Pacific Drive is easily one of the most intriguing indie games of the last few years. What amounts to a driving simulator is kept interesting by a surprising amount of supernatural events and survival mechanics that keep the pace interesting. It’s a fantastic experience and one you can enjoy on Steam Deck at a truly incredible price right now.
The best indie games offer a unique adventure that can’t be found elsewhere, and Pacific Drive certainly fits the bill. Delivering a different perspective on the countless Stalker-esque FPS games out there, Pacific Drive’s atmospheric zone and the secrets from a bygone era make it worth playing, especially at its lowest price ever.
Set in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, Pacific Drive feels understandably lonely. It’s a run-down area that holds a lot of supernatural anomalies that threaten to wipe you out if you don’t know how to survive them, and unlike plenty of other paranormal games, you won’t be escaping on foot, but relying on vehicles instead.
Your trusty car is beaten up at first, but in this single-player game, it’s also your main companion. You don’t have powers to fight off the Exclusion Zone’s biggest threats, but a vehicle that will reliably help you explore the dangerous land within the zone. It’s part survival game, part racing game, and all fun, immersing you in a uniquely atmospheric experience.
You’re not left alone to survive the wilderness as a handler communicates to you through the tired, rattly old radio to help you investigate the Olympic Exclusion Zone’s biggest and strangest mysteries. It makes for a truly fantastic Steam Deck game that stands out as one of my favorite indies in the last few years.
If you’ve been waiting for a new experience to play, then you can grab Pacific Drive at its lowest price on Fanatical, with the game at an incredible $15.89 / £13.24 for a limited time. For what it’s worth, you should try and enjoy the ride as much as possible, especially as things will get a little wild the further you progress.
Even if you don’t own Valve’s handheld console, Pacific Drive runs fantastically on the best Steam Deck alternatives, so you’re in for a truly engaging time regardless. If you’re looking for something more explosive in nature, the best action games will give you some adrenaline-inducing titles for your handheld.