Best Games to Play on Steam Machine With Friends (2026)

You unboxed it. Now what do you play?

The Steam Machine is set up, the controller is charged, and your friends are asking what you want to play tonight. Here's a list of games that work well on the Steam Machine for multiplayer, organized by what matters most: can your friends on other platforms join you?

Crossplay games (play with PS5, Xbox, and Switch friends)

These games support crossplay between the Steam Machine (PC) and at least one console platform. Your friends don't need to switch platforms.

• Fortnite (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• Apex Legends (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• Call of Duty Warzone (PC, PS5, Xbox)
• Overwatch 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)

• Minecraft (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• Among Us (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• Dead by Daylight (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• No Man's Sky (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)

• Rocket League (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• Fall Guys (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)
• MultiVersus (PC, PS5, Xbox)

• Destiny 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox)
• Sea of Thieves (PC, PS5, Xbox)
• Dauntless (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)

Check the full crossplay lists for your platform combo:

• PC + PS5 crossplay
• PC + Xbox crossplay
• PC + Switch crossplay

PC-only multiplayer (Steam Machine + other PC players)

These don't have console crossplay but run great on the Steam Machine and have active PC multiplayer communities.

• Lethal Company - the horror game that took over Discord
• Valheim - Viking survival, supports up to 10 players
• Deep Rock Galactic - 4 player co-op mining/shooting
• Grounded - Obsidian's survival game, recently hit PC
• Phasmophobia - ghost hunting co-op

• Satisfactory - factory building with up to 4 friends
• Terraria - 2D sandbox, supports 8+ players
• Stardew Valley - farming co-op, up to 4 players
• Core Keeper - underground survival co-op

• Counter-Strike 2 (check anti-cheat compatibility)
• Team Fortress 2 - free, works on Linux natively
• Dota 2 - native Linux, runs perfectly

Free games to start with

Just spent Just spent $1,049 on hardware? These cost nothing:,049 on hardware? These cost nothing:

• Fortnite (crossplay with everything)
• Rocket League (crossplay with everything)
• Apex Legends (crossplay with everything)
• Destiny 2 (crossplay PC/PS5/Xbox)
• Team Fortress 2 (PC only, native Linux)
• Dota 2 (PC only, native Linux)
• Counter-Strike 2 (PC only, check compatibility)
• Fall Guys (crossplay with everything)

Games to be careful with

Some multiplayer games have issues on SteamOS due to anti-cheat software:

• Easy Anti-Cheat games - most work through Proton now, but check Valve's compatibility list
• BattlEye games - similar situation, most updated to support Proton
• Vanguard (Riot) - does not work on Linux. Valorant won't run on Steam Machine
• Any game with kernel-level anti-cheat - likely won't work

Before buying a game for multiplayer, check if it's Deck Verified. Steam Machine compatibility follows the same rules.

Let your group decide

Instead of one person picking from a list, let your whole group vote. PickThe.Games checks crossplay between everyone's platforms and shows what works for the group.

1. Create a board

2. Set platforms (PC for Steam Machine + whatever your friends have)

3. Everyone swipes through games

4. Results show what the group agrees on

Or try swiping without an account to see how it works.

The bottom line

The Steam Machine plays most Steam multiplayer games without issues. For crossplay with console friends, it works exactly like a PC. The main limitation is the small number of competitive games with anti-cheat that doesn't support Linux.

For game night planning, the platform your group is on matters less than whether you can all agree on what to play. The Steam Machine doesn't change that problem. But at least now there's a tool for it.