Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: Survey suggests Valve's handheld will enjoy bounty of games despite Nintendo's big release

Two (or more) directly competing consoles can certainly exist in the market at the same time, but they require support from game developers to extend that existence. For instance, it is clear to see in the latest GDC State of the Gaming Industry report that there is still plenty of fuel in the tank for both the PlayStation 5 (or Pro) and Xbox Series X/S consoles, with 38% and 34%, respectively, of developers surveyed stating that they are using those platforms for their current project. What’s especially interesting in this 2025 GDC report are the figures for PC and Nintendo Switch 2 and what they might mean for any future competition between the established Steam Deck (currently $505 on Amazon) and the upcoming hybrid upstart.

Starting off with the latter, things don’t look initially bright for the Nintendo Switch 2 with “only” 8% of developers working on the platform. But several factors have to be taken into account here: The original Switch is more popular this year than last (20% vs. 18%), only a few selected studios will have access to a Switch 2 dev kit (hence the 8% in 2025 being the same as the 8% in 2024 for the “Nintendo Switch successor”), and the “next project by platform” figure for the Switch 2 stands at a healthy 20%. With 21% of developers surveyed working on a Switch title next, and the successor console having some level of backwards compatibility, it all adds up to a healthy library of games for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Such a vast choice of games could make Steam Deck fans wonder if their handheld of choice is likely to be abandoned in favor of the upcoming Switch 2, but the survey makes this look implausible. In fact, 80% of developers surveyed here stated that they were using a PC platform for their current project. To put this into perspective, in 2024 this figure was 66%, in 2023: 65%, in 2022 and 2021: 58%. It’s an incredible surge, which the report authors speculate may be connected with the Valve Steam Deck and its immense popularity. This is further hinted at by the statement that 44% of the developers were interested in this particular handheld platform. The potential Steam Deck vs. Switch 2 rivalry looks like a win-win situation for gamers.