BG3 tops annual list of Steam Deck's most played games, with 9 indie titles breaking into top 20 

Valve has published a list of the most played games on Steam Deck over the past 12 months. While it is full of evergreen hits, there are also a few relatively fresh titles that have managed to make it to the top.

As Valve explained in its post, the top 100 most played games on Steam Deck are ordered by the highest daily active player count between March 2023 and March 2024.

It is unclear how many users played each title on the hardware, but it is still a great indicator of their preferences.

Baldur’s Gate 3 unsurprisingly topped the list, given its impressive run on the store. Larian’s RPG first broke into the top 10 highest-grossing titles on Steam in July 2023, weeks before its global launch. Overall, it spent 28 consecutive weeks in the top 10 and still remains one of the top games on the platform by gross revenue.

BG3 is followed by Vampire Survivors and Dave the Diver, which are the perfect fits for a handheld form factor, as well as major AAA titles, Hogwarts Legacy and Elden Ring.

Interestingly, Palworld, launched in January 2024, not only made it into the top 100, but ranked 6th in daily player count. This is yet another testament to the global success of Pocketpair’s survival game. Other 2024 releases on the list include Balatro (#28), Helldivers II (#34), Persona 3 Reload (#50), Last Epoch (#92), and Granblue: Fantasy Relink (#97).

Top 20 most played games on Steam Deck over the past 12 months

1. Baldur’s Gate 3 — launched on August 3, 2023;
2. Vampire Survivors — launched on October 20, 2022;
3. Dave the Diver — launched on June 28, 2023;
4. Hogwarts Legacy — launched on February 10, 2023;
5. Elden Ring — launched on February 25, 2022;
6. Palworld — launched on January 19, 2024;
7. Cyberpunk 2077 — launched on December 10, 2020;
8. Grand Theft Auto V — launched on April 14, 2015;
9. Stardew Valley — launched on February 26, 2016;
10. Red Dead Redemption 2 — launched on December 5, 2019;
11. Hades — launched on September 17, 2020;
12. Brotato — launched on June 23, 2023;
13. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — launched on October 28, 2016;
14. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — launched on May 18, 2015;
15. Slay the Spire — launched on January 23, 2019;
16. Cult of the Lamb — launched on August 11, 2022;
17. Dead Cells — launched on August 7, 2018;
18. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth — launched on November 4, 2014;
19. Monster Hunter: World — launched on August 8, 2018;
20. Persona 5 Royal — launched on October 21, 2022.

Nine titles in the top 20 (almost half) are indie games: Vampire Survivors, Palworld, Stardew Valley, Hades, Brotato, Slay the Spire, Cult of the Lamb, Dead Cells, The Binding of Isaac.

Steam Deck is obviously a perfect hardware for smaller budget titles with high replayability, but its owners also prefer large hits, especially those older, universally acclaimed games like The Witcher 3, GTA V, and Skyrim.