The Steam Deck is a great device for anyone that wants to take their favorite PC games with them on the go. With so many games that one can accumulate in their Steam library, it can be a great perk to have access on a portable device capable of playing them. Anyone that plays games regularly on Steam knows how many great horror games are released for the platform. Outside the popular horror titles that many people talk about, the genre is home to an incredible number of games that will provide scares, even though they’re not very well-known. Sometimes, you just want to have something scare the daylights out of you, even when you’re not at home gaming.
Luckily, the Steam Deck has plenty of horror games that are compatible and can be played wherever you are. But if you’re looking for something a little more obscure that will bring the frights, there are many options to explore for the device. Here are six underrated horror games for your Steam Deck that you should pick up now. Just remember to keep the lights on if you do.
6
Withering Rooms
The fear of the unknown
Source: Perp Games
Some of the best types of horror content come from the fear of the unknown. When you have no idea what’s lurking around or where you’re going, it can freak almost anyone out. Withering Rooms is a horror adventure game that has elements of procedurally generated content, with locations changing layout with each passing night in the game. You control a girl who was sent to a mental institution, specifically a Victorian mansion, and must survive each night within it as things are shifting around. Different kinds of monsters lurk in every area, forcing you to hide from danger as they approach. Fighting monsters can be helpful, but not always the best solution. Taking advantage of passageways and discovering new rooms can help get around tougher enemies and uncover helpful secrets.
Besides fleeing from danger, various spells can be cast and traps set against the monsters that roam the grounds. These can help destroy enemies or hinder them long enough for you to get away. At the same time, some spells can help preserve items from disappearing each night as the grounds change their design. The overall presentation of Withering Rooms is pretty creepy, with some interesting creature designs for enemies. The game is currently out now on Steam and is Steam Deck compatible, but also has versions available for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
5
Soma
Lost years can be scary
Source: Frictional Games
Soma is a survival horror game that was initially released in 2015. The game plays from a first-person perspective, with a number of psychological horror elements to set the atmosphere. A lot of the experience is focused on a strong narrative, giving extra detail to characters and setting up an interesting world. Similarly to other titles in the genre, Soma has players solving puzzles and using stealth tactics to get around monstrous enemies as they explore creepy environments. The story follows a man who suffers brain damage from a car accident, leading him to seek experimental treatment. But during the procedure, he blacks out and finds himself in an underwater facility many years later. As he explores his new surroundings, he discovers horrifying details about what happened in the time he was out, which have earth-shattering implications.
Critics who reviewed Soma on its initial release gave it a lot of praise, but not many people have experienced the game. A lot of the best aspects of Soma to those who played it come from the unique designs of the monsters and the scenarios set up throughout the story. A few years after it came out, the game received an update that added a “Safe Mode” to the gameplay, which toned down the encounters and threat level of enemies you find. Soma is available on Steam for Steam Deck, but has also been released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
4
Outlast
Peering into the dark
A feeling of helplessness in the face of danger can be a very scary premise. A game like Outlast does this in a way that makes players feel like they’re truly vulnerable when encountering something frightening. The game was developed by Red Barrel studio and originally released in 2013 on Steam for PC. The story is about a freelance journalist named Miles Upshur who goes to investigate an insane asylum in a remote part of Lake County. There he finds a mixture of gruesome deaths of the staff, as well as groups of insane inmates that escaped their cells and are roaming around. The plot gets deep into a combination of conspiracy and survival horror that makes for a very tense and scary experience.
Gameplay in Outlast is done in first-person and seeing things through a camcorder that has night vision. The way the game uses lighting is very clever and sets up an amazingly scary tone throughout, especially in sections where keeping stealthy is the key to survival. Things can get very dark and requires using the camcorder often to see, which makes everything that much scarier. Staying undetected is very important, because if one of the inmates discovers you, then you’ll have to run like hell to avoid being caught. This can be tough when the game also uses audio cues and multiple jump scares to throw players off, leading to some terrifying moments.
3
The Convenience Store
Psychologically scary
Sometimes, a simple concept like a convenience store can become a fertile ground for potent horror. The Convenience Store is a Japanese horror game made by Chilla’s Art, which is about a young college girl who works at a local convenience store during the night shift. While doing her job, she notices strange happenings around the store, leading her to question whether it’s all in her head, or is something more sinister going on. The game plays very similar to other first-person games in the genre, with some puzzle solving and an overall dark tone.
Although the visuals might be hit or miss for some people, especially with character models, it’s the environment that does the heavy lifting to set a horror atmosphere. There are multiple endings to the story based on the actions of the player. This game also has many similarities to another game made by Chilla’s Art called The Closing Shift.
2
Amnesia: The Bunker
The horrors during war
Source: Frictional Games
The Amnesia series includes multiple games that are survival horror titles released across different platforms. Amnesia: The Bunker is the fourth installment that acts as both a sequel and a prequel to another game i nthe series, Amnesia: Rebirth. The story of the game follows a French soldier named Henri trapped inside a bunker with a monster during World War I. After an encounter with German forces while trying to rescue his friend held up in No Man’s Land, an artillery shot knocks Henri out, and he finds himself trapped within an abandoned bunker. He learns that a monster suddenly appeared in the bunker and has been terrorizing other soldiers who have found themselves trapped inside. Using his wit, Henri needs to find a way out without being caught by the monster, which leads him to discover a darker truth about the bunker that dates back to ancient times.
Amnesia: The Bunker plays like the other games in the series, with a first-person shooter perspective that will have players roaming tunnels and searching for resources. A big part of the gameplay is maintaining power for the lights to remain on, otherwise the monster will actively roam and hunt Henri as he explores. Other enemies can appear throughout, which can be brought down using various weapons that Henri can pick up. While there are elements of an open-world approach to exploration, most of the game is still linear enough from start to finish. Amnesia: The Bunker was released on Steam, but also has a version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One available.
1
Little Nightmares 2
A tiny terror
The original Little Nightmares game was a surprise hit for many people, with its unique art style and strong atmosphere that stood out to players. The sequel released in 2021, Little Nightmares 2, pushed many of the best aspects of the original even further to greater success. The game follows a young boy named Mono who wears a paper bag on his head. He encounters Six, the protagonist from the first game, and frees her from being held prisoner in a shack deep within the woods by a masked hunter with a shotgun. The two of them need to run and avoid being caught as they find themselves thrust into the Pale City, a dark location filled with old television sets. Both kids need to work together to survive the horrors of the Pale City and uncover the dark secrets it contains. The story is eventually revealed to be a prequel to the first Little Nightmares.
Much of the gameplay in Little Nightmares 2 is similar to its predecessor. Mono can grab items and interact with the environment to solve puzzles and get around obstacles. A lot of the horror and tense moments come from encounters with towering enemies that require stealth and timing to get by. The visuals are creepy and very stylized, often being compared to that of some Tim Burton films, which have a very similar stylized look. Evading the larger and more terrifying enemies are some of the best moments in Little Nightmares 2, which can be challenging. The game is getting a sequel, Little Nightmares 3, that is set to release for multiple platforms in October 2025.
Nightmares to take with you
The Steam Deck is a great device that can bring your Steam library with you wherever you go. Much to everyone’s delight, many of the horror games that can be found on Steam are Steam Deck verified, so you can download and play them on the handheld anytime. If you’re in the mood for a scare and want to dive into something different, there are plenty of neat games to explore that will frighten and thrill you. Just don’t forget to keep the lights on when you play, because even on the Steam Deck, these games will scare you straight.