Best 2025 Video Games for handheld play suitability

#1 Mario Kart World Review
5.0

Handheld play suitability was excellent in the reviewed evidence, with docked and handheld play described as smooth and visually strong.

Pros: animation quality, sound design

Cons: difficulty balance, AI behavior

#2 Donkey Kong Bananza
5.0

Handheld suitability was positive, with one reviewer saying the game looks great both handheld and docked.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#3 Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
5.0

Steam Deck play was praised as an ideal way to experience the remakes, helped by performance and save support.

Pros: visual effects quality, environmental detail

Cons: AI behavior, level design

#5 The First Berserker: Khazan
5.0

Handheld suitability is praised where Steam Deck play is discussed.

Pros: core gameplay loop, controls responsiveness

Cons: mission design, learning curve

#6 Hollow Knight: Silksong
4.8

Handheld suitability has positive evidence from Steam Deck performance and battery life comments.

Pros: core gameplay loop, world interactivity

Cons: loot system, accessibility options

#7 Absolum
4.8

Handheld suitability was positive, especially for Steam Deck and Switch, despite small-text and co-op screen caveats.

Pros: mission design, world interactivity

Cons: quest design, endgame content

#8 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
4.7

Handheld play suitability was praised across Switch/TV, Steam Deck, and short-burst play impressions.

Pros: protagonist appeal, art direction

Cons: camera behavior, tutorial quality

#10 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
4.7

Handheld play suitability was positive in the reviews that tested handheld play, especially on Switch 2.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#11 Atomfall
4.5

Handheld play suitability had limited but positive evidence from Steam Deck testing.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#12 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
4.5

Handheld suitability was supported by one reviewer who described the game as scalable enough for handheld play.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#13 Kirby Air Riders
4.5

One reviewer enjoyed relaxed handheld play for completing goals and challenges.

Pros: flying mechanics, exploration quality

Cons: AI behavior, boss design

#14 Split Fiction
4.5

Handheld play suitability was praised for portable convenience despite technical tradeoffs.

Pros: puzzle design, level design

Cons: exploration quality, side character depth

#15 Hades II
4.4

Handheld play is mostly praised on Steam Deck and portable sessions, with one Switch portable readability caveat.

Pros: skill tree depth, dialogue quality

Cons: emotional impact, economy and resource balance

#16 South of Midnight
4.3

Handheld play suitability was praised through the Steam Deck discussion, where the game was described as a fine portable fit.

Pros: atmosphere, voice acting

Cons: world interactivity, camera behavior

#17 Digimon Story Time Stranger
4.3

Handheld play suitability was positive overall, with reviewers saying it played well on Steam Deck despite some drops.

Pros: atmosphere, world-building

Cons: HUD clarity, fast travel convenience

#18 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
4.2

Handheld play is viable but compromised, with Steam Deck running at low resolution while ROG handheld play was issue-free.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#19 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
4.0

Handheld play was mixed, from strong portable performance to one reviewer finding it less impressive on a smaller screen.

Pros: animation quality, multiplayer design

Cons: save system reliability, companion AI

#20 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
4.0

Handheld and docked play were generally viable, though Switch 1 presentation was less crisp and some preferred a full controller setup.

Pros: world-building, frame rate stability

Cons: companion AI, upgrade system

#21 Assassin's Creed Shadows
4.0

Handheld suitability is positive overall, with Steam Deck play described as enjoyable on the go despite performance limits.

Pros: environmental detail, cross-save support

Cons: writing quality, enemy variety

#22 The Alters
4.0

Handheld suitability had limited but positive evidence, with Steam Deck described as playable with decent image quality.

Pros: controls responsiveness, onboarding experience

Cons: crash stability, grind level

#23 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3.8

Handheld suitability was mixed but workable in one review, which reported Steam Deck performance around 30 to 40 FPS on low settings.

Pros: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

Cons: platforming precision, menu usability

#24 Civilization VII
3.5

Handheld suitability varied: Steam Deck was workable and valuable for some, while Switch play suffered from limits and performance issues.

Pros: animation quality, controls responsiveness

Cons: matchmaking quality, user interface design

#25 Avowed
3.5

Steam Deck suitability was considered playable and verified, but the visual tradeoff was significant.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#26 Lego Voyagers
3.2

Handheld play was acceptable on Steam Deck, but local co-op around a small screen was not the preferred setup.

Pros: writing quality, checkpoint system

Cons: menu usability, user interface design

#27 Cronos: The New Dawn
3.0

Switch 2 handheld suitability was cautioned against by one reviewer who said it was not the ideal way to experience the game.

Pros: core gameplay loop, emotional impact

Cons: checkpoint system, bug frequency

#28 Little Nightmares III
3.0

Handheld play suitability was mixed, with Switch 2 handheld play described as rougher due to blur and swallowed shadow detail.

Pros: load times, haptic feedback integration

Cons: save system reliability, aiming precision

#29 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
2.8

Handheld suitability was split, with one reviewer praising improved Steam Deck performance and another strongly discouraging Steam Deck play.

Pros: character roster, animation quality

Cons: core gameplay loop, polish

#30 Borderlands 4
2.3

Handheld play suitability is weak, with Steam Deck play criticized even though another handheld performed better.

Pros: sandbox freedom, art direction

Cons: polish, save system reliability

#31 Goodnight Universe
2.0

Handheld suitability had limited negative evidence, with one reviewer saying the eye-tracking design is not a great fit for Steam Deck or handheld PCs.

Pros: side character depth, visual effects quality

Cons: user interface design, handheld play suitability