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The Steam Deck is the newest gaming craze on the market that people are talking about around the world. The Steam Deck library has thousands of titles, many of which are open-world games that can provide hours and hours of entertainment on their own or even as supplemental activities to other games you might be playing simultaneously.
Open-world games are among the best in the industry, but they require significant time to play. Games like Forza Horizon 3, The Witcher 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild easily take 100 hours to complete.
If you’re new to open-world gaming, figuring out which ones are worth your time can be difficult without having someone point out the best ones. For that reason, we’ve gone through our catalog and compiled a list of some of the best open-world games available on Steam Deck today.
Let’s get into it!
What are Open-World Games?
Open-world games are expansive games that allow players to explore and interact with environments, cities, and people in a large virtual space. The player is given complete freedom to move around the map and choose how they want to play. Gamers can choose to go straight for the main story or explore the world and make their own story.
Open-world games tend to have many different elements, such as quests, freedom of exploration, character customization, upgrading abilities, and many other features. The following is a list of some of the best open-world games currently available on Steam Deck.
#10. Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
Horizon Zero Dawn is an exhilarating adventure with captivating storytelling and a stunning world to explore. Caught in a war between primitive machines and advanced human society, Aloy must explore this beautiful but dangerous land alone, understanding her role as the catalyst to decide which future prevails.
There are items to find, quests to complete, and enemies to take down. The storyline is interesting and engaging, and the gameplay is fun. The graphics are beautiful, so you won’t have any problems with the game’s visual design.
The game features incredible hand-crafted environments with breathtaking vistas and dynamic weather effects. You can use stealth or more aggressive tactics to fight your enemies and are free to explore the world and choose what you do and don’t want to do. The gameplay will keep you busy for hours as you explore the game world and complete your objectives.
#9. Death Stranding Director’s Cut
The game was developed by Hideo Kojima, who is known for making games with rich, sprawling worlds. In Death Stranding, you play as Sam Bridges, a porter tasked with supplying cargo to isolated cities. It’s an open-world game, but there is a lot more to do than move around. There are also many different types of interactions with the environment and characters.
The game world has been designed to feel like it exists in real-time, but it will sometimes slow down or speed up depending on how the player moves around.
In this new expansion, you will explore an expanded area and use additional weapons and vehicles. You will also take on new enemy types and explore new locations, such as the firing range and racetrack. The game features missions which can be played alone or cooperatively with other players from around the globe. There are also bonus missions and minigames included in this expansion.
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#8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best open-world games on Steam. It has a vast map to explore, tons of side quests and combat options, and an online multiplayer mode that allows you to team up with other players or go against them in real-time.
The game is set in a fantasy world where Geralt of Rivia (the player) must find his kidnapped daughter as he travels through the land of Velen and Novigrad. The game also features a huge map with some really interesting areas. This is a perfect game for those who enjoy open-world games with an immersive storyline.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers many different quests and activities available at any time while exploring your surroundings. Some can be completed in just a few minutes, while others take up to two hours. As you progress through the story missions, you gain new abilities, improve old ones and face new threats. You can also explore by sailing off into uncharted waters or hunting down monsters in caves and abandoned ruins. With great graphics and sounds, this game will keep you entertained for hours.
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#7. Valheim
Valheim is an open-world RPG that follows a group of warriors fighting to save the world from evil. In Valheim, you play as one of these warriors and can customize your character with different weapons and skills.
This open-world game uses unique low-resolution stylized 3D graphics with a warfare system inspired by action games. Players can team up with up to ten others and play in either cooperative or PvP modes, both of which feature their unique gameplay mechanics.
The game features a dynamic day/night cycle, so you can either play during the day to get more experience points or at night when it’s easier to collect materials from defeated enemies. There are also plenty of exploration opportunities in Valheim: you can explore multiple towns and dungeons in addition to the story missions. You can also use magic abilities to defeat enemies or solve puzzles if needed.
#6. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great open-world game for the Steam Deck. It is a fan-favorite LEGO video game series that lets you play as the characters from all nine Star Wars films. It’s a great way to enjoy your favorite franchise in an interactive format, and it’s got some great new features this time around.
This decent-looking game has a lot of different missions to complete, and it’s got plenty of content to keep you busy for a long time. There’s a lot of variety here, and you can choose which missions you want to take on based on your preferences. The game features 380 playable characters. Every episode comprises five main story missions, totaling 45 levels, unlike six in previous games.
The graphics are good — the characters and the environments look nice too. The controls are easy to use and intuitive, so you don’t have to struggle too much while playing this game. There are also no lag or frame rate issues when playing this game; everything runs smoothly without any problems.
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#5. Terraria
There are a number of open-world games available on the Steam Deck, and Terraria is one of the best. In Terraria, you explore and carve out your own adventure in an ever-changing environment filled with danger and discovery.
There are hundreds of different items to find as you build up your character, including weapons that range from swords to guns. Explore randomly generated worlds or create your own as you travel between daytime and nighttime, all while working with other online players.
The game has been praised for its creative crafting system, allowing players to create complex items from simple materials. In addition to allowing players to build their structures, the game also features NPCs that provide quests and other services. It is also noted for its online multiplayer functionality, where players can cooperate with each other.
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#4. Outer Wilds
The Outer Wilds is a new open-world exploration game that can be played in any order. It’s a story about making choices and how they affect the world around you.
Explore a vibrant and varied landscape, meet interesting characters, overcome challenges, and uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization. Uncovering its history can lead to one of many possible endings — which might contain anything from your destruction to safeguarding life on earth as we know it.
The game features a procedurally generated universe that changes with every new playthrough. The player can explore these different planets and get lost in this sci-fi adventure. It also features some of the best graphics and some really interesting gameplay mechanics. This makes it a unique experience that should not be missed if you’re looking for something new on Steam.
The game has an impressive art style that makes it look like you’re playing in a cartoon version of the real world. There’s no combat or fighting in this game; instead, you’ll need to rely on your wits and agility if you want to survive.
#3. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an open-world action-adventure game set in Yokohoma, a district of Isezaki Ijincho. It is the first game in the Yakuza series to be set out of Tokyo. The main protagonist also changes from Kazuma Kiryu and instead focuses on Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking member of the Arakwa family.
The game is filled with side missions that allow you to earn money, increase your stats, or even unlock new clothes for Kasuga. There are also minigames that range from golfing to fighting against other characters within the game world.
You’ll have to navigate various districts and take down rival gangs to gain power and wealth. You can also hire allies and build relationships with them so they can help you out during missions. The game features an open-world map where you can explore and fight in combat sequences.
It has been praised by critics for its unique setting and style of gameplay. This is one of the best open-world games available on Steam at this time and is sure to please any gamer looking for an immersive experience.
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#2. Elden Ring
Elden Ring is an upcoming open-world RPG from Bandai Namco. It is a fantasy game that lets you explore an open world filled with lush forests, icy mountains, and otherworldly creatures.
The game features both single-player and co-op gameplay, so you can play it solo or with your friends. The game will let you create your character and customize its appearance before beginning your journey through the lands. You can also choose from different skills and abilities that make each playthrough unique.
The world is absolutely stunning — you can walk through grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, and foreboding castles (and more). You’ll be able to fully immerse yourself in this gorgeous environment because there are plenty of things to do in this game: explore dungeons or castles, hunt for treasure, level up your character, and even call upon allies for aid during battle. There are many options at your disposal as you decide how to approach exploration and combat.
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#1. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is the latest open-world game to hit Steam. It’s a re-release of the original Marvel Spider-Man game, which was released in 2018. The new version includes all the DLC that was released for the original, as well as some new gameplay elements.
The main storyline involves Peter Parker trying to solve a mystery that involves several villains from the Marvel universe. As you play through the game, you’ll unlock more characters and abilities to complete these missions. The game features an open-world environment with various missions to complete. You can also upgrade your skills to improve your fighting abilities and unlock new outfits for Peter Parker, which can be bought using in-game currency.
The game includes plenty of collectibles and secrets if you want to explore every corner of New York City and get your hands on every collectible item available.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to get lost in an open-world game. The beauty of these games is that you’re free to do as you please, but it can be daunting if you don’t know where to start.
If you’re looking for something new, we recommend picking up Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. It has a riveting story and challenges players with tough combat sequences that will keep them on their toes. Once you have completed the main quests, plenty of side quests can last many more hours. Take your time exploring every corner of this beautiful world because plenty more secrets are waiting to be discovered.
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