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The best Steam games on Switch aren’t just the ones that have excellent features like cross-save or crossplay, but the ones that naturally fit onto a handheld console. There are lots of reasons why you’d rather not be sat at your desk, even if you do have one of the best gaming mice or gaming keyboards, and the Switch is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep gaming, even if you’re in the bath.
While the fancy new Steam Deck offers a great way to take your overgrown Steam library with you, it’s not exactly cheap, and it’s also a lot heavier and larger than the Nintendo Switch, which can be an issue for people for a great many reasons. So, the Nintendo Switch is likely to remain the go-to way to play games as you go to work or just before bed. Oh, there’s a bit of crossover here with the best multiplayer Switch games and the best indie switch games, but that’s not a huge surprise.
Can You Play Steam Games on Switch?
Unfortunately, there’s no actual way to access your Steam library on a Nintendo Switch. That means you’ll likely have to purchase games again, but if you don’t mind waiting for a sale, it’s not the end of the world. Some games actually take things a step further by actually allowing cross-save between the platforms too, which is a lovely bonus.
Divinity: Orignal Sin 2 – Definitive Edition
BEST OVERALL
If what you want is depth, replayability, humour, and one of the most enthralling turn-based games ever made, then Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition is the only game you’ll ever need. This classic RPG game offers you a colorful cast of characters to take through a story that’ll see you trying to ascend to godhood, and maybe even slaying one along the way.
What makes it really special is the ability to customize their abilities to react to each other. It means you can cast a rain spell to coat the battlefield with water, then hit that giant puddle with a lightning spell to finish off or stun everyone in it. Also, this is one of three of the best Steam games on Switch that actually has cross-save. That means you can start on your Switch, pick it up on Steam when you want to, and then go back to Switch when you feel like it.
Civilization VI
Best for Strategy Fans
Civilization VI is a titan of a strategy game that allows you to guide a civilization of your choice from the ancient past through to the future, and you get to figure out how you want to rule the world as you go. You can choose to overcome everyone else using military might, create incredible wonders, or just go to space.
This is another game with cross-save too, and there are few things in gaming quite as satisfying as wanting to get one more turn in, and deciding to do so just before your fall asleep in the comfort of your own bed. It’s a joy to play no matter where you are, but it’s a lot of fun on Switch.
Hades
Best for Action Fans
If you’ve not heard of Hades, then we implore you to google who Zagreus is and check out some GIFs. If that somehow doesn’t sell you on the game, then this also happens to be one of the most absurdly enjoyable action roguelikes yet. In fact, the integration of story into the action makes it something of a revolution.
You play as Zagreus, a grumpy teenager of a god who wants to rebel against his father Hades, and learns an awful lot about family on the way. There are loads of different builds to muck around with, and this one is the final game on our list with cross-save too.
Bear & Breakfast
Best for Animal Lovers
Do you like bears? That’s basically the only requirement for enjoying this adorable little game about running a bed and breakfast in the woods. You play as a bear, and your aim is to make your little getaway as appealing as possible.
You’ll have to juggle a lot of different people’s needs, but the aim with Bear & Breakfast is never tension; it’s about the little joys that come with a job well done. Also, it’s cute, and sometimes that’s what you need in life.
Stardew Valley
Most Chilled
Stardew Valley puts you in the shoes of someone who’s inherited a small farm in the middle of nowhere. You’ve decided the city life simply isn’t for you, and for a change of pace, you go ahead and move out to the farm and start to do it up.
Most of the game involves removing weeds, planting and selling crops, and trying to fall in love. It’s mostly a very relaxing game, although there is a little bit of combat in there to keep things varied, and there may well be magic as well.
Monster Hunter Rise
Most Addictive
Right, look, technically this is one of the best Switch games that’s on Steam, not one of the best Steam games that’s on Switch, but hey, let’s not split hairs when there’s a dragon looming overhead.
Monster Hunter Rise is the latest entry in the long-running Capcom series and asks you to go out into the wild to hunt some big old monsters, turn their bones and scales into new weapons and armour, and then hunt even bigger monsters. It’s a simple core gameplay loop, but the combat is fast and fluid, you always feel cool while playing it, and it has co-op too.
Hollow Knight
Most Challenging
Hollow Knight is a tough-as-nails action game that turns you into a bug and asks you to make your way through seemingly unending caverns and corridors while battling horrifyingly difficult enemies.
It’s an absolute delight to play, and while the difficulty might not be for everyone, if you’re here for a hard time that also happens to be a good one, then you’re going to adore being beaten up here. It’s also stunning to look at and has an incredible soundtrack too, which always helps.
No Man’s Sky
Easiest to Lose a Day To
No Man’s Sky has only recently come to Switch, and it already feels like it’s been here forever. This game has an entire galaxy to explore, which manifests as countless different planets with their own environments and challenges to overcome, all to try and solve some intergalactic mysteries, and maybe discover what sits at the centre of this self-contained universe.
It helps a lot that No Man’s Sky has continued to grow since its initial release, and the sheer volume of things to do here makes this a game you can all-too-easily lose a day, a weekend, or an entire week to without even realising. Also, breaking through a planet’s atmosphere never gets old.
Monster Train First Class
Best for One More Turn
Monster Train is a roguelike deckbuilder, which means that the game can last as long as you want, and you get to mess around with new cards as you go. You have to guide the last spark of hellfire through hell against an invasion of angels, and to do this, you need to place monsters on different floors to fight off intruders.
What makes Monster Train truly special is the ability to customize cards with new abilities, cost reduction, and other special features. You can also mix and match the different kinds of demons for decks that feel completely different.
Loop Hero
Best Side Game
Loop Hero is a game that still sort of feels like it belongs on one of the best mobile phones. It’s not there yet, but it does feel absurdly fun on Switch, so things could be a lot worse. Loop Hero has you placing down different tiles to recreate a world that’s been claimed by oblivion.
You don’t have to do anything else apart from managing your inventory, and it’s an oddly idle game in that sense. That’s one of the reasons it’s so good on Switch; being able to play this while watching something on TV is sublime, and that’s why it’s one of the best Steam games on Switch.
