What a week! I'm still feeling the hype of the ROG Xbox Ally handheld reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase last Sunday, and I've been watching and reading as many previews for it as possible over the past few days.
I've also started thinking about the kind of games I'm going to be enjoying on the ROG Xbox Ally the most, and there's certainly a lot to choose from across the Xbox PC app, Steam, other launchers and various extra ways to play on it.
So, this is just a little list of games I personally can't wait to play on the ROG Xbox Ally handheld when it launches this holiday. I'll give you my reasons for each of them - but please do tell me your games in the comments below as well!
1. Baldur's Gate 3
I bought Baldur's Gate 3 back at launch for Xbox in December of 2023, and although I've absolutely loved the time I've spent with it so far, it's pretty overwhelming in terms of how much content there is. Sometimes, when I'm away from my console, I just want it boot it up on my Windows PC - and I'll definitely want to play it on the Xbox handheld.
The Xbox Games Showcase reveal of the ROG Xbox Ally suggests Baldur's Gate 3 will soon become an Xbox Play Anywhere title, as it was featured as part of the Xbox PC app in the Xbox Ally's reveal trailer the other day. That would be amazing for those of us who don't want to buy it again on PC, and I'm hopeful it'll end up proving the case.
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is undoubtedly one of the best Xbox releases of 2025 so far, and just like most people, I'm loving it right now! For me at least, it's the perfect kind of game to jump in and out of - finish a few turn-based battles, progress the story a little bit, and then return to it the next day.
For that reason, I've found Quick Resume to be a great benefit for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on Xbox Series X, and I feel like the ROG Xbox Ally will be the perfect complement for it as well. I can play for a bit, put it into standby to cover a breaking news story on Pure Xbox, and then jump seamlessly back into the game afterwards!
3. Marvel's SpiderMan
Yes, of course I'm intrigued to play a PlayStation game on an Xbox handheld! There's lots of stuff that could be in the mix here including the likes of Helldivers 2, although Marvel's SpiderMan probably tops the list for me. I've got the original version on PS4, but the remaster looks great - and should run much better on the Xbox ROG Ally.
This is the beauty of Steam, and it's the closest we're going to get to seeing PlayStation first-party titles on an Xbox "console" device right now. There's obviously the novelty factor to it, but these are also fantastic games that shouldn't be missed, and I'm really glad I'll get the chance to enjoy them on my Xbox ROG Ally later this year.
4. Football Manager
OK, so I'm massive fan of the Football Manager series and have dedicated thousands of hours into it over the years. The console version that we get on Xbox is decent enough, but it's not the full-fat PC version - and if you're a hardcore fan of the series, you probably want as many features and as much depth as possible, so that's the way to go.
Not only am I excited to play Football Manager on the ROG Xbox Ally, but I'm also just intrigued to see how well it works on there. Unlike the Steam Deck, for example, the ROG Xbox Ally doesn't have any trackpads for mouse controls, and therefore it's going to require using the thumbsticks. Will that be a deal-breaker? We'll have to wait and see.
5. DOOM: The Dark Ages
I'll admit that DOOM: The Dark Ages hasn't really captured my attention that much so far (I've been too busy with other things), but I'm specifically interested how it works on the ROG Xbox Ally because of how troublesome it's proved for other PC handhelds. The likes of the Steam Deck and original ASUS ROG Ally have really struggled with this thing.
Even the ROG Ally X, which is one of the most powerful PC handhelds on the market right now, only just about sticks to 30FPS if you drop the settings and resolution down, so DOOM's latest release is clearly a powerhouse that's going to push the ROG Xbox Ally to the limit. It'll be a great game for testing purposes at the very least.
6. Anything With PC-Specific Mods
Xbox has become way better for mods in recent years, but it's impossible to keep up with the ridiculous number of PC mods that are being created for thousands of games all the time. With the ROG Xbox Ally, the ability to access PC mods opens up a world of possibilities that simply aren't present on console in this current generation.
I love playing modded Pro Evolution Soccer on my PC, so that's something I'm excited for. Fallout 4 has that amazing Fallout: London mod that I'm going to have to try. Even Grand Theft Auto V, a game I thought I'd exhausted at this point, has a ton of mods on PC that alter the game in major ways - it's going to be great discovering them all!
7. World of Warcraft
I mentioned a little while ago how World of Warcraft is playable on Xbox through NVIDIA GeForce Now and it's actually a good experience, although you need a good internet connection and ideally a mouse and keyboard to plug in. I'm not expecting amazing results from the ROG Xbox Ally with this, but I'm definitely excited to give it a try.
Based on what people have said, World of Warcraft runs well on the ROG Ally for the most part, and there are ways to get the controller settings optimised if you're willing to put in a bit of effort. It still sounds like mouse and keyboard is the ideal way to go, but I'm going to enjoy tinkering with it and seeing how I can make WOW work for me.
8. Fable (2026)
The ROG Xbox Ally handheld is coming out at the absolute perfect time for Microsoft. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the brand, with loads of major franchises set to release new titles, and one of them is long-awaited Fable reboot. I'll be playing this on my Xbox Series X for sure, but it's going to be amazing taking it on the go as well.
Who knows what to expect, but I'm assuming we'll be getting a lengthy single-player adventure that's going to feel perfect for portable play, and hopefully it'll be optimised well enough for the Xbox Ally in the process. The "X" version of the handheld should run it particularly well, and it'll obviously come with cross-save capabilities too. Bring it on!
Those are just eight games that I can't wait to play on the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, but there are tons more than I'm going to be checking out as well - and potentially thousands of native titles that we'll all be able to get access to.
It's going to be a long old wait until whatever "Holiday 2025" release date this thing gets, but hopefully we'll have plenty of content to share with you in the meantime, along with hands-on impressions as we get closer to launch. Stay tuned!