Best Game of 2026 Officially Steam Deck Verified

May 31, 2026, 6:15am

The best game of 2026 is officially Steam Deck Verified, which means Steam users can fully enjoy it at launch. And unlike some verified Steam Deck games, this one actually runs on the Valve handheld well, and it should. With the massive new price increase for the Valve machine, when a game says Steam Deck Verified, it should run well on the handheld as its advertized by Valve to do so. For those that don’t know, when a game is “Verified,” it means Valve has tested the PC game on the handheld, confirming it not only works from start to finish, but works well with its built-in display and unique controls.

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For those that don’t know, just a few days ago, Yacht Club Games released the best game of 2026, according to Metacritic, called Mina the Hollower, which dethroned Forza Horizon 6 in the process. The latter was the previously highest-rated game of 2026 with its 91 on Metacritic, while the former is now the highest thanks to its 92 on Metacritic. According to Steam user reviews, though, this may be an overrating of the game, as on Steam it only has an 84% approval rating across 1,325 user reviews. According to the Steam user reviews, the major point of contention with the game is how extremely difficult it is. And it is very, very punishing. Sometimes it almost feels unfair in an unbalanced way, which will surely be ironed out with updates. That said, there’s no denying it’s harder than the studio’s previous game, Shovel Knight, which wasn’t easy itself. In fact, Shovel Knight was quite challenging.

Game Boy Color Nostalgia

“Descend into a frightful world of action-adventure in Mina the Hollower,” reads an official elevator pitch of the game. “Take control of Mina, a renowned Hollower hurtled into a desperate mission to rescue a cursed island. Burrow beneath hazards and monsters, whip foes into oblivion, and gear up with an arsenal of sidearms and trinkets.”

Those on Steam Deck who are interested in checking out this hardcore platformer that is a love letter to the Game Boy Color era don’t need to fork over much for it, as it is only $20. And this isn’t a promotional price for its launch, it’s just its humble price point. It is obviously not the biggest or most expensive game, but given its quality and the pedigree of the studio, it could have certainly gotten away with at least a $30 price point.

All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the ComicBook Forum.