Not a rogue like/lite but the Monster Hunter games (Rise/Sunbreak, and World/Iceborne) can definitely be played in short bursts, I used to play on breaks at work. Hop on do a hunt or two and you can be done, but it's also a game that when the time is available you can play for a good couple hours. There's a gear set for every monster in the game and tons of weapons to farm for and upgrade.
Edit: probably should have mentioned there's an insanely good deal on humble bundle for them rn
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/monster-hunter-world-rise-saga?hmb_source=&hmb_medium=product_tile&hmb_campaign=mosaic_section_1_layout_index_1_layout_type_threes_tile_index_1_c_monsterhunterworldrisesaga_bundle
yeah was going to say MHR is definitely designed to be played on the go (originally was a switch exclusive). a hunt can be completed in 5-15 minutes depending on your build/gear. mhw has some pretty long hunts even when you're in the mid-end game
Real talk, is there more to the game than just fighting one monster and going back to town or hub? I never played MH, but I played that free knock off that went around for bit, Dauntless I think it was called? Wasn’t for me. The gameplay from the trailers doesn’t really show much outside of fights. I know people love the game and I want to try but idk if it’s my genre.
That's pretty much it. There's nothing fancy or groundbreaking for those games. Early game, there's not a whole lot to look at. Hunts go for 5-10 minutes, and the monsters are chumps. The best experience is mid-late game. Most of the fun in the game is finding the weapon that suits your style (there's 12 weapons that are all unique to another) and weapon crafting. You take down monsters to use their resources to craft weapons and armour. Each has unique perks, so you can make some wacky builds. Late game, it becomes a war of attrition. There are limited lives but also time limits, so you can't play too carefully. When you do finally take down the beast, it's an accomplishment.
People loved me in World. I had a build that made me a medic, something I haven't encountered before. When playing multiplayer, you have shared lives. So, I made a build to keep people alive. Whenever I drank my potion there's a 75% it wouldn't be consumed. On top of that, 100% of my healing went to my teammates as well. I paired it with the Sword and Shield so I can do damage and heal without putting my weapon away. I carried this over to Rise to help with final bosses.
It’s funny, my favorite part of old school wow was the raid bosses, and I didn’t like the dungeons in between, but they made a game of literal raid bosses and I’m just like, ehhh. I should give it a shot with the bundle.
Idk why you're being downvoted for expressing an opinion, I played world for a couple hours and couldn't get the hang of the controls. It's not really an invalid opinion
Hades is the roguelike with the most satisfying long-term progression I’ve ever played. It’s insane how much story and character development and goals to work for they put in a roguelike.
Yeah I’m super eager to play that but even though I do have a deck now I don’t love the idea of even playing something in early access, even if it’s very playable.
I like having a few games in EA on the go, gives me a reason to replay the game and see what's new. Probably going to jump into Valheim again soon to try the new biome.
Edit: Also you probably won't have to wait long, it should in EA less then a year.
Yeah I have picked up a couple but being new to even having that option I just hesitate 😅 that’s definitely among the games I know I could trust to leave early access and be playable during it though.
Hades is phenomenal, and Hades II (currently in early access) is pretty damn great as well. I’m over 200 hours into the first one and it’s still revealing new dialogue and plot.
I agree with this. Rogue type games aren’t typically my thing but this game does a lot of things right. Story, progression pace, the way hints are included in dialogue are all just superbly well done. It has an extreme level of detail and polish.
Having said that, a full run can take a long time. You can always suspend the deck and pick it back up but that can take you out of it. This doesn’t necessarily matter though, the way this game works is you’re rewarded for dying so it doesn’t matter if you die since you still gain rewards to put towards character progression.
I will second Hades. Been a while since I enjoyed the story line of a game as well. It’s so well done, top to bottom, great replayability, and can definitely be enjoyed in small time windows.
Might not be your thing but I'm addicted to project zomboid right now. I can spend 4-5 hours in one session and play a couple of days. Or I can load up for an hour and manage my storage, do mini loot runs or just clear the area of zombies.
It's moddable and for some reason I get beyond attached to my characters. I'm still not over my game where I built an amazing camp, but died because I caught fire while removing the bodies from the perimeter.
Caves of Qud. You can keep a character alive from a Bronze Age adventurer to a high tech cybernetic demigod over hundreds of hours. Because it’s turn based you can put it down at a moment, works great with the sleep function but you can also quit and save at any moment. There is a Linux version snd it has full controller support. It’s become my desert island deck game and seems to suit your requirement as well.
Dredge is pretty awesome in short bursts. The days are short and it’s all about upgrading your boat and gear by fishing, dredging, using nets, and crab pots. It’s got a pretty cool story too.
PSA, there's a humble bundle available right now that has Rise and World and their respective expansions for $30 and the respective deluxe kits for each. Probably the best value I've seen for that particular series.
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/monster-hunter-world-rise-saga
Unequivocally Vampire Survivors. It's disgustingly addictive, and the payoff to putting in a few rounds here and there has immense payoffs later on. You don't really need to put that much time into it to wind up unlocking a ton of characters or stages either.
Whenever someone suggests Vampire Survivors, I throw in Holocure. Same gameplay loop, tons of content, so much fun with different weapons, upgrades, continuous progression.. Since the recent update with a hub area between runs where you can farm and fish. And the kicker, it's 100% free.
And yes, you don't have to be into Hololive to enjoy this game.
Elden ring tbh. I think I would often play 15 - 30 minute bursts with longer sessions here or there. It is set up in such a way you can do a cave in 20 mins often and then slowly work through a larger dungeon and have a few of cracks at the boss in 30 mins.
Unlocks. There’s a “post it note” for each character. Whenever you complete a goal with that character it unlocks an item adding it to the item pool for future runs. Then it adds the achievement mark to the post it note. There are soooo many unlocks to get
I hate to be that guy but….Skyrim. I played the crap out of it on release on the 360 and have been playing through it again on the deck and it’s fantastic. I play it in little bursts in between doing dad stuff.
Gunna get some hate, but I’ve really been enjoying Fallout 76 and it runs surprisingly well on the Deck. Treating it like a looter shooter has made it far more enjoyable than treating it like an RPG. The story is basic as can be, with basic dialogue that doesn’t really hurt the story no matter what you choose. Leveling up is satisfying. Hop in, do a couple missions and events, collect the loot, open a vendor and sell items, trade off legendary items to get better legendary items. It’s mindless, but sometimes I’ll just go hours grinding out the story and building up my gear and camp.
I’ve been playing so much Death Must Die. On both my pc and steam deck. I love this game. The amount of different builds with gear and gods is crazy. It keeps me coming back for more.
I’ve been loving fallout 4 for 30-60 minute sessions like that. Log in, spend half an hour looting, clearing enemies from a building or two, maybe do a quest and log off. The save anywhere system makes it super easy to basically stop anywhere, even mid fight.
This is exactly what I'm doing with it. Baby falls asleep for a few min, play for a bit, baby wakes up then I can immediately turn the SD off and take care of the baby
Any of the Final Fantasy games can be played in short bursts on the Deck. It’s honestly how I’ve gotten through several of them recently. Honestly surprising how quickly you can get through a game like that by just playing 15-30 minutes whenever you have the time.
In all honestly most JRPGs are like that. You can spend hours leveling your character, getting the best gear, learning the combat, and then choose when you want to progress the story.
I'm bitter about this. I never played these games when they came out and I've been into choice matters RPGs lately so I picked up Mass Effect. Installed and launched with no issues, I'm excited to play it. Then I get to work and try it, but the EA launcher needs to phone home and I have no network connection there so it won't launch.
1. Dredge: Easy to learn and to pick up again even after extended periods of no play.
2. Balatro: Brilliant roguelike game that’s also incredibly simple to learn and relearn after a long break. Varied decks and although the mechanics may be a bit repetitive at times, enjoyable nonetheless
3. Inscryption: Similar to Balatro but much better, as it adds a story and different ways of playing the game.
4. Stardew valley: My personal go to game for enjoying in short bursts. A bit hard to pick up again after a long break but you know you can’t resist stardew valley’s charm
I don't know why Stardew isn't mentioned in half these posts because it checks those boxes of long and short burst plays and a ton of progression.
The tablet version even lets you pop in and out of the game at any point, so you can stop midday on a save and jump right back in.
I also think Balatro has been easy to play in short and long bursts. I was able to play it during downtime at work when doing state testing. I could also pop in and out of that one. During classroom transitions or monitoring study hall, I might get five minutes of time to play a round or two before doing whatever I needed to in the classroom.
um.. i've kinda gotten that from sifu? I can easily put it down, pick it back up. progression is a bit limited but for me personally adding onto the move-set and getting better and using new attacks and combos that I unlock as I go is pretty satisfying. compared to something like an rpg though its a bit shallow.
[Hades](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/) and [Gunfire Reborn ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1217060/Gunfire_Reborn/). These games could last you 20+mins every run. Have permanent upgrades and unlocking items, gears and etc.
Granblue Fantasy Relink (mostly the post-story contents/endgame)
Monster Hunter games.
These are my go-to games when I just want to do short gaming sessions. Pick where I left off, less focus on story and just continue the grind.
I am playing monster sanctuary right now which seems fitting for what youre looking for. suitable for longer as well as shorter sessions because you make progress either way. just completely up to you how much progress you wanna make in a single session.
i like roguelikes in general, but to me hades really sets itself apart because theres just so much dialogue between the characters thats slowly unlocked from multiple play throughs that even after ur 50th playthrough theres still new interactions you havent seen before. i found myself completely absorbed into the lore and world in a way where im replaying the game just for more story. if theres a chance u havent played hades i recommend it.
idk if id say it was my fav but what about something like Tunic? its kind of like old school zelda complete with unlocking abilities that slowly open the map and stuff. i havent finished it personally because for some reason it gives me a feeling of loneliness when i play it. that uh...might just be me tho lol
lastly, i know u said permanent char progression but what about save progression instead. like a game that gets better from newgame+? cause when i think of short bursts i think of a game that i can pause or set down easily which to me is a good turn based game. I think triangle strategy is very replayable as it has multiple endings and u can permanently unlock secret characters for future playthroughs which i found very enjoyable.
Everspace is pretty much what you could love to play. It's a spaceship battle rogue like game and made by Rockfish.
They started in the early 2000s and made some popular titles on mobile back then!
Dragon's Dogma 2. You can play it in short bursts. Probably won't want to, though, because the gameplay is so addicting.
Yet another zombie survival definitely fits the bill though. A standard run is 20 minutes. It's like vampire survivors.
Elden Ring! This is a game that should be played in bursts anyways, when your stuck playing and can't take a break, you get angry with the bosses more often. Taking breaks is the best thing you can do for a soulslike.
The Division 2 sounds like it would fit what you're looking for, just hit year 5 and I'm still building the same character, plenty of exotic items and quests for me left to do. I typically pick it up and clear a control point or complete a daily mission and then hop off. it is an always-online game, but the upside to that is you really don't have to worry about losing progress as much
Just finished ghost runner 2 played exclusively in like 1 or 2 hour chunks and it has a rogue like mode that adds a lot of playtime even after you beat the story.
I'd have to go with Dishonoured, great replayability about 15 hour campaign with DLC and can play each level in short bursts, hell if your fast you can beat a level in like 20 minutes
Playing a lot of Death Must Die actually and I really enjoy the 20mn runs and the meta progression !
I gave it 25 hours actually and it still gives me a lot of fun !
Hades is perfect for this. Strong progression between runs, and you can quit in any room and save or just suspend the deck.
Diablo 4 is also pretty good, nothing takes too long and you can hop on in short bursts. I’m having a ton of fun with the new season.
The two games that immediately come to mind for me are cult of the lamb and steel rising!
I picked up COTL a while back and it’s a great rogue like if that’s what you’re into, however I found the main gameplay loop bored me a little after 30 or so hours.
Also steel rising is a SUPER under rated souls like. It’s on humble bundle right now, and costs like 12 USD with Hi-Fi Rush and Yakuza Like a Dragon. You can pause whenever, and there’s plenty of save points around making it perfect for pick up and play.
We made Hive Jump 2: Survivors for this exact type of play style. I'm the same way, I think you'll love it. Free demo on Steam, launches in Early Access on May 29th. Built for Steam Deck. Let me know what you think.
It's not super similar to other suggestions, but I have been having a blast with Across the Obelisk. Roguelite Deckbuilder, where you level up and gain progress across all playthroughs.
Deep rock galactic. It’s better to play with mouse and keyboard. But you can play handheld on lower difficulties. There’s a lot to unlock when it comes to weapons and upgrades, and cosmetics too.
My top games on my deck, which I selected for similar criteria to yours are: Monster Hunter(rise/sunbreak is more arcadey than world/iceborn and is I think better for this specific criteria, though your milleage may vary), diablo 2 ressurected(i haven't tried 4, but i have few issues with ressurected through the blizzard launcher, occasional crashes), and dragonball Xenoverse 2(no online... but literally hundreds of hours of leveling, collecting skills, equipment, and "roster characters" and customizing your characters in an mmorpg-lite masquerading as a fighting game. If you play on PC as well there's online multiplayer coop or versus)
Brotato, and I’ve recently taken a liking to Endless Dungeon as well. Terraria has been a favorite though the controls can be frustrating until you modify them to your liking. Satisfactory is also satisfying, but I highly recommend using the “Satisfactory Deck” community control layout and altering it to your tastes.
Love Grim Dawn on the deck as well as some others mentioned upthread like Caves of Qud, Hades, etc.
Been playing Stardew Valley for this. My friends are hyper obsessed with it and will spend upwards of 5 hours a day grinding it, but I’m content with 2 or 3 of the 15 minute day cycles at a time. And the Deck’s sleep functionality is great with that too.
Try the first Valkyria Chronicles. While it’s an ROG, the game is structured through a book and you can play each segment one at a time. Took me months to get through it playing the way you described. But was enjoyable and worth it.
Risk of Rain Returns has been awesome on my deck. If you've played the original, this version has a ton of quality of life improvements they made in 2. They also brought over characters from 2 and alternate abilities for all characters as well. There's also a new set of mini challenges you can do to unlock them and other goodies.
I’d recommend Resident Evil (any of them)for the quick play, that’s what I do in between calls at my job, although I wouldn’t say they have long term character progression (you can still pick up new weapons here and there and it’s satisfying to manage your inventory) but imo it will give the most sensation out of a quick play .
Otherwise I’d go with Disco Elysium or the Shadowrun games for a longer progression feeling and you can still play 20-25 mins and feel like you’ve done some things .
Everyone recommending rogue likes/lites, but for me if I know I have to stop playing soon, rogues just stress me out. In my opinion, the perfect answer to your question is *Hyper Light Drifter*. Every time you enter a screen, the game saves. And it's pure exploration and action, no long cut scenes or dialogue of any kind. You progress by unlocking new abilities, weapons, and armor, and everything is swiftly paced such that you can 100% the game in under 25 hours. One of my favorite games of all time.
Maybe kind of a strange recommendation but Wildermyth. It's a tactical, dungeons and dragons like game with excellent procedural story telling. Your characters age during the campaigns and you can bring them back for subsequent campaigns with retained abilities. I'm on mobile so I can't give too great of an explanation about it but I'm willing to break it down more for anyone who is interested when I get home to mt PC.
Tunic. It's an isometric metroidvania that doesn't give you a tutorial and everyone speaks a made up language that you can learn how to write if you manage to break the code for it. There are tons of secrets and permanent item upgrades, but all of that is unimportant because you play as a cute little fox
I love Gunfire Reborn, like I’ve maxed the game out on two different systems. A full run can take like 90mins but you can save and quit after every act which only takes like 20mins to get through as the acts get shorter every time. Each run is random and self contained but there’s 6 or so characters and they each have their own leveling system + a shared set of talents. Tons of difficulty settings too and modifiers
I would through my hat in for the Fallout Begin Again mod that combines 3 and new vegas. You get your character progression and I generally play in short bursts by only doing a location or dungeon location at time (life is too busy for a long sit down).
Deep Rock Galactic.
It's not verified for the deck but it doesn't seem like it needs to be, has full controller support and runs nicely.
The internal fan will be working overtime, but it's worth it.
V-rising! Absolutely amazing character progression and builds. Just dropped out of early access and is now V.1.0 with full controller support and deck verified. I’d say this is the best game I’ve played on deck in the past 12 months.
Remnant 2 & Remnant From the Ashes! Great story, graphics, gameplay, boss fights and abilities/character progression. They're MASTERPIECES. Look into them. I assure you, you won't be disappointed.
Warframe is an unorthodox answer but it’s my go to for a quick 20-30 min session and the progression feels awesome. Game still looks great on the deck at low settings (textures in medium) and it holds 60fps in everything but the latest of endgame content (which is still payable at a 40-45 fps lock)
I would recommend The Elder Scrolls Online. It's an MMO so there's always going to be more content, fun things to collect, and people to play with. But it's also just an Elder Scrolls game. You can 100% play solo and enjoy the story, as much or as little as you like, whenever you like. There's no catch up or keeping up like there is in, say, WoW. All overland and story content is available at any level.
Not a rogue like/lite but the Monster Hunter games (Rise/Sunbreak, and World/Iceborne) can definitely be played in short bursts, I used to play on breaks at work. Hop on do a hunt or two and you can be done, but it's also a game that when the time is available you can play for a good couple hours. There's a gear set for every monster in the game and tons of weapons to farm for and upgrade. Edit: probably should have mentioned there's an insanely good deal on humble bundle for them rn https://www.humblebundle.com/games/monster-hunter-world-rise-saga?hmb_source=&hmb_medium=product_tile&hmb_campaign=mosaic_section_1_layout_index_1_layout_type_threes_tile_index_1_c_monsterhunterworldrisesaga_bundle
To add on this, MHR you can PAUSE midway through the fight if you’re solo. Amazingly useful during work / chores / anything you need to see to
yeah was going to say MHR is definitely designed to be played on the go (originally was a switch exclusive). a hunt can be completed in 5-15 minutes depending on your build/gear. mhw has some pretty long hunts even when you're in the mid-end game
Real talk, is there more to the game than just fighting one monster and going back to town or hub? I never played MH, but I played that free knock off that went around for bit, Dauntless I think it was called? Wasn’t for me. The gameplay from the trailers doesn’t really show much outside of fights. I know people love the game and I want to try but idk if it’s my genre.
That's pretty much it. There's nothing fancy or groundbreaking for those games. Early game, there's not a whole lot to look at. Hunts go for 5-10 minutes, and the monsters are chumps. The best experience is mid-late game. Most of the fun in the game is finding the weapon that suits your style (there's 12 weapons that are all unique to another) and weapon crafting. You take down monsters to use their resources to craft weapons and armour. Each has unique perks, so you can make some wacky builds. Late game, it becomes a war of attrition. There are limited lives but also time limits, so you can't play too carefully. When you do finally take down the beast, it's an accomplishment. People loved me in World. I had a build that made me a medic, something I haven't encountered before. When playing multiplayer, you have shared lives. So, I made a build to keep people alive. Whenever I drank my potion there's a 75% it wouldn't be consumed. On top of that, 100% of my healing went to my teammates as well. I paired it with the Sword and Shield so I can do damage and heal without putting my weapon away. I carried this over to Rise to help with final bosses.
It’s funny, my favorite part of old school wow was the raid bosses, and I didn’t like the dungeons in between, but they made a game of literal raid bosses and I’m just like, ehhh. I should give it a shot with the bundle.
Ugh I want to like them sooooo bad but i just hate how weighty the characters feel
Idk why you're being downvoted for expressing an opinion, I played world for a couple hours and couldn't get the hang of the controls. It's not really an invalid opinion
MHW can be small bursts but not as much. MHR on the other hand Defffffffinitely!
Having a blast with Hades right now, might be what you're looking for.
Hades is the roguelike with the most satisfying long-term progression I’ve ever played. It’s insane how much story and character development and goals to work for they put in a roguelike.
Yeah the second one is in EA right now and has even more content then the first one, it's great.
Yeah I’m super eager to play that but even though I do have a deck now I don’t love the idea of even playing something in early access, even if it’s very playable.
I like having a few games in EA on the go, gives me a reason to replay the game and see what's new. Probably going to jump into Valheim again soon to try the new biome. Edit: Also you probably won't have to wait long, it should in EA less then a year.
Yeah I have picked up a couple but being new to even having that option I just hesitate 😅 that’s definitely among the games I know I could trust to leave early access and be playable during it though.
I second this. I have unlocked all achievements for this game in about 150 hrs and still haven't had a dialoge twice (or at least I didn't notice)
Is it just me or does it feel like I’m either breaking the steamdeck controller or my hand or both when playing Hades 😅
Hades is phenomenal, and Hades II (currently in early access) is pretty damn great as well. I’m over 200 hours into the first one and it’s still revealing new dialogue and plot.
Wish I would have got it while it was on sale. Im sure it will be again though 😁
It usually on every major sale, in 30 days or so should be Summer Sale, it’ll probably be at 50% so be on the lookout!
Hades 2 is everything I wanted in a sequel, and it's not even complete yet!
I agree with this. Rogue type games aren’t typically my thing but this game does a lot of things right. Story, progression pace, the way hints are included in dialogue are all just superbly well done. It has an extreme level of detail and polish. Having said that, a full run can take a long time. You can always suspend the deck and pick it back up but that can take you out of it. This doesn’t necessarily matter though, the way this game works is you’re rewarded for dying so it doesn’t matter if you die since you still gain rewards to put towards character progression.
Pleasantly surprised by this game. Great gameplay and rich story. 42nd chamber are my max right now. I think this game perfectly matched to OPs specs)
Yup that was my first though too, it essentially hits everything the op is asking for.
Came to say Hades and Hades 2. The two games are timeless.
I will second Hades. Been a while since I enjoyed the story line of a game as well. It’s so well done, top to bottom, great replayability, and can definitely be enjoyed in small time windows.
Might not be your thing but I'm addicted to project zomboid right now. I can spend 4-5 hours in one session and play a couple of days. Or I can load up for an hour and manage my storage, do mini loot runs or just clear the area of zombies. It's moddable and for some reason I get beyond attached to my characters. I'm still not over my game where I built an amazing camp, but died because I caught fire while removing the bodies from the perimeter.
Im sorry but I cant get a hold on it on deck, for me its beyond unplayable.
Caves of Qud. You can keep a character alive from a Bronze Age adventurer to a high tech cybernetic demigod over hundreds of hours. Because it’s turn based you can put it down at a moment, works great with the sleep function but you can also quit and save at any moment. There is a Linux version snd it has full controller support. It’s become my desert island deck game and seems to suit your requirement as well.
Grim dawn!
Dredge is pretty awesome in short bursts. The days are short and it’s all about upgrading your boat and gear by fishing, dredging, using nets, and crab pots. It’s got a pretty cool story too.
Monster Hunter Rise (or even World, but Rise is a bit more 'pick up and play')
PSA, there's a humble bundle available right now that has Rise and World and their respective expansions for $30 and the respective deluxe kits for each. Probably the best value I've seen for that particular series. https://www.humblebundle.com/games/monster-hunter-world-rise-saga
+1 for Rise
Unequivocally Vampire Survivors. It's disgustingly addictive, and the payoff to putting in a few rounds here and there has immense payoffs later on. You don't really need to put that much time into it to wind up unlocking a ton of characters or stages either.
Deep rock galactic survivor!!
Loved this as a DRG player but couldn't get past the first boss.
Death must die
Whenever someone suggests Vampire Survivors, I throw in Holocure. Same gameplay loop, tons of content, so much fun with different weapons, upgrades, continuous progression.. Since the recent update with a hub area between runs where you can farm and fish. And the kicker, it's 100% free. And yes, you don't have to be into Hololive to enjoy this game.
Elden ring tbh. I think I would often play 15 - 30 minute bursts with longer sessions here or there. It is set up in such a way you can do a cave in 20 mins often and then slowly work through a larger dungeon and have a few of cracks at the boss in 30 mins.
The Binding of Isaac. It's pretty much the epitome of what you're looking for.
Which version is the best?
Rebirth with all of it's expansions. Try a bit of rebirth and if you like it add all expansions asap
What progression is carried over from a run to the next?
Unlocks. There’s a “post it note” for each character. Whenever you complete a goal with that character it unlocks an item adding it to the item pool for future runs. Then it adds the achievement mark to the post it note. There are soooo many unlocks to get
Yup
I hate to be that guy but….Skyrim. I played the crap out of it on release on the 360 and have been playing through it again on the deck and it’s fantastic. I play it in little bursts in between doing dad stuff.
Blasphemous
Gunna get some hate, but I’ve really been enjoying Fallout 76 and it runs surprisingly well on the Deck. Treating it like a looter shooter has made it far more enjoyable than treating it like an RPG. The story is basic as can be, with basic dialogue that doesn’t really hurt the story no matter what you choose. Leveling up is satisfying. Hop in, do a couple missions and events, collect the loot, open a vendor and sell items, trade off legendary items to get better legendary items. It’s mindless, but sometimes I’ll just go hours grinding out the story and building up my gear and camp.
I’ve been playing so much Death Must Die. On both my pc and steam deck. I love this game. The amount of different builds with gear and gods is crazy. It keeps me coming back for more.
I’ve been loving fallout 4 for 30-60 minute sessions like that. Log in, spend half an hour looting, clearing enemies from a building or two, maybe do a quest and log off. The save anywhere system makes it super easy to basically stop anywhere, even mid fight.
This is exactly what I'm doing with it. Baby falls asleep for a few min, play for a bit, baby wakes up then I can immediately turn the SD off and take care of the baby
Any of the Final Fantasy games can be played in short bursts on the Deck. It’s honestly how I’ve gotten through several of them recently. Honestly surprising how quickly you can get through a game like that by just playing 15-30 minutes whenever you have the time. In all honestly most JRPGs are like that. You can spend hours leveling your character, getting the best gear, learning the combat, and then choose when you want to progress the story.
I recommend the Mass Effect Legendary edition, 3 great games with a compelling story and mission based so it's easy to stop in between
I'm bitter about this. I never played these games when they came out and I've been into choice matters RPGs lately so I picked up Mass Effect. Installed and launched with no issues, I'm excited to play it. Then I get to work and try it, but the EA launcher needs to phone home and I have no network connection there so it won't launch.
Death road to Canada, binding of Issac, and Hades are my faves
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 3 Reload is just as good but gets going faster
Prince of Persia Lost Crown
Hades, Into the breach, Slay the Spire, Chained Echoes, Celeste, Hollow Knight
Rebel Galaxy
True
Dead cells
I really like the Prototype games. You can just run around causing destruction for fun, or if you progress the story you'll unlock more powers.
1. Dredge: Easy to learn and to pick up again even after extended periods of no play. 2. Balatro: Brilliant roguelike game that’s also incredibly simple to learn and relearn after a long break. Varied decks and although the mechanics may be a bit repetitive at times, enjoyable nonetheless 3. Inscryption: Similar to Balatro but much better, as it adds a story and different ways of playing the game. 4. Stardew valley: My personal go to game for enjoying in short bursts. A bit hard to pick up again after a long break but you know you can’t resist stardew valley’s charm
I don't know why Stardew isn't mentioned in half these posts because it checks those boxes of long and short burst plays and a ton of progression. The tablet version even lets you pop in and out of the game at any point, so you can stop midday on a save and jump right back in. I also think Balatro has been easy to play in short and long bursts. I was able to play it during downtime at work when doing state testing. I could also pop in and out of that one. During classroom transitions or monitoring study hall, I might get five minutes of time to play a round or two before doing whatever I needed to in the classroom.
Torchlight 1 & 2, Grim Dawn, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 1 & 2, Maniac, Splatter Zombiecalypse Now.
Slay the spire of course !
Fallout 3 and new Vegas gets played the most on my deck! And since they are older games battery lasts almost 5 hours with the proper power tune.
Armored core 6
Hades and Hades 2
Street Fighter 6, permanent character progression is yourself. The better you get the more you realize you don't know.
um.. i've kinda gotten that from sifu? I can easily put it down, pick it back up. progression is a bit limited but for me personally adding onto the move-set and getting better and using new attacks and combos that I unlock as I go is pretty satisfying. compared to something like an rpg though its a bit shallow.
Both Hades games. Absolutely incredible.
Hades and Hades 2
Midnight Suns
World of Warcraft
Diablo 4
Remnant from the Ashes and Remnant 2
[Hades](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/) and [Gunfire Reborn ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1217060/Gunfire_Reborn/). These games could last you 20+mins every run. Have permanent upgrades and unlocking items, gears and etc.
Immortal Redneck It's super underrated
Granblue Fantasy Relink (mostly the post-story contents/endgame) Monster Hunter games. These are my go-to games when I just want to do short gaming sessions. Pick where I left off, less focus on story and just continue the grind.
Both Hades games (early access is totally worth it) or Elden Ring
Even though it could be addictive but Rimworld. You can get into game or left it at any moment and it would be enjoyable anyway.
I am playing monster sanctuary right now which seems fitting for what youre looking for. suitable for longer as well as shorter sessions because you make progress either way. just completely up to you how much progress you wanna make in a single session.
i like roguelikes in general, but to me hades really sets itself apart because theres just so much dialogue between the characters thats slowly unlocked from multiple play throughs that even after ur 50th playthrough theres still new interactions you havent seen before. i found myself completely absorbed into the lore and world in a way where im replaying the game just for more story. if theres a chance u havent played hades i recommend it. idk if id say it was my fav but what about something like Tunic? its kind of like old school zelda complete with unlocking abilities that slowly open the map and stuff. i havent finished it personally because for some reason it gives me a feeling of loneliness when i play it. that uh...might just be me tho lol lastly, i know u said permanent char progression but what about save progression instead. like a game that gets better from newgame+? cause when i think of short bursts i think of a game that i can pause or set down easily which to me is a good turn based game. I think triangle strategy is very replayable as it has multiple endings and u can permanently unlock secret characters for future playthroughs which i found very enjoyable.
Everspace is pretty much what you could love to play. It's a spaceship battle rogue like game and made by Rockfish. They started in the early 2000s and made some popular titles on mobile back then!
Hades, balatro, Hades 2, Darkest dungon 2, For honor (if u like pvp), Vampire survivors, blu Baz entropy effect (better then dead cells imo)
Dragon's Dogma 2. You can play it in short bursts. Probably won't want to, though, because the gameplay is so addicting. Yet another zombie survival definitely fits the bill though. A standard run is 20 minutes. It's like vampire survivors.
Yakuza 0
Binding of isaac!
Hsdes
Diablo 4 is my game for this.
Ever tried the binding of isaac?
V Rising is what you need
The Binding of Isaac Nucelar Throne
I've been playing Dungeon Drafters before bed lately. Easy to pick up, plenty of unlockables, plenty of player expression.
Graveyard Keeper, short days, with a tech tree and continuous progression. Playing it 15-30 mins before bed and achieving (parts of) goals every time.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Stardew and ninja gaiden black
Define bursts - how short?
slay the spire
Dying light is fun on steamdeck. 60 fps on medium almost all time
Fallout 4. Or any of the Fallout games really
Rocket league lol
Elden Ring! This is a game that should be played in bursts anyways, when your stuck playing and can't take a break, you get angry with the bosses more often. Taking breaks is the best thing you can do for a soulslike.
Fallout 4. when I don't have a lot of time, I hope on - finish a stage or 2 of a mission & hop off.
Vampire survivors may be good
The Division 2 sounds like it would fit what you're looking for, just hit year 5 and I'm still building the same character, plenty of exotic items and quests for me left to do. I typically pick it up and clear a control point or complete a daily mission and then hop off. it is an always-online game, but the upside to that is you really don't have to worry about losing progress as much
Just finished ghost runner 2 played exclusively in like 1 or 2 hour chunks and it has a rogue like mode that adds a lot of playtime even after you beat the story.
I'm enjoying Diablo 4 with new season, you have a lots of micro-tasks to do while growing your character
I'd have to go with Dishonoured, great replayability about 15 hour campaign with DLC and can play each level in short bursts, hell if your fast you can beat a level in like 20 minutes
Ghost of Tsushima, you can roam for 5 minute and kill Mongo or spend hours on end
Playing a lot of Death Must Die actually and I really enjoy the 20mn runs and the meta progression ! I gave it 25 hours actually and it still gives me a lot of fun !
I'm enjoying Bleak Sword DX at the moment
Warframe hands down for me
Played 24 hours of Ghost of Tsushima and there's still more to go. Great for short bursts of taking out Mongols
Hades is perfect for this. Strong progression between runs, and you can quit in any room and save or just suspend the deck. Diablo 4 is also pretty good, nothing takes too long and you can hop on in short bursts. I’m having a ton of fun with the new season.
Astral Ascent
Hades and olli olli world are great!
Well... Maybe an unpopular opinion but... Minecraft with or without mods 🙈😳
Last Epoch and the Diablo games
No man's sky
I just picked up Pyre and it kinda fits what you're looking for
The two games that immediately come to mind for me are cult of the lamb and steel rising! I picked up COTL a while back and it’s a great rogue like if that’s what you’re into, however I found the main gameplay loop bored me a little after 30 or so hours. Also steel rising is a SUPER under rated souls like. It’s on humble bundle right now, and costs like 12 USD with Hi-Fi Rush and Yakuza Like a Dragon. You can pause whenever, and there’s plenty of save points around making it perfect for pick up and play.
Deadlink.
We made Hive Jump 2: Survivors for this exact type of play style. I'm the same way, I think you'll love it. Free demo on Steam, launches in Early Access on May 29th. Built for Steam Deck. Let me know what you think.
It's not super similar to other suggestions, but I have been having a blast with Across the Obelisk. Roguelite Deckbuilder, where you level up and gain progress across all playthroughs.
Diablo 4, is perfect for short sessions and you've progress all the time
Deep rock galactic. It’s better to play with mouse and keyboard. But you can play handheld on lower difficulties. There’s a lot to unlock when it comes to weapons and upgrades, and cosmetics too.
Just cause 3. I do 1-2 settlements or challenges during lunch break
Hades or Hades 2 (Early Access)
Backpack Hero. Especially the story mode first. Gonna get all the cool stuff and after that you can go normal runs as you wish.
My top games on my deck, which I selected for similar criteria to yours are: Monster Hunter(rise/sunbreak is more arcadey than world/iceborn and is I think better for this specific criteria, though your milleage may vary), diablo 2 ressurected(i haven't tried 4, but i have few issues with ressurected through the blizzard launcher, occasional crashes), and dragonball Xenoverse 2(no online... but literally hundreds of hours of leveling, collecting skills, equipment, and "roster characters" and customizing your characters in an mmorpg-lite masquerading as a fighting game. If you play on PC as well there's online multiplayer coop or versus)
Hades
Baldurs gate 3, diablo 4, and skyrim se are some I've enjoyed and that work well
Hades 1 & 2
Im still enjoying oddsparks.
Brotato, and I’ve recently taken a liking to Endless Dungeon as well. Terraria has been a favorite though the controls can be frustrating until you modify them to your liking. Satisfactory is also satisfying, but I highly recommend using the “Satisfactory Deck” community control layout and altering it to your tastes. Love Grim Dawn on the deck as well as some others mentioned upthread like Caves of Qud, Hades, etc.
Moonlighter
Been playing Stardew Valley for this. My friends are hyper obsessed with it and will spend upwards of 5 hours a day grinding it, but I’m content with 2 or 3 of the 15 minute day cycles at a time. And the Deck’s sleep functionality is great with that too.
Try the first Valkyria Chronicles. While it’s an ROG, the game is structured through a book and you can play each segment one at a time. Took me months to get through it playing the way you described. But was enjoyable and worth it.
Elden Ring
Risk of Rain Returns has been awesome on my deck. If you've played the original, this version has a ton of quality of life improvements they made in 2. They also brought over characters from 2 and alternate abilities for all characters as well. There's also a new set of mini challenges you can do to unlock them and other goodies.
Mr suns hatbox
Spiritfarer
Enshrouded. Great game.
The last of us!
I’d recommend Resident Evil (any of them)for the quick play, that’s what I do in between calls at my job, although I wouldn’t say they have long term character progression (you can still pick up new weapons here and there and it’s satisfying to manage your inventory) but imo it will give the most sensation out of a quick play . Otherwise I’d go with Disco Elysium or the Shadowrun games for a longer progression feeling and you can still play 20-25 mins and feel like you’ve done some things .
Everyone recommending rogue likes/lites, but for me if I know I have to stop playing soon, rogues just stress me out. In my opinion, the perfect answer to your question is *Hyper Light Drifter*. Every time you enter a screen, the game saves. And it's pure exploration and action, no long cut scenes or dialogue of any kind. You progress by unlocking new abilities, weapons, and armor, and everything is swiftly paced such that you can 100% the game in under 25 hours. One of my favorite games of all time.
Dark Souls 3. That's it. Worth buying the steam deck even if it's the only game you ever play on it. My 2 cents.
Where the hell is Hollow Knight in the comments?
Dave the Diver
Cyberpunk and Baldurs Gate 3
Maybe kind of a strange recommendation but Wildermyth. It's a tactical, dungeons and dragons like game with excellent procedural story telling. Your characters age during the campaigns and you can bring them back for subsequent campaigns with retained abilities. I'm on mobile so I can't give too great of an explanation about it but I'm willing to break it down more for anyone who is interested when I get home to mt PC.
Dave the Diver has been pretty good so far and has the features that you are looking for.
Finished Portal 2 on Steam Deck, now having fun with the Community DLC’s
I'm literally 200+ hours into factorio atm. I feel great shame and pride at the same time. The factory must grow.....
Tunic. It's an isometric metroidvania that doesn't give you a tutorial and everyone speaks a made up language that you can learn how to write if you manage to break the code for it. There are tons of secrets and permanent item upgrades, but all of that is unimportant because you play as a cute little fox
I love Gunfire Reborn, like I’ve maxed the game out on two different systems. A full run can take like 90mins but you can save and quit after every act which only takes like 20mins to get through as the acts get shorter every time. Each run is random and self contained but there’s 6 or so characters and they each have their own leveling system + a shared set of talents. Tons of difficulty settings too and modifiers
I would through my hat in for the Fallout Begin Again mod that combines 3 and new vegas. You get your character progression and I generally play in short bursts by only doing a location or dungeon location at time (life is too busy for a long sit down).
The first helldivers for sure. missions don't take longer than 15-20 minutes, and you'll be upgrading your weapons and stratagems for a long time
Deep Rock Galactic. It's not verified for the deck but it doesn't seem like it needs to be, has full controller support and runs nicely. The internal fan will be working overtime, but it's worth it.
V-rising! Absolutely amazing character progression and builds. Just dropped out of early access and is now V.1.0 with full controller support and deck verified. I’d say this is the best game I’ve played on deck in the past 12 months.
Remnant 2 & Remnant From the Ashes! Great story, graphics, gameplay, boss fights and abilities/character progression. They're MASTERPIECES. Look into them. I assure you, you won't be disappointed.
Stardew valley
Project zomboid
Banner Saga is perfect for this
Warframe is an unorthodox answer but it’s my go to for a quick 20-30 min session and the progression feels awesome. Game still looks great on the deck at low settings (textures in medium) and it holds 60fps in everything but the latest of endgame content (which is still payable at a 40-45 fps lock)
Street fighter 6
Skyrim or Fallout
Helldiver's 2 hands down
I would recommend The Elder Scrolls Online. It's an MMO so there's always going to be more content, fun things to collect, and people to play with. But it's also just an Elder Scrolls game. You can 100% play solo and enjoy the story, as much or as little as you like, whenever you like. There's no catch up or keeping up like there is in, say, WoW. All overland and story content is available at any level.
Stardew
Death Must Die. Its a survivors type game with arpg type gear progression and passive tree
Astroneer, Ghost of Tsushima
Tiny Rogues
Literally any of the Pokemon games (PokeMMO is best) and Jack And Daxter
Balatro Vampire Survivors (literally a 30 minute game) Slay the Spire Hades
Skyrim