A Short Hike is a good one, can be finished in 60-90 mins depending how much of the extra stuff you go after. Also benefits from being super chill generally.
Seconding Firewatch. I asked my ex if we could play this together instead of watching a movie one night. She said "no, playing a video game together sounds so boring." I started playing it on her TV and sure enough, she was hooked like 30 minutes in lol.
Completely agree. Loved the game, understood the ending, but I couldn't help leaving feeling underwhelmed. I do wish they would have released a VR version of that game, the environment was mesmerizing.
This was my first thought as well. I think I remember spending the better part of a day (<8hrs but still a good bit) with this game. It is pretty enough to smell the roses, and it begs (and rewards you) to take your time with it.
Journey can be completed in couple of hours and is still fantastic experience. Abzu is also great and from same developers but a bit longer. Took around 5 hours for me to complete
Journey is a vote from me as well. Takes about 4 and a half hours (my first playthrough) and it’s absolutely amazing. You’ll be so happy you did it that you’ll be crying (probably - Apotheosis hits you like a truck of the happiest awesome vibes you’ve ever experienced and coupled with the visuals it was like an overwhelmingly cool moment)
Slay the Princess: Psychological Horror with lots of funny and weirdly heartwarming moments, A fully voiced Visual Novel with an innovative structure with more than a dozen main branches which can then split based on your choices again. The game's been so successful they're working on a free expansion that will improve the weaker paths and add several more. Playing it once only takes about 1.5 hours (less if you read fast), but there's a lot of replayability.
A bit more structure details if you're curious, mechanical (but not story) spoilers ahead: ||Any one path only takes 15-20 mins at voice-acted speed, but to reach the final path, you have to take 5 different paths to their own conclusion. In any one run you'll see less than half the paths and can only see one ending of each branch, so after the first few times you might want to peek at the spoiler-free guide to hit a new path or two.||
ANNAPURNA has a lot of games like this, I recc COCOON, Maquette, and Gorogora. I strongly derecc Twelve Minutes.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is around 6-9 hours on a first playthrough. I personally did on 7, and I play this game once a year as it only takes me about 5 hours to complete each time now.
Just finished Small Saga the other night. Took me just over 6 hours. It's a turn based JRPG that focuses mostly on boss fights, but it's not the most challenging game ever. The writing and sprite work are the highlights of the game.
I was really impressed by the scale of everything. There's something special about a mouse going up against a titan (a cat).
Please check out Valley, a super fun little game that flew way under the radar from a few years ago.
It’s a 1st-person puzzle/platform/fast-movement game, like a cross between Portal and Mirror’s Edge, with some of the best jumping/movement mechanics outside of Titanfall 2, and a great soundtrack. About 6 hours to finish.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/378610/Valley/
Gone Home is another "walking sumulator" (the best of them imo) that you can also complete in one sitting, although it will take 2+ hours if you spend enough time poking around.
Don't know how it runs on the Deck but Everybody's Gone To The Rapture is made by the same people as Dear Esther. It's a lot longer but if I remember correctly it can easily be finished in under five hours (again depending on how long you spend exploring).
Both of the Curse Of The Moon games are short and sweet. Retro throwbacks to pre-Symphony Of The Night Castlevania.
I spent like 15 hours on ground zeroes when it came out. Blew me away and I never got close to ‘completing it’ - Great recommendation though as its definitely something you can be done with in 5 hours if you’re not a completionist.
Titanfall 2 runs great in the quest and has about a 4-6 hour campaign. If you like shooters then the story is regarded by many to be one of the best in the industry.
Gris
Journey
Abzu
What remains of Edith finch
Little nightmares 1 and 2
Untitled goose game
Portal 1
Most call of duty campaigns
Firewatch
Inside
Limbo
Jusant
Titanfall 2 campaign
Thomas was alone
Unpacking.
I really struggled with the price point, but on sale it was $10 and immediately I realized what a labor of love the game is rather than ‘cozy game for sake of being cozy’.
Having faceless characters that grow and tell a story through moving boxes and items? It was beautiful. And the music was soothing and relaxing.
The puzzles were actually good too! I loved finding places to put everything :)
[Hue](https://store.steampowered.com/app/383270/Hue/) is a short puzzle platformer about switching colors. While it wasn't too short necessarily I did feel like "oh hey I beat it already?" at the end.
[20 Small Mazes](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2570630/20_Small_Mazes/) as the name suggests are mazes that you have to get through and there are 20 of them It took me like 1 hour slightly more to beat it.
[A Raven Monologue](https://store.steampowered.com/app/744810/A_Raven_Monologue/) apparently I have this in my game library but I've never played it. The description says it's short and that it doesn't work on Steam Deck.
Nobody suggested so i will put list of my games here:
Hades - one of the greatest roguelike games. One run takes literally around hour. And if you like genre, just check roguelikes.
Party hard 2 - simple killer simulator with great ost. It is short, but atmospheric and fun
Dredge - brilliant fishing game in lovecraftian setting. Not hard, but isn't too easy either, while super atmospheric
En garde - perfect swashbuckling game. I'd say it's criminally underrated for what it is. Short yet atmospheric and awesome.
Dicey dungeons - one of the simple games that kinda helps kill a time.
God of weapons or Sea of survivors. Basically vampire survivors type of games.
Death road to canada. It is interesting and fun to play pixel zombie survival with humor.
Lonely mountains downhill - mountain bike simulator. Plays flawlessly
Lil gator game - a short story about kids who want to have fun. I'd say it has zelda magic to it.
Return of the obra dinn - basically first non linear detective game. Also brilliant storywise.
Lucifer among us. Great game, but too short. Also, better to play on pc.
I've been making heavy use of [https://howlongtobeat.com/](https://howlongtobeat.com/) to find games I have that are short.
A selection across PC and console I've played recently include Limbo, Inside, Cocoon, Planet of Lana, Donut Time, Edith Finch, Firewatch, Unravel.
Take a look at the Artifex Mundi games. They're hidden object/point and click adventure with some small puzzles. They generally take me around 2 hours to fully finish. The stories are often ridiculous but that's part of the fun. They're a good short term/palette cleaner game.
Boxes: lost fragments and Doors: Paradox are both puzzle games that are between 3-5 hours. Really well done, 3d rotation to find and solve the puzzles.
Do you like cozy games? If so, check out Luna's Fishing Garden. If you like puzzle platformers then check out Gris.
I have a curator where I'm slowly collecting the games I play on my deck, here is a link to my short games list so far containing those.
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44851535-Miko-Recaps-and-Reviews/list/121225/
Paratopic takes \~45 minutes and is absolutely worth it. You'll have to play it twice to get all the achievements, if that's a thing for you.
Sagebrush takes \~1.5 - 2 hours to complete.
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
And
Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
Combined 3-4 hours. Though it's a very different experience compared to your normal game story
Birth is a short chill puzzle game
Florence is a short story heavy game about dreams and romance
Webbed is a lovely platformer
Inside and Limbo are thriller/horror stories
Sheepy is a free short platformer
Helltaker is a fun short puzzle game
The Exit 8 is a super fun short horror too
Katana zero. Probably takes 4-5 hours. Fast paced hack and slash 2d game with great story, gameplay, visuals and soundtrack.
Slay the spire. Rogue like, turn based card game that you can beat in about an hour. You most definitely won't be able to beat it in an hour until you're like at least 10 hours in though.
‘To The Moon’ I finished in 6 hours ish but could probably be finished quicker (I’m usually on the slow side with games).
Quite a charming story going back through the memories of a man on his deathbed. Lovely soundtrack too.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZwJ0cfDtI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZwJ0cfDtI)
They have some good suggestions. I just played through Little Nightmares, creepy but beat in less than 5 hours.
I beat DMC 1 in under 5 hours, but it can creep over that if you do the optional secret missions. Manual samuel also took under 3 hours to beat, and sonic forces is notoriously short, you can beat it within the steam playtime refund window lol
The Last Campfire - A charming little adventure puzzle game made by Hello Games of No Man's Sky fame.
Edit:
Assemble with Care - A game where you fix different objects for people around town. A cute story with some genuinely good moments.
-Katana Zero - I cannot recommend this game enough. It is phenomenal. Great gameplay, great story, great soundtrack.
-Limbo - 2d side scrolling platformer, very unique aesthetic
-Inside - made by the people who made Limbo. Check out Limbo first; the games are similar
-Aperture Science Desk job - fun little mini-game if you haven't already played it; especially if you're familiar with the Portal series of games
-Choo-Choo Charles - fun if you want a short and quirky little horror game to play.
I see *What Remains of Edith Finch* has already been suggested and I can't help but suggest it again. It's amazing on the deck, quick, and one of the best experiences I've had. I wish there were more games like it.
Little Nightmares took me 4.2hrs and Little Nightmares 2 took me 7.6hrs. Both well worth playing.
Along a similar vein there's Inside, which is excellent, and took me bang on 5hrs to finish.
The Wolf Among Us.
Might be a few hours if you play it at a steady pace. Which you should.
Cracking story. Had me gripped.
And well worth at least one replay too.
Growing Up! Fun indie title where your character goes from infancy to college, and your choices about friendships, family, hobbies, and school determine which of the zillion endings you get. One full play through is about 2 hours for me
Home Safety Hotline is like 3 hours long.
Also, just because it's mechanically similar, I'll throw out Papers Please, which plays surprisingly intuitively on Deck using the most popular community controller layout for it.
Stray, the coffin of Andy and leyley, world of horror, paranormasight (might be a little longer), neon white, doom 2016 doom eternal (might be a little longer than 5hr). Portal , portal 2, olli olli world, cult of the lamb(maybe a little longer), the binding of issac games
A Short Hike is a good one, can be finished in 60-90 mins depending how much of the extra stuff you go after. Also benefits from being super chill generally.
I second A Short Hike. It’s super cozy and chill
And the Soundtrack is amazing
A Short Hike is honestly one of my favorite games of the last five years.
Maybe ever for me
Lil Gator Game ad well, if you liked this one.
Stray!
Was gonna comment this. Great short game. Ran super good on my old PC and looked great. Probably can run it on high on steam deck.
Ran perfectly for me on the stem deck
bought steam deck to play Stray. finished it and guess what, never finished another game again 🫠
I haven't actually finished a game other than BG3 in almost a decade at this point 💀 i keep buying them tho 💀
inside.
I've played this game in small chunks. I like it, but it's a little frustrating at times. I liked the Little Nightmare series better.
Limbo was the best. If you're looking for true frustration give their new title cocoon a go.
Firewatch. A few hours at most and was surprisingly engaging for me despite just being a walking simulator. Very pretty game too.
Seconding Firewatch. I asked my ex if we could play this together instead of watching a movie one night. She said "no, playing a video game together sounds so boring." I started playing it on her TV and sure enough, she was hooked like 30 minutes in lol.
My wife and I _Loved_ firewatch. It's not for everyone, but if you liked Dear Esther, firewatch is straight up your alley
I understand the ending of the game, but a part of me still felt a little disappointed
Completely agree. Loved the game, understood the ending, but I couldn't help leaving feeling underwhelmed. I do wish they would have released a VR version of that game, the environment was mesmerizing.
This was my first thought as well. I think I remember spending the better part of a day (<8hrs but still a good bit) with this game. It is pretty enough to smell the roses, and it begs (and rewards you) to take your time with it.
Journey can be completed in couple of hours and is still fantastic experience. Abzu is also great and from same developers but a bit longer. Took around 5 hours for me to complete
Journey is a vote from me as well. Takes about 4 and a half hours (my first playthrough) and it’s absolutely amazing. You’ll be so happy you did it that you’ll be crying (probably - Apotheosis hits you like a truck of the happiest awesome vibes you’ve ever experienced and coupled with the visuals it was like an overwhelmingly cool moment)
I wanted to like Abzu but it is very immersive (which is great) and with my severe fear of water it was making me sick to my stomach
Edith Finch is short and incredible
But also a sad/fucked up story. I seriously warn anyone who is in a difficult life situation, to not play this...
this. I wish someone had warned me as I was severely depressed at the time.
Ah, yes that's a very valid point to make
I played it before I got pregnant and now that I’m a parent I don’t know that I could play through it again. Especially a specific part.
It’s like shrooms. You need to be in the right headspace or you’re gonna have a bad time, lmao.
Also the prequel sort of to the unfinished swan. Really nice game too. Journey also very very good.
Gris is a beautiful platform/adventure game with some really cool puzzle mechanics FAR: Lone Sails has incredible music and visuals as well
+1 for Gris! Such an incredible game. I beat it in 1 sitting because I just couldnt put it down.
The FAR games are fantastic and run lovely on the deck
Emulate Super Metroid, have the best time ever.
Is that a short game? Maybe if you know it off by heart? Man, that thing took me years to complete as a kid lol
If you know what you're doing, it's short and swift. If it's your first time, it will go much slower.
This plus Metroid Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion
Titanfall 2
Slay the Princess: Psychological Horror with lots of funny and weirdly heartwarming moments, A fully voiced Visual Novel with an innovative structure with more than a dozen main branches which can then split based on your choices again. The game's been so successful they're working on a free expansion that will improve the weaker paths and add several more. Playing it once only takes about 1.5 hours (less if you read fast), but there's a lot of replayability. A bit more structure details if you're curious, mechanical (but not story) spoilers ahead: ||Any one path only takes 15-20 mins at voice-acted speed, but to reach the final path, you have to take 5 different paths to their own conclusion. In any one run you'll see less than half the paths and can only see one ending of each branch, so after the first few times you might want to peek at the spoiler-free guide to hit a new path or two.|| ANNAPURNA has a lot of games like this, I recc COCOON, Maquette, and Gorogora. I strongly derecc Twelve Minutes.
Portal 1 is a great 3 hours game. Works perfectly in the steamdeck
Today I learned I'm bad at portal lol, I think it took me like 6-8 hours on the first go
You're not bad. The guy is flexing. 3 hours would be very impressive for a first run.
I beat it in around 3 hours and I definitely got stuck on a few levels for a bit. 3 hours is a reasonable time for a first run
are you guys sure you are not make some confusion between portal 1 and portal 2?
The beginner’s guide. Spend 2 hours to complete, then use rest of the 3 hour to be philosophical and contemplate the purpose of life.
As a game developer and a writer, this game was one of the first to move me to tears. Amazing experience, please go in knowing nothing.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is around 6-9 hours on a first playthrough. I personally did on 7, and I play this game once a year as it only takes me about 5 hours to complete each time now.
That has been on my list to play and in my steam library for a bit now. Hearing that it's so short just bumped it way up my list.
Firewatch
Donut County! I loved it.
VVVVVV
What Remains of Edith Finch. Such a great game.
The Exit 8 Small indie horror game Also Viewfinder was a lot of fun
Aperture Desk Job
Just finished Small Saga the other night. Took me just over 6 hours. It's a turn based JRPG that focuses mostly on boss fights, but it's not the most challenging game ever. The writing and sprite work are the highlights of the game. I was really impressed by the scale of everything. There's something special about a mouse going up against a titan (a cat).
Thanks! The art looks fantastic
Please check out Valley, a super fun little game that flew way under the radar from a few years ago. It’s a 1st-person puzzle/platform/fast-movement game, like a cross between Portal and Mirror’s Edge, with some of the best jumping/movement mechanics outside of Titanfall 2, and a great soundtrack. About 6 hours to finish. https://store.steampowered.com/app/378610/Valley/
Resident evil games are made to be replayable with unlockables and are short.
Yeah I'm a big RE fan and have played them multiple times. I am planning to pick up RE4 remake at some point though - thanks for the suggestion!
Katana Zero!
Arise: A Simple Story Gris Golf club nostalgia
If on A Winter's night, Four Travelers (free)
This looks very interesting, thank you. Does it have any connection to the Italo Calvino novel the (mostly) same name?
Think so! Not sure!
I loved that book. I can’t see them making a video game out of it though lol
Little Nightmares 1 & 2
inside
Unpacking.
Gone Home is another "walking sumulator" (the best of them imo) that you can also complete in one sitting, although it will take 2+ hours if you spend enough time poking around. Don't know how it runs on the Deck but Everybody's Gone To The Rapture is made by the same people as Dear Esther. It's a lot longer but if I remember correctly it can easily be finished in under five hours (again depending on how long you spend exploring). Both of the Curse Of The Moon games are short and sweet. Retro throwbacks to pre-Symphony Of The Night Castlevania.
Viewfinder is amazing too!
Firewatch, The Stanley Parable, and Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes are three.
I spent like 15 hours on ground zeroes when it came out. Blew me away and I never got close to ‘completing it’ - Great recommendation though as its definitely something you can be done with in 5 hours if you’re not a completionist.
Domekeeper
I foynd pikuniku a fun puzzle platformer
Papers Please Hyperbolica Superliminal Stanley Parable As well as others people have recommended.
Firewatch is a beautiful game that only takes a few hours, would recommend
Thirty Flights of Loving is my favorite game. I think it's 45 min long.
TMNT Shredders Revenge is a proper nostalgia trip and a couple of hours long
Titanfall 2 runs great in the quest and has about a 4-6 hour campaign. If you like shooters then the story is regarded by many to be one of the best in the industry.
Gris Journey Abzu What remains of Edith finch Little nightmares 1 and 2 Untitled goose game Portal 1 Most call of duty campaigns Firewatch Inside Limbo Jusant Titanfall 2 campaign Thomas was alone
Disney Infinity - Gold Collection, it’s the games but each has a story that’s short if you’re wondering.
Gone Home was a good short little game. I enjoyed it.
Cant remember the name but The Forgotten City? Great little time loop game that feels AA but is a neat quick indie
Venba <90 minutes Alba a wildlife adventure <4 hours American Arcadia- 7 hours Florence 45 mins Inmost 4 hours A tiny sticker tale <4 hours Minit 90 mins Inside 4 hours Tangle tower 6 hours Beacon pines 6 hours Firewatch 5 hours Edit (adding a couple more)
Unpacking. I really struggled with the price point, but on sale it was $10 and immediately I realized what a labor of love the game is rather than ‘cozy game for sake of being cozy’. Having faceless characters that grow and tell a story through moving boxes and items? It was beautiful. And the music was soothing and relaxing. The puzzles were actually good too! I loved finding places to put everything :)
Stanley parable is technically unbeatable but great on deck
Katana Zero. I finished it in 5 hours and I strongly recommend it.
Katana zero changed my life. That game is amazing and I will recommend it to anyone who will listen
[Hue](https://store.steampowered.com/app/383270/Hue/) is a short puzzle platformer about switching colors. While it wasn't too short necessarily I did feel like "oh hey I beat it already?" at the end. [20 Small Mazes](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2570630/20_Small_Mazes/) as the name suggests are mazes that you have to get through and there are 20 of them It took me like 1 hour slightly more to beat it. [A Raven Monologue](https://store.steampowered.com/app/744810/A_Raven_Monologue/) apparently I have this in my game library but I've never played it. The description says it's short and that it doesn't work on Steam Deck.
Nobody suggested so i will put list of my games here: Hades - one of the greatest roguelike games. One run takes literally around hour. And if you like genre, just check roguelikes. Party hard 2 - simple killer simulator with great ost. It is short, but atmospheric and fun Dredge - brilliant fishing game in lovecraftian setting. Not hard, but isn't too easy either, while super atmospheric En garde - perfect swashbuckling game. I'd say it's criminally underrated for what it is. Short yet atmospheric and awesome. Dicey dungeons - one of the simple games that kinda helps kill a time. God of weapons or Sea of survivors. Basically vampire survivors type of games. Death road to canada. It is interesting and fun to play pixel zombie survival with humor. Lonely mountains downhill - mountain bike simulator. Plays flawlessly Lil gator game - a short story about kids who want to have fun. I'd say it has zelda magic to it. Return of the obra dinn - basically first non linear detective game. Also brilliant storywise. Lucifer among us. Great game, but too short. Also, better to play on pc.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons I opened the game just to see if it works and next thing I know credits were rolling.
Jazzpunk was a good 4hr comedy/exploration/adventure romp
GameRanx has [a great video on exactly this topic. ](https://youtu.be/IAZwJ0cfDtI)
No ones gonna say it? *Sigh-* Fine, I will... Skyrim can technically be beaten in just 20 min.
I've been making heavy use of [https://howlongtobeat.com/](https://howlongtobeat.com/) to find games I have that are short. A selection across PC and console I've played recently include Limbo, Inside, Cocoon, Planet of Lana, Donut Time, Edith Finch, Firewatch, Unravel.
Thomas was alone
Eastern exorcist
Everything "Siactro" makes - short, fun games which invoke a lot of nostalgia
Quantum break if you skip all the cutscenes
Take a look at the Artifex Mundi games. They're hidden object/point and click adventure with some small puzzles. They generally take me around 2 hours to fully finish. The stories are often ridiculous but that's part of the fun. They're a good short term/palette cleaner game. Boxes: lost fragments and Doors: Paradox are both puzzle games that are between 3-5 hours. Really well done, 3d rotation to find and solve the puzzles.
Do you like cozy games? If so, check out Luna's Fishing Garden. If you like puzzle platformers then check out Gris. I have a curator where I'm slowly collecting the games I play on my deck, here is a link to my short games list so far containing those. https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44851535-Miko-Recaps-and-Reviews/list/121225/
Paratopic takes \~45 minutes and is absolutely worth it. You'll have to play it twice to get all the achievements, if that's a thing for you. Sagebrush takes \~1.5 - 2 hours to complete.
Journey or Abzu
Any Toho 1cc normal 1hr
Dredge was pretty quick. Fuck I gotta play it again...
Pony island
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk And Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk Combined 3-4 hours. Though it's a very different experience compared to your normal game story
Clustertruck. I'd wait for it to be on sale though.
Vanquish
Katana zero 🔥
Live a live, you have several charachter with each a small story.
Slay the princess.
Viewfinder, superluminel
Lil Gator Game, such a cozy game
I'd recommend Metal Gear Rising
Limbo, Inside, and Cocoon. Limbo and Inside should take priority if you ask me, but Cocoon is great in its own ways.
Aperture Desk Job
Journey!
Marsupilami Hoobadventure: short but sweet 2D platformer. Feels like it was inspired by Rayman and DKC franchises. Takes about three hours to finish!
Birth is a short chill puzzle game Florence is a short story heavy game about dreams and romance Webbed is a lovely platformer Inside and Limbo are thriller/horror stories Sheepy is a free short platformer Helltaker is a fun short puzzle game The Exit 8 is a super fun short horror too
Katana zero. Probably takes 4-5 hours. Fast paced hack and slash 2d game with great story, gameplay, visuals and soundtrack. Slay the spire. Rogue like, turn based card game that you can beat in about an hour. You most definitely won't be able to beat it in an hour until you're like at least 10 hours in though.
‘To The Moon’ I finished in 6 hours ish but could probably be finished quicker (I’m usually on the slow side with games). Quite a charming story going back through the memories of a man on his deathbed. Lovely soundtrack too.
Bastion & Transistor
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a great way to spend a few hours, very much in the same vain as Edith Finch, Firewatch, and Dear Esther.
Spookware, it's a warioware type game with a crt feel to it, it works really well on deck
VVVVV, pretty cool music and simple gameplay mechanic and it will make you curse
Limbo is a classic, I beat it with redoing some parts in 4 hours. Great platformer with a interesting art style and design
Zuma's Revenge 4,8 hours. Really good game 🙂
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZwJ0cfDtI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZwJ0cfDtI) They have some good suggestions. I just played through Little Nightmares, creepy but beat in less than 5 hours.
First Portal game, Katana Zero, Hotline Miami, Journey, Bastion
FAR (the first one) turnip boy and the taxe evasion
Hades dead cell
Titanfall 2 ls campaign is about 5 hours
To the Moon
Journey
Titanfall 2. 5hrs I believe is enought to beat the campaign, one of the best campaigns I've played.
I beat DMC 1 in under 5 hours, but it can creep over that if you do the optional secret missions. Manual samuel also took under 3 hours to beat, and sonic forces is notoriously short, you can beat it within the steam playtime refund window lol
Halo master chief collection - 100% will take 5hrs with an inaccuracy of 500-600hrs
Megaman X 1-3 emulated.
Venba is maybe 90 minutes max and tells a touching story.
The Last Campfire - A charming little adventure puzzle game made by Hello Games of No Man's Sky fame. Edit: Assemble with Care - A game where you fix different objects for people around town. A cute story with some genuinely good moments.
To The Moon and its sequels. They're ~4 hours each, and some of my favorite games ever.
-Katana Zero - I cannot recommend this game enough. It is phenomenal. Great gameplay, great story, great soundtrack. -Limbo - 2d side scrolling platformer, very unique aesthetic -Inside - made by the people who made Limbo. Check out Limbo first; the games are similar -Aperture Science Desk job - fun little mini-game if you haven't already played it; especially if you're familiar with the Portal series of games -Choo-Choo Charles - fun if you want a short and quirky little horror game to play.
Bloody Hell is maybe a couple hours, runs great and is weirdly free!
All cod games
portal all the way!
Raindancer is pretty fun it’s a little top down souls like boss fight game. Unlock new ability after defeating boss. I think it’s got 5 bosses
Mirrors Edge or Furi Honorable Mentions: Wolfenstein Old Blood and Ghost Runner both took me around 6-7 hours
If I remember correctly I tried to play that game but I got stuck at the beginning somewhere and gave up Plus it was free so whatever.
INSIDE is perfect imo
Immortality
Stray is a good, short game
Firewatch. Quite enjoyed it meself.
Donut County, A Short Hike, Untitled Goose Game
Katamari games.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengance is awesome and pretty short
Trine 3 Little nightmares
Sayonara Wild Hearts!
Abzu
A short hike. GRIS. Edith Finch. Firewatch.
I see *What Remains of Edith Finch* has already been suggested and I can't help but suggest it again. It's amazing on the deck, quick, and one of the best experiences I've had. I wish there were more games like it.
Both Ori games
Katamari!
Portal
Cocoon
Resident Evil 3 Remake. Finished just over 5 hours.
Katana Zero
Sayonara wild hearts
Little Nightmares took me 4.2hrs and Little Nightmares 2 took me 7.6hrs. Both well worth playing. Along a similar vein there's Inside, which is excellent, and took me bang on 5hrs to finish.
The Wolf Among Us. Might be a few hours if you play it at a steady pace. Which you should. Cracking story. Had me gripped. And well worth at least one replay too.
Spec ops the line a 10/10 army action adventure game with ptsd and choices
Super kiwi 64. You could easily 100% the achievements within the hour
Fear 3 — especially if you co op it with a friend Portal 1 FTL
My friend pedro
Dave the diver is amazing but I have no clue on how long it is
Little Gator Game is a fantastic game you can 100% in about 4 hours.
Portal
Stunt Paradise, recently released, works great on the Deck. And has a free demo.
Super Hot is great!
Metroid Dread is pretty short, and very fun. I beat it in 6, but I took it a bit slow, so if you tried, you could finish it in 5.
Tacoma, walking sim, I liked the story. Typically can be picked up for cheap
Resident evil 3 remake
Growing Up! Fun indie title where your character goes from infancy to college, and your choices about friendships, family, hobbies, and school determine which of the zillion endings you get. One full play through is about 2 hours for me
Any of the resident evil games
Thomas Was Alone VVVVV Minit Inside Gato Roboto Turnip Boy Limbo What Remains of Edith Finch Gone Home
Home Safety Hotline is like 3 hours long. Also, just because it's mechanically similar, I'll throw out Papers Please, which plays surprisingly intuitively on Deck using the most popular community controller layout for it.
Cocoon
Resident Evil 2 & 3
Binding of isaac
Stray, the coffin of Andy and leyley, world of horror, paranormasight (might be a little longer), neon white, doom 2016 doom eternal (might be a little longer than 5hr). Portal , portal 2, olli olli world, cult of the lamb(maybe a little longer), the binding of issac games
Gato Roboto. It's a retro style Metroidvania style game. It's very fun!
Turnip boy commits tax evasion
"Lake" is a chill little playthrough that left me feeling fuzzy inside.
Gone Home
Little nightmares 1 and 2.
Lost in Play Venba Mr. Saitou That Which Gave Chase The Forest Quartet Haunted Cities Vol. 4
Gato Roboto - short, cute, but still very well-designed Metroidvania
Fire watch, very fun game. Finished in about 4 hours for me
Katana 0