this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2025

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What emulated games hold up in 2025? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 3 days ago by jwiggler@sh.itjust.works to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz

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Hey all, I'm interested in playing some emulated games on my steamdeck, but I'm not sure where to start.

I've been having fun with Super Mario World, but a good chunk of that is because I played it a lot as a kid, so much of my enjoyment is from nostalgia.

Problem is, I didn't play many too many games when I was a kid...

What older games out there would you say hold up in 2025? So that regardless of the nostalgia factor, they can be enjoyed by someone like me

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[–] jwiggler@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Thank you for the recs. Part of the reason I wasn't more specific is because, in terms of retro games, I have no idea of what I like since I haven't really played any. Another part is that I want to know what you, the people, think holds up in 2025. And another part, I'm trying to keep my taste open -- my first exposure to video games was GameBoy games, then Halo on PC, then having an Xbox 360 and playing popular action-y games. Later I'd find a taste for action RPGs (after much picking up and putting down), and only in the last few years have I expanded that to more...traditional? slower, I guess...RPGs like BG3 and Disco Elysium...expanding to puzzle games, sidescrollers, bullethells. I know they're a lot different but I guess my point is, at one point, I found it hard to get into them, but over time I was able to figure them out and have fun. Still have never played a JRPG, so that's on the horizon for me. I enjoy when things "click" in my brain, and if it takes a long time, that's okay.

Some games that I've loved over my 25 or so years of consciousness:

My all time fav is Outer Wilds

RDR2

Disco Elysium

Balatro

Alan Wake 2

I'll always have a soft spot for Halo 1-Reach

Portal 1 and 2

Hades

Risk of Rain 2

Doom 2016

Batman: Arkham City

Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro

Dave the Diver

Vampire Survivors

INSIDE

(noticing none of these are retro games so idk if this is even helpful)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Baldur's Gate 3

Dredge was cool but I didn't finish it

Witcher 3

Baba is You

Factorio was too addicting so I had to stop because it started feeling like work

GTA V because I enjoyed the satire

I have 2k+ hours in Rocket League since its the only game I can play while focusing on an audiobook or podcast or album.

Sounds pretentious because it is, but I like "heady" stuff, in games-terms I think that translates to things that expand my conception of what a game is and what it can do, or something that challenges me in a new way. But yeah, that's a long winded explanation of why I wasn't more specific regarding my taste.

[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 2 points 2 days ago

Here's the current list I have that I've played/playing/plan to play through.

3DS: New Super Mario Bros 2, Kirby Planet Robobot, Super Mario 3D Land.

Gamecube: Legend of Zelda, The - The Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine

GBA: Advance Wars (1+2), Super Mario Advance 4, Kirby - Nightmare in Dream Land

Mega Drive: Earthworm Jim (1+2), Streets of Rage 2, Lost Vikings, Micro Machines 2, Sonic and knuckles, Jungle Strike

N64: Golden Eye 007, Super Mario 64

PS1: Castlevania - Symphony of the Night, Grand Theft Auto 2, Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver, Final Fantasy 7+8+9

PS2: Crazy Taxi, GranTurismo 4, Metal Gear Solid 2+3, Okami, Ratchet & Clank - Up Your Arsenal (all the Ratchet and Clank games actually), Shadow of the Colossus, Tony Hawks Underground 2, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter

PS3: Everybodys Golf 6, Ratchet & Clank Future - A Crack in Time

PSP: Rock Band Unplugged, Blast Off, Disgaea - Afternoon Of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics - The War of the Lions, Grand Theft Auto - Chinatown Wars, Half-Minute Hero, Hotshots Tennis, LittleBigPlanet, Lumines 2, Mega Man - Powered Up, Mercury Meltdown, Patapon, PixelJunk Monsters - Deluxe, Puzzle Quest - Challenge of the Warlords, Space Invaders Extreme, Wipeout (Pulse+Pure), Daxter

SNES: Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, Tetris Attack.

PS Vita: Gravity Rush, Wipeout 2048, Geometry Wars 3

Wii: Bully, Cave Story, Donky Kong Country Returns, Geometry Wars Galaxies, Kirby's Epic Yarn, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Rhythm Heaven Fever, Super Mario Galaxy (1+2), Super Paper Mario, Tetris Party Deluxe, Zack and Wiki

Arguably one of the best genres that retro games excelled at were longdrawn RPGs and I haven't even started with those....if that's your thing then I've missed off that entire genre here.