Excited states in the highly neutron-deficient nucleus 162 W have been investigated via the 92 Mo(78 Kr, 2α) 162 W reaction. Prompt γ rays were detected by the JUROGAM II high-purity germanium detector array and the recoiling fusion-evaporation products were separated by the recoil ion transport unit (RITU) gas-filled recoil separator and identified with the gamma recoil electron alpha tagging (GREAT) spectrometer at the focal plane of RITU. γ rays from 162 W were identified uniquely using mother-daughter and mother-daughter-granddaughter α-decay correlations. The observation of a rotational-like ground-state band is interpreted within the framework of total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations, which suggest an axially symmetric ground-state shape with a γ-soft minimum at β 2 ≈ 0.15. Quasiparticle alignment effects are discussed based on cranked shell model calculations. New measurements of the 162 W ground-state α-decay energy and half-life were also performed. The observed α-decay energy agrees with previous measurements. The half-life of 162 W was determined to be t 1/2 = 990(30) ms. This value deviates significantly from the currently adopted value of t 1/2 = 1360(70) ms. In addition, the α-decay energy and half-life of 166 Os were measured and found to agree with the adopted values.