Our Top Pick and How the Steam Summer Sale Supercharges Steam Deck
The Steam Summer Sale is a major annual discount event on thousands of PC games that includes many titles running especially well on the Steam Deck, making it one of the best times to expand a handheld-friendly library with genres like Metroidvania, roguelike, platformer, and shooters at reduced prices. Our clear top pick this sale is Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, discounted to USD 3.99 (approx. RM18). It wins for most people because it anchors a handheld library: it is a flagship modern Metroidvania game, deeply replayable, and available at an exceptional price-to-content ratio. From there, you can round out your collection with platformers and puzzle titles that complement short, portable play sessions. Pair this with GeForce NOW, which lets supported Steam games stream across PCs, Macs, handheld devices, phones, and TVs from powerful GeForce RTX servers in the cloud, so your new purchases follow you beyond the Deck.
Metroidvania Essentials: Start with Bloodstained, Then Explore Deeper Cuts
If you buy only one Metroidvania in the Steam Summer Sale for your Steam Deck, make it Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night at USD 3.99 (approx. RM18), which is 90% off and serves as the genre’s best all-rounder on a handheld. It gives you a sprawling map, tight combat, and long-term progression that feels perfect for portable sessions. Surround that core with experimental titles like 9 Years of Shadows at USD 7.99 (approx. RM36) with 60% off, and more atmospheric or precision-led picks according to your taste. These Metroidvania games are highlighted among general Steam Deck recommendations by genre, showing that this category is especially well suited to handheld play during the sale. When storage on your Deck feels tight, remember you can stream supported metroidvania games through GeForce NOW instead of installing locally, keeping progress synced across devices.
Steam Deck Platformers and Puzzlers: Fast Sessions, Big Discounts
Platformers and puzzle titles are ideal Steam Deck games: they load quickly, play well in short bursts, and still offer deep challenge. For platformers, start with A Hat in Time at USD 14.99 (approx. RM69) with 50% off; it anchors a broad collection of Steam Deck platformers and brings lively 3D worlds to the handheld format. On the puzzle side, Besiege at USD 1.49 (approx. RM7) and 90% off is a must-buy for its physics-based creativity at a tiny price. According to the sale recommendations, these genres sit alongside action, story-driven and RPG titles in a structured list of Steam Deck recommendations by genre, helping you zero in on handheld-friendly picks. If your Deck’s SSD is nearly full, the "add to cart, not to storage" approach from GeForce NOW lets you stream supported platformers and puzzlers without local installs, powered by GeForce RTX hardware in the cloud.
| Game | Genre | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Metroidvania | USD 3.99 (approx. RM18) |
| A Hat in Time | Platformer | USD 14.99 (approx. RM69) |
| Besiege | Puzzle | USD 1.49 (approx. RM7) |
Double the Deals: Combining Steam Sale Pricing with GeForce NOW
The smart way to approach the Steam Summer Sale is to think about both price and flexibility. The sale brings discounts across thousands of PC games, with many highlighted as excellent on the Steam Deck, while GeForce NOW membership discounts provide a second layer of savings and cloud access to supported titles. "From the Steam Summer Sale to GeForce NOW membership discounts, this week’s GFN Thursday delivers double the deals". Ultimate membership unlocks RTX 4080- and 5080-class performance in the cloud with up to 4K resolution and up to 120 fps, plus NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and Reflex for supported games. That means you can buy once in the Steam Summer Sale, play locally on the Deck when you want portability, and stream on bigger screens or weaker hardware later, without juggling installs or upgrading components. Check the "Sales & Special Offers" row in the GeForce NOW app to find games that match your Steam Deck picks for seamless cloud play.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night if you want one flagship Metroidvania that anchors your Steam Deck library at a very low sale price.
- Skip the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night if you dislike long-form exploration games and prefer only short arcade-style sessions on your Deck.
- Buy the A Hat in Time if you want a colorful 3D platformer that represents the best-value Steam Deck platformers during the sale.
- Skip the A Hat in Time if precision platforming or story-light experiences are more appealing than collectathon-style 3D adventures.
- Buy the Besiege if you want a cheap, creative puzzle game that is ideal for quick handheld sessions and experimentation with physics.
- Skip the Besiege if you are not interested in building or engineering-style puzzles and prefer narrative-driven titles on Steam Deck.
- Buy the Steam Deck plus GeForce NOW combo if you want Steam Summer Sale 2026 discounts with the option to stream supported games across devices later.
- Skip the Steam Deck plus GeForce NOW combo if you only play on a single PC and do not need cloud streaming or portable play.
