The 6 Most Underrated Horror Games for Steam Deck

As dedicated curators of immersive gaming experiences, we at Magisk Modules recognize the unique potential of the Steam Deck to deliver portable terror. While AAA horror titles often dominate the spotlight, a wealth of lesser-known gems offer equally chilling, if not more innovative, experiences perfectly suited for on-the-go scares. This article delves into six of the most underrated horror games available on Steam that truly shine on the Steam Deck, transforming your commute, travel, or even quiet evening into a truly unsettling adventure. We’ve meticulously researched and curated these titles to ensure optimal performance and gripping horror gameplay on your handheld PC. The selected games below are based on the Magisk Module Repository database analysis that shows their popularity.

Dredge: Fishing for Nightmares on the Go

Forget sunny shores and leisurely angling. Dredge casts you as a fisherman in a Lovecraftian-tinged world, where the sea holds secrets best left undisturbed. By day, you trawl for fish, sell your catch, and upgrade your boat. By night, however, the true horror of the open ocean rises.

Why Dredge Works on Steam Deck:

• Visually Striking Art Style: Dredge’s stylized graphics are both beautiful and unsettling. The low-poly aesthetic translates perfectly to the Steam Deck’s screen, maintaining clarity and atmosphere.
• Engaging Gameplay Loop: The combination of fishing, exploration, and resource management creates a compelling gameplay loop that’s ideal for short bursts on the go or longer, more immersive sessions.
• Creeping Dread: The horror in Dredge isn’t about jump scares; it’s about the slow, creeping dread that builds as you uncover the island’s dark secrets and encounter increasingly bizarre and hostile creatures.
• Excellent Performance: Dredge runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck, even on higher graphical settings, ensuring a smooth and terrifying experience. Expect steady frame rates and minimal battery drain, making it perfect for extended play sessions away from a power outlet.
• Audio Design is Key: Headphones are a must when playing Dredge on the Steam Deck. The game’s sound design is phenomenal, using ambient noise, unsettling creature sounds, and a haunting soundtrack to amplify the feeling of dread and isolation. Pay close attention to the audio cues, as they often hint at nearby dangers.

Digging Deeper into Dredge’s Horror:

The brilliance of Dredge lies in its subtle storytelling and environmental horror. The game doesn’t explicitly tell you what’s going on; instead, it encourages you to piece together the mystery through exploration, dialogue, and the horrifying creatures you encounter. As you venture further from your starting island, the world becomes increasingly distorted and surreal. The fish you catch become more grotesque, the sky turns a sickly green, and the sounds of the sea become increasingly unsettling. This gradual descent into madness is what makes Dredge so effective.

Stories Untold: Text-Based Terror Reimagined for Handhelds

Stories Untold is an anthology of four interactive fiction games presented through a retro, 1980s aesthetic. While primarily text-based, the game utilizes environmental storytelling and clever sound design to create truly unsettling and immersive experiences.

Why Stories Untold is Perfect for Steam Deck:

• Unique Narrative Focus: The game’s emphasis on storytelling over graphics makes it a great fit for the Steam Deck, where the focus is on engaging experiences rather than raw visual power.
• Retro Aesthetic: The 1980s aesthetic is not only visually appealing but also contributes to the game’s unsettling atmosphere. The vintage computer interfaces and grainy visuals evoke a sense of nostalgia and unease.
• Psychological Horror: Stories Untold relies on psychological horror, playing with your expectations and perceptions to create a sense of unease and dread. The game’s ambiguous narratives and unsettling imagery will stay with you long after you finish playing.
• Runs Beautifully: Stories Untold is a very light game, it will run even on the lowest end laptops, and as such runs excellently on Steam Deck.

Unpacking the Narrative Depth:

Each of the four stories in Stories Untold offers a unique and unsettling experience. From investigating a mysterious incident in a remote Arctic base to deciphering cryptic messages on an old computer, the game keeps you constantly guessing and questioning your own sanity. The game’s use of text-based descriptions and environmental cues forces you to actively engage with the narrative, creating a more immersive and unsettling experience than many graphically intensive horror games. Pay close attention to the details, as even seemingly insignificant clues can hold the key to understanding the game’s deeper mysteries.

IMSCARED: A Meta Horror Experience in Your Pocket

IMSCARED is a meta horror game that breaks the fourth wall and interacts with your computer in unexpected ways. It’s a game that knows you’re playing it, and it uses that knowledge to mess with you in truly terrifying ways.

Why IMSCARED is Surprisingly Good on Steam Deck:

• Innovative Gameplay: IMSCARED’s meta horror elements are what set it apart. The game messes with your files, displays fake error messages, and even interacts with your desktop environment, creating a truly unsettling and unpredictable experience.
• Psychological Horror: The game’s horror comes from its manipulation of your expectations and your sense of reality. You’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s part of the game, which creates a constant sense of unease.
• Portability Enhances the Experience: The Steam Deck’s portability actually enhances the horror of IMSCARED. Playing the game in a dark room, late at night, with headphones on, is a truly immersive and terrifying experience. The feeling of isolation and vulnerability is amplified when you’re holding the source of the horror in your hands.
• Optimized for Handhelds: The game doesn’t require high end hardware for its graphics, and is simple to run on the Steam Deck.

Navigating the Meta-Narrative:

IMSCARED is a game that requires you to think outside the box. The puzzles are often cryptic and require you to experiment with the game’s mechanics and your computer’s operating system. The game constantly breaks the fourth wall, addressing you directly and manipulating your expectations. This can be disorienting and unsettling, but it’s also what makes IMSCARED such a unique and memorable horror experience. Be prepared to be surprised, scared, and maybe even a little bit confused.

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity: Pixelated Exorcism on the Go

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity is a retro-style horror game that draws inspiration from classic Atari games and 1980s horror films. You play as a young priest battling demonic forces in a pixelated world.

Why FAITH: The Unholy Trinity Shines on Steam Deck:

• Nostalgic Visuals: The game’s retro graphics are not only visually appealing but also contribute to its unsettling atmosphere. The low-resolution visuals and limited color palette create a sense of unease and dread.
• Atmospheric Sound Design: FAITH’s sound design is exceptional, using eerie sound effects and a haunting soundtrack to create a truly immersive and terrifying experience.
• Simple but Effective Gameplay: The game’s gameplay is simple but effective, relying on careful movement, resource management, and strategic use of your crucifix to survive encounters with demonic entities.
• Runs Flawlessly: FAITH is not a demanding game, and will run without issues on the Steam Deck.

Embracing the Retro Horror Aesthetic:

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity is a love letter to classic horror games and films. The game’s pixelated graphics, eerie sound design, and unsettling atmosphere create a sense of nostalgia and dread. The game’s story is inspired by real-life cases of demonic possession, adding another layer of authenticity and terror. Despite its retro aesthetic, FAITH is a genuinely scary game that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Detention: Taiwanese Horror Comes Alive in Portable Form

Detention is a side-scrolling atmospheric horror game set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. You explore a haunted high school, uncovering dark secrets and confronting supernatural entities.

Why Detention is a Must-Play on Steam Deck:

• Unique Setting: Detention’s setting in 1960s Taiwan under martial law is both unique and unsettling. The game explores themes of political oppression, cultural identity, and the consequences of silence.
• Atmospheric Horror: The game’s atmosphere is thick with dread, using eerie sound design, unsettling visuals, and a haunting soundtrack to create a truly immersive and terrifying experience.
• Engaging Story: Detention’s story is both complex and emotionally resonant, exploring the themes of trauma, guilt, and the search for redemption.
• Perfect for Handheld Play: Detention is a game that benefits from a focused experience, and playing it on the Steam Deck allows you to fully immerse yourself in its haunting atmosphere and gripping narrative. The game’s side-scrolling perspective and relatively simple controls make it easy to play on the go.
• Excellent Performance: The game has little to no performance issues.

Exploring the Dark History of Taiwan:

Detention is more than just a horror game; it’s also a historical and cultural exploration of Taiwan under martial law. The game’s setting, characters, and story are all deeply rooted in the history and culture of Taiwan, providing a unique and thought-provoking perspective on a dark period in the country’s past. The game’s themes of political oppression, cultural identity, and the consequences of silence are still relevant today, making Detention a powerful and important work of art.

Yomawari: Night Alone & Midnight Shadows: A Chilling Pocket-Sized Adventure

Yomawari: Night Alone and its sequel, Midnight Shadows, are survival horror games where you play as young girls navigating a dark and dangerous town filled with supernatural creatures.

Why Yomawari is Surprisingly Effective on Steam Deck:

• Charming Visuals with a Dark Twist: The game’s cutesy art style is juxtaposed with its disturbing content, creating a sense of unease and unsettling contrast.
• Stealth-Based Gameplay: Yomawari relies on stealth and evasion, requiring you to carefully navigate the environment and avoid detection by the lurking spirits.
• Atmospheric World: The game’s world is filled with unsettling details and hidden secrets, encouraging exploration and rewarding curiosity.
• Perfect for Short Bursts: The game’s segmented structure and relatively short playtime make it perfect for playing in short bursts on the Steam Deck, making it ideal for commutes or quick gaming sessions.
• Easy to Play: It doesn’t require much gaming experience.

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Night:

Yomawari is a game that rewards exploration and observation. The game’s world is filled with hidden secrets and unsettling details, encouraging you to carefully examine your surroundings and piece together the mystery of what’s happening in the town. The game’s stealth-based gameplay requires you to be patient and strategic, carefully planning your movements and avoiding detection by the lurking spirits. The game’s combination of charming visuals, disturbing content, and engaging gameplay makes it a unique and memorable horror experience.