ASUS’ ROG Ally was the first big brand Windows portable console following on the heels of Valve’s Steam Deck launch. All of a sudden, handheld gaming saw a massive resurgence with devices that look like portable consoles but wield the full power of PC gaming.
So, what games make the most of what the ROG Ally has to offer? To start, the Ally is more powerful than the Steam Deck, but that isn’t the gadget’s real strength. Running Windows means the ROG Ally has access to a whole host of services that the Steam Deck doesn’t. So, here’s our list of games capitalizing on both the Ally’s beefy hardware and software.
Starfield
Starfield is among the most demanding games of 2023; it doesn’t even run at 60 FPS on Microsoft’s most powerful Xbox Series X. That came as quite a surprise since 60 FPS had become an unspoken standard on the Series X up to now.
You’d be forgiven then for thinking that Starfield is out of reach of handheld devices, but that’s not the case. The ROG Ally runs the spacefaring RPG just fine at 30 FPS with the graphics turned down, equivalent to what the latest Xbox consoles are limited to.
It doesn’t look as good as on the Xbox, but on the Ally’s much smaller screen, that’s less noticeable than you’d think. Another big reason why Starfield tops our list is that the game is available with Xbox Game Pass, which the ROG Ally can access through Windows.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is, for some fans, a long-awaited return to the roots of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It’s a traditional Assassin’s Creed game based on stealth, parkour, and taking down templars.
It’s disappointing then that the game isn’t available on Steam. It’s currently exclusive to Ubisoft’s store, Ubisoft Connect. However, that’s not the end of the world for ROG Ally owners. Not only can you install Ubisoft Connect on the Ally, but it runs magnificently to boot. I’ve played at a steady 60 FPS while plugged in on low settings, using 1080p with FSR — mighty impressive for a AAA game on a handheld device.
Mirage is also available as part of Ubisoft’s PC subscription service, Ubisoft+, giving gamers access to every new Ubisoft game on day one, as well as a library of 100+ games. If you have the subscription on your desktop PC, you can also use it on your Ally.
Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5
Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5 share a spot on this list because the one you choose depends on your driving style. Are you a wannabe Lewis Hamilton who needs to hit every apex perfectly, or do you enjoy cruising around in your favorite car? Whichever one you prefer, you can’t really go wrong.
I tested Forza Motorsport on the ROG Ally and got up to 60 FPS, depending on the track and conditions on medium settings, at 900p with FSR balanced. In dozens of hours of playtime, the game performed as smoothly as you’d hope a racing game would. Forza Horizon 5 is the same story, sporting smooth gameplay as you traverse around Mexico.
Both games are available on Xbox Game Pass, so you can try them both out to decide which you prefer if you’re subscribed. The only downside to the two Forza games is the hefty download sizes that are bigger than you may think. Motorsport comes in at around 124GB, and Horizon 5 at a whopping 140 GB.
EA Sports FC 24
If you’re a futbol fan, EA Sports FC 24 is probably already on your radar. As the first “FIFA” game not to bear the name, FC 24 is still the same game that dominates sales and playtime around the world.
It’s also a must-have play for the cross-section of soccer fans and Ally owners. In fact, the only way to play FC 24 on a portable PC is to do so on a Windows one. The game won’t run on the Steam Deck due to EA’s anti-cheat software being Windows only.
That’s not a problem on the Ally, and once you’re up and running, it’s easy to forget you’re not playing on a PS5 or desktop. FC 24 holds a steady 60 FPS on the Ally and feels just as good to play as on beefier hardware.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
If you’re downloading the EA app, you might as well check out the best EA game of 2023, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It’s another game that really pushes hardware on PC, so it’s not the most obvious ROG Ally-friendly.
While you’ll have the best time if you’re plugged in and using the Ally’s 30w Turbo mode, it’s perfectly fine unplugged and on the go. In my testing, I was able to get between 30-40 FPS at 720p, on low settings, and with FSR set to Quality.
You can lock Jedi Survivor to 30 FPS for a consistent framerate, but it is able to hover around 37-40 FPS most of the time. If you do want to play in a truly portable (i.e, unplugged) manner, then lock the game at 30 FPS on both 25w and 15w modes for a decent enough experience.
Once you’re set up and running, you’ll find that playing Jedi: Survivor on the Ally is an absolute blast. The game is available through EA’s subscription service, EA Play Pro, and like with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, that’s plenty of time to finish.
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a game that isn’t easily available on the Steam Deck due to the Battle.net service being incompatible due to the anti-cheat software it has. You can’t play any of the newer titles on anything but Windows on PC.
We should note right off the bat that, at the time of writing, there have been reports of ROG Ally players getting erroneously banned for playing the latest game, Modern Warfare 3. The problem is supposedly being looked into by Asus, but it’s not the case for the other recent titles. Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare 2, and Warzone can all be played on the Ally without falling afoul of the anti-cheat system.
In fact, those games don’t just play well on the Ally. They play exceptionally well. I tested Black Ops Cold War on the handheld and was able to get an incredible 75-90 FPS at 1080p, low settings on the 15w performance mode. That’s a truly impressive feat for such a big game on a handheld device.
If you have an ROG Ally and want to get your Call of Duty fix on the go, you’re in for a treat. You may have to cough up for a bigger SSD, though. Black Ops Cold War is a whopping 175GB on PC, but if you’re happy to only install multiplayer, that’s a more reasonable 50GB.
Update by Elliott Gatica: Since you’ve had plenty of time to chew through your picks from our original list of seven, how about three more games to play on the ROG Ally? This rounds our best-of list to a nice, even 10, adding to the Steam Deck’s growing competition with more RPGs and multiplayer challenges below.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 needs no introduction as to why it should be played on more capable devices. Larian’s entry to the series easily steals over 100 hours of your time, and if you don’t want to be at your desk all day, why not bring that world with you on the go? A little pocket Astarion, portable sass.
Sure, you’ll sacrifice some visual fidelity to land a more stable framerate during and out of combat or run it at a stable 30 FPS at 1080p. It’s not a game where your best experiences relies heavily on a higher framerate. It’s up to you whether you want to choose performance over graphics and vice versa.
Palworld
Palworld is another Xbox Game Pass game worth at least a look. With its rise in popularity, seemingly out of nowhere, it took PC gamers by surprise as its concurrent users on Steam skyrocketed for weeks.
Personally, since this is an action game, the higher the framerate, the better. Even if you have to sacrifice texture and asset quality a bit to get a stable 45 FPS and up, it’ll be worth it. It seems that getting the game around 900p is the sweet spot to get just that. It’s certainly got some performance woes, so you’ll have to play around with it, but thankfully developer Pocketpair has slowly fixed some of those since launch.
Helldivers 2
Democracy jokes aside, Helldivers 2 is another game that took the world by storm this year and it’s a must-play if you like shooter games in general. Even then, it’s worth giving it a go just for some of the wild community stories coming out of the online play.
There’s a lot that goes on in this game that can easily tank your performance. Despite saying that action games should be at a higher framerate, you should probably sacrifice some performance for better graphical quality. You can get Helldivers 2 running at 45 FPS at best. Setting your Render Scale at Balanced and putting most other settings like textures and lighting at medium or low will make this a blast in handheld mode.
