the characters for the most part)

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (it can be a bit frustrating at times due to a lot of backtracking and a crappy map UI, but it’s a blast in many ways)

Red Dead Redemption 2 (runs pretty well in the Deck. I’m not as super enamored of it as most people are, but it is a great achievement in creating an immersive world, and there’s a lot of content)

• Massive RPGs?

The Witcher 3 (the intro chapter / area - White Orchard - makes the game seem mediocre to many people. Keep going. It’s incredible once you get past that. Some of the writing, especially in particular ‘side quests’, is genuinely great and far better than most other games. Also, the two expansions are truly among the best DKC ever made for a game)

Baldurs’s Gate 3 (there’s a reason it’s winning lots of Game of the Year awards, Best Writing awards, etc. It’s just phenomenal in many ways. It doesn’t run great on the Deck, and in the Third Act, runs rather poorly. However, the combat is turn based, so it’s still quite playable).

Grim Dawn (this is my pick for 'hidden gem’s. Overall, it’s the best ‘Diablo-like’ action-rpg since the original Diablo 2. It’s made by the devs who made Titan Quest back in the day. It has a huge amount of content, and they’ve supported it with dozens of substantial free updates for years, including a major overhaul just last week. There’s also two good full paid expansions with a third due next year. Unlike most modern Diablo style games, it can be played completely offline, though it still has up to 4 player online co-op available)

Elder Ring (‘Souls’ games always end up frustrating me more than they entertain me, but I can appreciate what they do, and get why people love them, and Elden Ring is the most accessible of the FromSoft Souls-like games yet, at least in some ways. Also, it’s huge HUGE)

• Shooters?

Doom or Doom Eternal (the modern Doom games are both fantastic for just pure demon-slaughtering fun. I prefer the first one, but they both run well and are worth getting)

Titanfall 2 (one of the best, if not THE best first person shooter single player campaigns ever. It’s usually very cheap and runs well on the Deck. Get it.)

Borderlands 2, 3, or Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (these are actually Looter Shooters, and sorta kinda ‘rpgs’. Most people recommend getting Borderlands 3 over 2 because the actually shooting is more fluid and overall the gameplay just feels better. That’s true. However, there’s a tradeoff. Borderlands 3 has an absolutely atrocious plot and some of the worst villains around.

Personally, I had far more fun with it’s sorta-sequel, Tina Tina’s Wonderlands. It’s conceit if being a ‘game within a game’ allows it to have the better gunplay of B3, plus add magic and such for some fun combos. In any case, if you want the best value, try finding a complete edition of Borderlands 2 with all its DLC on sale.

• Platformers?

Hollow Knight (a beautifully crafted, rather difficult stylish adventure. I suck at it, but I admire what the devs created)

Ori and the Blind Forest (or its sequel. A truly gorgeous game, with an ambience that permeates every aspect of it’s design)

Super Meat Boy (pain. Pure, simple, pain. Yet, somehow also exhilaration. It demands near perfection, but the surge of satisfaction when you clear a level is oh so magnificent)