Can the Asus ROG Ally Play All Games? - Laptop Adapter Charger Review

The Asus ROG Ally is a powerful handheld Windows gaming PC, packed into a device roughly the size of a Nintendo Switch. With an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, 16 GB of RAM and a 1080p 120 Hz screen, it looks on paper like a tiny gaming laptop with controller controls built in.

That leads to a common question: can the Asus ROG Ally play all games?

The short answer is: the ROG Ally can run a huge portion of the modern PC game library, but not literally “all games” in every scenario. There are technical, performance, OS and input limitations you need to understand.

1. What “All Games” Really Means

Before we talk about the Ally itself, we need to define what “all games” means. There are a few different categories:

Windows PC games – Games available through Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox app, EA app, Battle.net, Ubisoft Connect, etc.
Console-exclusive games – PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox titles that don’t have a PC version.
VR-only titles – Games designed for PC VR headsets or standalone VR systems.
Legacy / very old PC games – Titles that may rely on outdated APIs, 32-bit installers or DRM that no longer behaves well on modern Windows.

The Asus ROG Ally is fundamentally a Windows 11 PC in handheld form. It’s not a PlayStation, not a Switch, and not a dedicated VR headset. That means its strongest compatibility is with modern Windows games. Everything else is either indirect (via cloud streaming or emulation) or not supported at all.

2. Windows 11 and PC Game Compatibility

Because the ROG Ally runs full Windows 11, it has excellent compatibility with the modern PC game ecosystem.

Game platforms you can use natively

Steam – Your entire Steam library, including AAA and indie titles.
Epic Games Store – Fortnite, exclusives and weekly free games.
GOG Galaxy – DRM-free classics and newer releases.
Xbox app & PC Game Pass – A subscription library of hundreds of games.
EA app, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net – Launchers for EA, Ubisoft and Blizzard titles.
Cloud services: GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming (via browser or app), and other streaming platforms.

If a game is sold as a Windows PC title and works on a mid-range gaming laptop, there’s a very high chance it can also run on the ROG Ally—subject to performance and storage constraints.

3. Performance Limits: Can It Run, and Is It Playable?

Even if a game can technically launch, the next question is whether it is playable at acceptable settings on a handheld APU.

What the Ally handles well

Indie / 2D games: Often run at 1080p, high settings, 60 FPS+ with very low power usage.
Esports / competitive titles: Games like Valorant, Overwatch 2, League of Legends and Dota 2 typically hit high frame rates at 720p–900p with tuned settings.
Older AAA games: Titles from a few years ago (The Witcher 3, GTA V, older Assassin’s Creed games, etc.) often run smoothly with medium or better settings.

Where it starts to struggle

Cutting-edge AAA releases: Very demanding new games may require 720p, low presets and aggressive scaling to stay around 30 FPS.
Badly optimized ports: Some games are heavy even on desktops, and the Ally can only do so much with limited power and cooling.
Ultra settings and 4K textures: These are beyond what a handheld APU can realistically handle for smooth gameplay.

So, the Ally can “play” most modern Windows games in the sense that they will launch and run, but you should expect to tune resolution, TDP and graphics settings, especially for newer and more demanding titles. It’s not a 4K desktop GPU.

4. Input, Anti-Cheat and DRM Limitations

There are a few non-performance reasons why some games may not work well—or at all—on the ROG Ally.

1) Input method (controller vs. mouse & keyboard)

Most modern games support Xbox-style controllers, which the Ally emulates by default.
But some older or niche PC games are designed only for mouse and keyboard, with poor or no controller support.

In those cases, you have options: play docked with a keyboard and mouse, or use tools and community layouts to map controls—but it’s not always convenient on the handheld itself.

2) Anti-cheat and kernel-level drivers

Some competitive games use aggressive anti-cheat systems that can be picky about certain Windows or driver configurations.
On a standard Windows 11 PC like the Ally, most of these work, but occasionally you may run into compatibility issues, especially if you tweak system settings or virtualisation features.

3) DRM and legacy titles

Certain very old games rely on outdated DRM (like SecuROM or SafeDisc) or 16-bit installers that no longer run properly on modern 64-bit Windows versions.
Some of these have updated releases on GOG or Steam that work fine; older untouched versions may not.

These are edge cases, but they are good examples of why “plays all games” can’t be guaranteed, even if the hardware is capable.

5. Console, VR and Platform Exclusives

There are entire categories of games that the ROG Ally cannot run natively.

Console exclusives

Nintendo Switch / Wii U / 3DS exclusives that have no PC ports.
PlayStation exclusives that haven’t been released on PC.
Xbox console-only titles that don’t have a Windows PC build (though many do these days).

You can’t install these games directly like you would on their original consoles. You may be able to access some via cloud streaming (Xbox Cloud Gaming, PS Remote Play from your own console, etc.), but that’s not the same as native local play.

VR-only games

Games that require a PC VR headset (like Valve Index) or standalone VR (Quest, PS VR) cannot be used in VR mode with just the Ally.
In theory, you could connect the Ally docked to a VR headset and try some PC VR titles, but you’re now into niche, highly experimental territory with performance and driver challenges.

Practically speaking, if a game is truly VR-only or console-exclusive with no PC version, you should not expect to play it natively on the ROG Ally.

6. Storage and File Size Limits

From a purely technical perspective, storage is another limiting factor in “playing all games.”

The Ally typically ships with a 512 GB NVMe SSD, part of which is used by Windows and recovery partitions.
Many modern AAA games are 80–150 GB each, with some exceeding 200 GB with high-resolution textures.

While you can upgrade the internal SSD and use microSD cards, you can’t realistically have a huge number of giant games installed at the same time. You’ll often need to rotate installed titles and manage your library actively.

7. Emulation and Cloud Gaming: Extending the Library

Even though the Ally can’t natively run every console game ever made, there are two major ways it can expand its effective library—with some caveats.

1) Emulation

The Ally is powerful enough to emulate many older consoles up to the PS2/GameCube/Wii era very well, using popular emulators.
Newer systems (PS3, Switch, etc.) are very mixed: some titles run acceptably, others are far too demanding or simply not supported yet.
You must respect copyright and only emulate games you legally own, following local laws and license terms.

2) Cloud gaming

Services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW and others let you stream games from powerful servers to the Ally.
As long as your connection is good, you can “play” games that the Ally’s hardware alone couldn’t handle.
The trade-offs are input latency, dependence on internet quality and subscription costs.

Through emulation and cloud streaming, the ROG Ally can access far more games than it could natively. But again, this is not the same as guaranteeing that every game runs perfectly on local hardware.

8. Practical Answer: What You Should Expect

So, can the Asus ROG Ally play all games? Realistically, you should think of it this way:

Modern Windows PC games: The Ally can run the vast majority, often very well, but you may need to lower settings or resolution for the newest AAA titles.
Indie and older games: It handles these easily, often at 1080p and high settings, with great performance and battery life.
Esports and competitive titles: Most run smoothly at 60 FPS+ with tuned settings, making the Ally a strong portable esports machine.
Console exclusives and VR-only games: Not natively playable; only possible via streaming or other indirect methods.
Very old or odd PC titles: Many work, especially remastered versions, but a few will have issues with modern Windows, DRM or drivers.

9. Final Verdict: No, Not “All Games” – But Close Enough for Most Players

The Asus ROG Ally is not a magic device that can literally play every game ever made. Platform exclusives, VR-only titles, some legacy PC games and a handful of anti-cheat or DRM-problematic games are outside its reach. Ultra-demanding AAA games will also force you to compromise on graphics quality and frame rate.

However, for most players, the more practical question is: “Can the ROG Ally play the games I actually care about?”

If your gaming revolves around:

Modern PC games from Steam/Epic/Game Pass
Indies, 2D titles and retro games
Competitive online titles and popular multiplayer games

…then the Asus ROG Ally can probably play almost everything you want, as long as you accept some tweaks to resolution and graphics. It’s not truly “all games,” but for a huge slice of the PC gaming world, it comes very close in a portable, flexible form factor.