What games based on popular anime are available on the Steam Deck? Let's take a look at some of the very best anime games that are marked as either Verified or Playable on Valve's handheld PC.
If you’re an otaku looking to grow your Steam Deck’s library, you’re probably familiar with the struggle of navigating the store’s anime tag. Along with being plagued by NSFW shovelware, the tag is pretty commonly misattributed to games that have little to do with the medium.
The process can be a headache, even before considering the issue of hardware compatibility. Thankfully, we’re here to help with our handy rundown of the best anime games on Steam Deck. All of our selections are top-tier gaming experiences that have been adapted from or to an anime series. As a result, we’ll exclude games which, while taking heavy inspiration from the visual style of anime, have yet to appear in the medium — those anime-flavoured games could really take up an entire article of their own.
Every choice below is either entirely Steam Deck verified or playable, with almost perfect functionality. Basically, they're the best thing to happen to on-the-go anime fans since Crunchyroll hit the App Store. Let’s get into it!
✨ These are some of the very best anime games for your Steam Deck
.hack//G.U. Last Recode
🎮 Steam Deck Playable
Isekai has been one of the most popular anime genres of the last decade. But before Sword Art Online and Log Horizon, there was Dot Hack.
This prolific multimedia franchise centres around a fictional MMORPG where if you die in the game, you … well, don’t quite die in real life but you do fall into a coma. That’s still not ideal. In .hack//G.U., one of your friends suffers this fate at the hands of an exceedingly cruel ‘player-killer’, prompting you on a quest for vengeance.
Pick up this remastered collection of the first three .hack//G.U. games for a great JRPG experience with multi-layered worldbuilding and some surprisingly profound theming.
↳ .hack//G.U. Last Recode on Steam Deck
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
🎮 Steam Deck Playable | Demo available
Have you ever played a fighting game and thought, ‘What my flamboyantly dressed, uber-muscular fighter is lacking is an even more flamboyant, even more muscular psychic double of themselves?' If so, you’ll love using Stand — one of five extravagant battle styles available in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.
Given that it’s an upgraded version of the original All-Star Battle from 2012, we can only assume the ‘R’ stands for re-release. Still, it's a re-release that wholly justifies its existence; bringing the game’s theatricality and flair to PC while updating its content in-line with the most recent story arc. Its 51-character roster is a pretty sweet selling point too.
It’s worth noting that the story mode is pretty unashamedly geared towards existing fans of the franchise, as the iconic fights receive sparse context. If you’re not well-versed in the bizarre adventures of the various JoJos, consider keeping the wiki open while you play.
↳ Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R on Steam Deck
Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation - The Endless Seven-Day Journey
🎮 Steam Deck Playable
Despite Crayon Shin-chan’s immense popularity in Japan, the series never took off in the same way in the West. Even still, you might recognise its protagonist: five-year-old tearaway, Shin-chan.
This thick-browed rascal’s slice-of-life adventures have found a new home on Steam Deck with Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation - The Endless Seven-Day Journey. Yes, that’s the actual title.
The series’ signature wacky humour really shines in this laid-back life sim game. It also offers immersive sound design, charming and varied gameplay systems, and the kind of delicately rendered representations of rural Japan that would make a Ghibli fan go starry-eyed.
↳ Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation - The Endless Seven-Day Journey on Steam Deck
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles
🎮 Steam Deck Verified
Arena fighters are a popular approach to take with action-heavy anime games. Thankfully, it has produced some pretty great titles.
One such example is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles. This vibrantly rendered adaptation provides a comprehensive story mode filled with series-accurate cutscenes and accessible but satisfying combat.
↳ Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles on Steam Deck
Attack on Titan 2 - A.O.T.2
🎮 Steam Deck Playable | Demo available
Based on one of the best-selling manga of all time, Attack on Titan is a giant in the world of anime. Pun intended.
In this hack-n-slash adaptation, you bring to life a self-insert character to fight alongside canon members of the Survey Corps. Of course, your OC has a fittingly tragic backstory to motivate their titan-slaying but the game’s real narrative strength is in its faithful recreation of season 1 and 2’s plot.
Gameplay in A.O.T.2 is a great time; fluidly zipping around titans with your ODM gear scratches that same part of the brain that loves web-swinging as Spider-Man. It’s total hero wish-fulfillment and undoubtedly a must-have for fans of the source material.
↳ Attack on Titan 2 - A.O.T.2 on Steam Deck
Corpse Party
🎮 Steam Deck Verified
This horror cult classic started life as an RPG Maker title in 1996. Since then, it’s been adapted and refined over and over again in a whole host of different mediums. The most recent of these is Corpse Party (2021). It’s probably the most definitive and polished way to experience the OG bloodbath.
After a friendship ritual goes wrong, a group of high schoolers become trapped in an alternate dimension with the tortured souls of ill-fated students. To have any chance of safely returning to their realm, the gang have to unravel the gruesome history that haunts their school.
The game’s depiction of gore is unflinching and the intense death scenes provide the backbone of the scares. However, there’s plenty to be said about the part played by effective sound design. The 3D effect of binaural audio makes for some legitimately spine-chilling moments. Definitely recommend playing this one with headphones.
Doraemon Story of Seasons
🎮 Steam Deck Playable
The joyous simplicity of Harvest Moon gets a cutesy sci-fi twist with this Doraemon crossover. The farm sim comes with all the standard gameplay systems you’d expect but running a ranch in this universe definitely has its own quirks. The eponymous blue cat/robot from the future lends a helping hand with high-tech tools that can alter the weather or teleport you around the map.
From mining and fishing to chatting with townsfolk and celebrating festivals, there’s plenty to dive into in Doraemon Story of Seasons. Best of all, at each step of the way, you traverse an incredibly charming storybook environment.
While the time-travel narrative is simple, it’s also really endearing. Given the game’s low stakes and leisurely pace, it’s ideal to play in short bursts — perfect for calming down after a long day or escaping the drudgery of your daily commute.
↳ Doraemon Story of Seasons on Steam Deck
One Piece Odyssey
🎮 Steam Deck Playable
Meet Monkey D. Luffy: aspiring Pirate King and the current reigning king of shōnen anime (RIP Naruto). He and his Straw Hat Crew have accumulated over 1,000 episodes worth of adventure since One Piece first aired in 1997.
Of course, that’s a lot for a player to catch up with. One Piece Odyssey is a well-polished turn-based RPG that effectively side-steps this problem. By crafting a unique story arc tantamount to a filler episode, the game can offer plenty of fan service while not totally alienating those who are new to the franchise.
↳ One Piece Odyssey on Steam Deck
Steins;Gate
🎮 Steam Deck Playable
Steins;Gate delivers one of the most artfully managed time-loops in anime. Maybe even one of the best seen in popular media as a whole. Far from the grinding repetition of an ‘endless 8’, the science fiction elements serve to enhance the tragic drama of the plot.
This widely celebrated anime is based on an equally excellent visual novel. In fact, you could argue that the nonlinearity that comes with the game’s alternate endings makes for an even better way to experience the story. Due to its playability on the Steam Deck, you have the opportunity to do just that.
These are just a selection of the anime-themed gems available on Steam Deck — the library of playable/verified games is constantly growing. Of course, if you’re into emulation on the Steam Deck, you also have the opportunity to unlock a whole other world of retro anime games, but maybe that's a list for another day...
Sound off in the comments about some of your favourite anime games!
