Best Free-to-Play Games on Steam Deck That Are Actually Worth Installing

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Free-to-play on Steam is a minefield. For every Warframe there are fifty idle clickers begging for your credit card number. On the Steam Deck specifically, the stakes are even higher: a game that barely runs, or one that plasters pay-to-win pop-ups across a 7-inch screen, is a miserable experience. I went through the noise so you don’t have to. Every game below is Deck Verified or Playable, runs comfortably on the hardware, and won’t make you feel like a wallet with thumbs.

How I picked these games

Three non-negotiables: the game had to have a Deck Verified or Playable badge, it had to run at a stable enough framerate for the genre, and its monetization had to pass what I call the “two-hour test” — can you enjoy two hours of it without a single paywall making you feel cheated? SteamDeckHQ and ProtonDB are my go-to references for tracking compatibility ratings, and those ratings can shift — so always double-check before installing something you haven’t heard of.

One more thing: this list skips anything that locks core gameplay behind a paywall, has an aggressive battle pass that expires content, or runs so badly on Deck that you’d rather stare at the wallpaper. Plenty of big names didn’t make the cut for exactly those reasons. More on that below.

The lineup — 8 F2P games worth your storage space

1. Warframe (Verified) — Looter Shooter

I went in expecting to quit after an hour. I came out 40 hours later with three different Warframes built from grind alone, zero dollars spent. The free content in Warframe isn’t a teaser — it’s the actual game. Fast movement, snappy gunplay, and melee that translates beautifully to a controller. On the Deck it runs smoothly, the UI scales fine on the small screen, and you’ll hit a paywall only if you’re too impatient to farm. That’s fair. Monetization gets a 4/5 from me: cosmetics and time-saving shortcuts, nothing that blocks progress.

2. Brawlhalla (Verified) — Platform Fighter

This is the recommendation I give without hesitation to anyone who misses Smash Bros but refuses to buy a Nintendo console. Short matches, clean netcode, and it works perfectly whether you’re docked on a TV or playing handheld on a train. The full roster is locked behind purchases, but the free weekly rotation gives you enough variety to decide whether you want to invest. Monetization: 4/5 — skins and characters only, no stats advantage.

3. Path of Exile (Playable) — ARPG

Path of Exile is, without exaggeration, one of the deepest ARPGs ever made. The passive skill tree alone could keep you theorycrafting for weeks. It’s marked Playable rather than Verified, which means some menus require a bit of fiddling — the trade site and some dense UI panels aren’t built for a 7-inch screen. But the actual gameplay loop of killing monsters and collecting loot works brilliantly with a controller. The monetization is stash tabs and cosmetics, and while stash tabs can feel almost necessary at endgame, the core game never locks you out. 3/5 on monetization — the stash tab situation is the genre’s worst-kept secret.

4. Counter-Strike 2 (Verified) — Tactical FPS

Yes, a competitive tactical shooter on a handheld. Hear me out. CS2 at 60fps in casual or deathmatch modes is a genuinely fun way to practice mechanics when you can’t sit at a desk. Ranked is a different story — the aim precision gap between mouse users and controller players is real, and I won’t pretend otherwise. But as a free game that you already own if you had CS:GO, it’s hard to argue with. Monetization: 4/5 — cosmetics only, skins don’t affect gameplay, the case economy is separate from the game itself.

5. Marvel Rivals (Playable) — Hero Shooter

The third-person camera and chunky character designs actually make Marvel Rivals more readable on a small screen than most FPS hero shooters. Battery drain is real — budget 45 minutes per charge on aggressive settings — but a single ranked session fits comfortably into that window. The seasonal battle pass pushes the monetization score down slightly, though it doesn’t expire the cosmetics the way some competitors do. 3/5 on monetization. Actively updated as of mid-2026, which matters when you’re committing hours to a live-service game.

6. Trackmania (Verified) — Racing / Time Trial

The free tier of Trackmania gives you access to the 25 campaign tracks of the current season, which is more than enough to get hooked on the loop: load a track, miss the apex on the last corner, restart, shave 0.2 seconds, repeat. Controller input on Deck is precise, and the short session format is perfect for handheld play. The paid club subscription unlocks community tracks and extra campaigns, but the free content alone justifies the install. Monetization: 4/5.

7. Apex Legends (Verified) — Battle Royale

Apex plays better on controller than people give it credit for, and the Deck handles it without embarrassing itself. Expect 40-50fps on medium settings, which is acceptable for a battle royale where most of the action is at mid-range. The seasonal cosmetics model is standard for the genre, and nothing in the shop affects gunplay or ability strength. The real concern is the time investment — this isn’t a game you dip into for 20 minutes. Monetization: 3/5, docked for the aggressive limited-time skin pricing.

8. Parachute — I mean, Aperture Desk Job (Verified) — Interactive Demo / Puzzle

This one cheats slightly: it’s a free tech demo made by Valve themselves to show off the Steam Deck’s controls, not a traditional F2P game. But it’s legitimately entertaining, takes about 45 minutes, and is the single best thing to hand a non-gamer friend to show them what the Deck can do. Zero monetization. 5/5 by default — it’s Valve’s own love letter to the hardware.

Comparison table

What we skipped — and why

A few notable absences that I get asked about regularly:

• PAYDAY 2 — technically free-to-play and still playable on Deck via Proton, but its native Linux support was dropped in August 2026. The experience is rougher around the edges than it used to be, and the DLC situation is a disaster of a monetization model. Hard pass for a newcomer.
• War Thunder — runs fine on Deck, but the grind-to-pay curve in higher tiers is steep enough to constitute a different game from what you started. Fun in early tiers, exhausting later.
• Genshin Impact — Unsupported on Steam Deck (it’s not on Steam). Accessible via other methods, but not a clean install experience and well outside the scope of this list.
• Any title rated Unsupported — compatibility ratings can flip quickly, as seen when Crimson Desert briefly flipped to Verified before reverting to Unsupported in August 2026. Always check SteamDeckHQ before installing something borderline.

A quick note on the horizon: the Epic Games Store is coming to Linux, which will eventually open up EGS’s weekly free games to Deck users through a more native experience. That’s a list for another day.

If you’re hunting for more games that punch above their weight on the hardware, my roundup of hidden gems hitting 60fps is worth a look. And if your sessions are short, the one-session games list pairs well with this one.

FAQ

Are free-to-play games safe to install on SteamOS?

Yes — any game you install through the Steam client runs in the same sandboxed environment as paid games. SteamOS doesn’t expose your system the way a Windows install might. Stick to Steam’s official library and you’re fine.

Can I use a controller on all these games?

Every game on this list supports controller input, which is the baseline I required for inclusion. Some, like Path of Exile, have UI elements that were designed for mouse and keyboard — they work on controller but feel slightly awkward on the first few sessions.

Do F2P games on Steam Deck require an internet connection?

All of the multiplayer titles on this list (CS2, Apex, Marvel Rivals, Brawlhalla, Warframe) require an active connection to play. Trackmania and Aperture Desk Job have offline modes. Warframe’s single-player content also requires a connection since it runs on dedicated servers.

Boot something up tonight

If you own a Steam Deck and you haven’t installed Warframe yet, that’s the one to start with. It downloads in the background, wakes up exactly where you left it, and has more free content than most games you’ve paid full price for. Alternatively, if competitive shooters are your thing, CS2 is already in your library — open it, queue casual, and see how your aim holds up on a 7-inch screen. Both take under 3 minutes to get into a match. There’s no reason to wait.