There was a time that portable gaming meant squinting at the backlight-free screen of a Game Boy in the back of the car. Today, we have a comparative wealth of riches to enjoy, thanks to systems like the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2. While these systems aren't technically pocket-sized, they're absolutely portable, and this means fantastic games from vast libraries, all on the go.
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This is a positive or a negative, depending on where you're going and how easily you can become engrossed in what you're playing. Some titles are perfect for a quick session in between stops of a train, while others will keep you transfixed for the whole journey. Here are some of the most compelling handheld games around.
Hades 2
Once More Unto The Crossroads
Over a long Early Access process, fans became familiar with Melinoe's plight, her battle to save her family from the devious Chronos, and the many different resources she'll need to collect along the way. Meta progression is rather more involved than in the original game, which means that many runs both up towards the surface and down into the depths will be needed to pursue them.
Now available on the Nintendo Switch family of systems and verified on Steam Deck, Hades 2 is always within arm's reach. Its save-almost-anywhere functionality and sheer replayability mean that this exemplary roguelike is great for any length of trip, or relaxing at home. It even improves on the original game, which is impressive indeed.
Kirby Air Riders
Perhaps Nintendo Switch 2's Best Racer
When a system launches with a new entry in the Mario Kart series, it has a super solid and monster-selling kart racer right out of the gate. This isn't to say, though, that Mario Kart World is necessarily always going to be the best racer on the system. In fact, since the November 2025 launch of Kirby Air Riders, some fans would say that it already has very stiff competition in that regard.
Whichever title you choose, you won't always have a stable connection for online races on the go. What you'll arguably have with Kirby's new racer, though, is a single-player experience that's just as robust. City Trial is reminiscent of Free Roam in Mario Kart World, while Road Trip has its own substantial campaign with lots of varied objectives, which is quite a rarity in a racer. Those who fondly remember the likes of Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing's respective story modes will have a blast with this. While the latest Mario Kart is also excellent, the intermission structure and the somewhat barren Free Roam map have been controversial. On your next real-life road trip, why not bring Kirby along?
Vampire Survivors
Many Hours Of Undead-Mashing Later
One big thing that the games on this list share in common is that they're suitable for short sessions, but typically keep you on the hook for much longer. A spare half an hour or so, for example, is plenty for a run in Vampire Survivors, but before you know it, it's the early hours of the morning. After all, can you resist a fresh run to try out that brand-new unlocked character? Of course you can't; they start with a new weapon you haven't tried out yet, and you're intrigued.
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The key to Vampire Survivors' success is that it's so simple to get the gist of that anyone can start playing immediately (using these helpful beginner tips, perhaps). At the same time, though, there are hundreds of hours' worth of content to unlock and intricacies to grasp. It's fantastic to play on the go because there's no lengthy narrative to grasp or interruptions from cutscenes, just all action all the time. The progression system also means that you're never wasting your time, even with a failed run, because collected cash goes towards upgrading your characters' base speed and other attributes.
Stardew Valley
Your Perfect Farm, One Session At A Time
There's something magical that keeps an army of devotees coming back to Stardew Valley, and it's not hard to appreciate how such a charming little world can be the perfect place to escape to at times. Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it's a game in which you can quickly log on to sell crops and check in with neighbors, or sink hours at a time into customizing, organizing, taking part in events, and so on.
It's an excellent game to be able to carry around with you, being so adaptable. The work of running grandpa's farm, after all, is made up of lots of little jobs and minigames; a matter of regular maintenance. If your train or flight is delayed, for example, you suddenly have a reason to blast through a lot of that to-do list all at once. The difficult thing will be putting the game back down again.
Ball X Pit
Ballbylon Is Calling Yet Again
Like Hades 2, this roguelike is also available on Steam Deck and Switch (among other devices), and wherever you play it, it'll get a grip on you like almost nothing else if it clicks with you. A kind of Space Invaders and Breakout blend, enemies progress towards you from the top of the screen, and you have only your ever-ricocheting shots with which to dispatch them all.
To the untrained eye, it all just looks like brightly-colored carnage, as projectiles, flame, and poison effects and damage numbers erupt all over the screen, but there's so much strategy to Ball X Pit. As is common in the genre, it's a game of frequent defeats, learning all the time, and steady, very satisfying improvement. Rather like Balatro, it's a dangerous one to have in your pocket, and you might well find it calling to you throughout the day. How else will you ever get to see all the possible ball evolutions?
Satisfactory
"Satisfactory" On Steam Deck, You Might Say
At the time of writing, Satisfactory isn't available for the Nintendo Switch family, and sadly, it may never be. It's still playable anywhere thanks to the Steam Deck, but the important thing to note is that it isn't currently Verified on the system. A rating of 'Playable' means that some compromises may need to be made and settings tinkered with in order to enjoy it in handheld form. It's certainly worth the effort, though, because this is something very special.
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By yourself or in a group, the game blends aspects of Factorio, No Man's Sky, and the Savage Planet series into a sort of construction sandbox. You can be super serious about efficiency and production, or you can just make a hilarious mess of things with ludicrous contraptions. Needless to say, a lot of multiplayer sessions will embrace the latter option. It's not as easy to pick up and play for brief periods, as it's a very involved game when it comes to optimizing various elements of your factories. Still, in setting your own goals and objectives, you can play for as long as you'd like.
Monster Hunter Rise
You'll Be Playing Sunbreak Until Daybreak
The most recent installment in the celebrated series, Monster Hunter Wilds, hasn't had a smooth ride since its hit launch. Nonetheless, in claiming whole weekends one hunt at a time, it's very much in the spirit of the franchise. Mainline Monster Hunter has been a big deal since the PSP days, and the prior entry in the series, 2021's Monster Hunter Rise, is still the pick of recent releases for many.
With a lengthy campaign and a DLC expansion of equal scope, there's a huge amount of content to enjoy here. Rise revolutionized movement in the series through Wirebug maneuvers and Canynes that can be ridden, and it's still just as satisfying to zip around and unleash all-new Silkbind attacks. Strategic and traversal options feel great here, and tangling with a cast of new and returning monsters means there's always a new reward to hunt for. Even if you're stuck on your Switch away from Internet connectivity, playing by yourself can still be a blast. Once the solo story's complete, you can practise with new weapons, even bringing them to the Arena to really test yourself.
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