Best Steam Deck case in 2023

The best Steam Deck case will keep your precious PC gaming handheld safe and sound while traveling, and protect it from scratches and drops. Valve does include an official carrying case with orders of its gaming PC, but this won’t necessarily cover all of your needs. That’s why we’ve handpicked a selection, so you can find the best case for Steam Deck, using our years of gaming experience to help you find the best choice.

While assembling our list, we looked at materials, protection, durability, price, and extra features to determine which Steam Deck case we think is best for any given purpose – be it traveling, extra storage, or saving precious space in your bag.

These are the best Steam Deck cases in 2023:

1. JSAUX Carrying Case – best case overall
2. tomtoc Arccos Travel Bag – best bag for travel
3. Spigen Rugged Armor Case – best cheap case
4. Geekria Kickstand Case – best compact case 
5. Dbrand Project Killswitch Case – best protective case

1. JSAUX Carrying Case

The best Steam Deck case overall. 

JSAUX Steam Deck carrying case specs:

Pros: 

• Very affordable
• Durable material
• Extremely spacious

Cons:

• Smelly at first

The JSAUX hard Steam Deck carrying case takes the top spot in our guide because it offers a great balance of protection, storage, and portability – at an affordable price. This upgraded version is the latest in a series of great Steam Deck cases from JSAUX and is just slightly bigger and more expensive than its previous model.

Both the capacity and features on offer are impressive. When you unzip the rugged JSAUX case, you find a handy mesh pocket for storing extra MicroSD cards. There’s also a built-in stand so that you can play the handheld on long journeys on flights or trains (provided you bring your own controller). Beneath this is a roomy storage compartment with enough room for all your Steam Deck accessories. For any of our readers in the UK, a larger Steam Deck charger will fit inside.

All of these storage features come at no compromise to safety. The handsome Oxford cloth is very durable, and the thickened EVA shell ensures protection from accidental drops or bumps. On the downside, one common gripe amongst consumers is that the case is quite smelly. This is reported to lessen with time, and we believe that the tradeoff is well worth the features and storage you do get.

2. tomtoc Arccos Travel Bag

The best Steam Deck bag for traveling.

tomtoc Arccos Travel Bag specs:

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Bombproof and eco-friendly construction
• Well-organized internal pouches

Cons:

• Not as protective as a hardshell case
• Expensive
• Joystick protectors recommended

Taking your Deck on public transport and want to keep it close? Look no further than tomtoc’s Arccos Steam Deck Travel bag. The Arccos offers the best feature set out of any sling bag we’ve taken a look at it and offers plenty of space for your accessories too, so you won’t be left wanting at the LAN party either.

The Accros is pleasantly light coming in at only 1.1LB (500g) so it’s a great option for those looking to avoid being over-encumbered and unable to run. If you do need to run for the bus, the internal strap helps keep your Deck from bouncing about. Further protecting the Deck is the splashproof heavy-duty 840D fabric construction and quality YKK zips.

Despite the Accros being decidedly grey, its eco-credentials are certainly green as all the fabrics are sourced from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles which pair very nicely with the Deck’s low-energy consumption for the environmentally-conscious gamer.

One drawback of its lightweight design is the sacrifice in bash protection when compared to a hardshell case. Though there are foam inserts, a serious drop or disgruntled airport worker could cause potential damage. We’d also seriously recommend you consider buying joystick protectors as though the wedged-shaped design leaves plenty of room, a firm squish could see unwanted pressure on them.

3. Spigen Rugged Armor case

Best cheap Steam Deck case for protection.

Spigen Rugged Armor case specs:

Pros:

• Fits in original Steam Deck Case
• Wrist strap prevents accidental drops
• Affordable

Cons:

• No kickstand
• Doesn’t fit official Steam Deck Dock
• No front protection

Spigen’s Rugged Armor case is a well-design and affordable shell case for Steam Deck. It’s not a carrying case, but a flexible wraparound design with an attached wrist strap that will help to prevent accidental drops. This is the best choice if you want a Steam Deck case you can leave on, as you don’t have to remove it while charging or downloading games.

Spigen’s case leaves plenty of room for the Deck’s cooling solution ensuring it will remain snug but not toasty. There’s a very thoughtful cutout for the USB port which allows for right-angle USB-C connectors which are great for longevity. Crucially, it also fits inside Valve’s included case, if you weren’t looking to buy a new one.

The case unfortunately doesn’t have a kickstand like the Geekria product below, which may or may not be important to your preferred mode of play. There is a lack of protection on the front of the device but given the wrist strap, this is a reasonable concession as it helps keep the case slim.

4. Geekria Kickstand case

Best small Steam Deck Case for taking up as little space in your bag.

Geekria Kickstand case specs:

Pros:

• Extremely low-space solution
• Included kickstand

Cons:

• No port cutouts for top cover

If you want to carry as small of a bag as possible or make the most out of every cubic inch, then Geekria’s Kickstand protective case for Steam Deck is the best choice for you. The top cover comes off easily, allowing for instant and easy access to the Deck.

The TPU construction of Geekria’s case offers a solid grip and feel in the hand which greatly helps our confidence when playing on the Deck in less-than-ideal conditions. The included kickstand also means you get to flex on Switch users who would otherwise have the shared or table-playing experience.

One downside is the lack of cutouts on the top cover for the USB port and fan exhaust, meaning it is impossible to leave the Steam Deck charging in your bag. This also prevents you from keeping the cover on when you want to leave the Deck running to download games, patches, or shader caches for fear of thermal damage. This is a reasonably small concession given the benefit of having such a slimline safety solution on the go, however.

5. Dbrand Project Killswitch case

The best Steam Deck case to protect from scratches and dents.

Dbrand Project Killswitch specs:

Pros:

• High-quality
• Has textured grips for added comfort
• Comes with detachable kickstand

Cons:

• Expensive
• Doesn’t work with some Steam Deck docks

Dbrand is renowned for its high-quality Steam Deck skins, which wrap around your device snugly to keep it safe from scratches and dents, and the Project Killswitch case is no different to the kind of quality you’d expect from the iconic lineup of handheld accessories. The Project Killswitch case features textured grips for extra comfort, and its thin size means it doesn’t turn your Steam Deck into a bulky monster.

The Project Killswitch fits your Steam Deck like a glove, and its set-up is incredibly straightforward. Along with the provided YouTube tutorial, just about anyone can get this Steam Deck case up and running.

The main downside to the Project Killswitch case, is that you will need to additionally purchase an adaptor, if you plan on using a Steam Deck dock, as the shape of the case gets in the way of some of the handheld’s ports. Its price also leaves much to be desired, however, purchasing the ‘essential kit’ version of the case will bring that price down to size.

How we chose the best Steam Deck cases
This list was put together by drawing on decades worth of gaming experience, and our experiences of using the Valve handheld since its initial release. We’ve made sure to consider the strengths and weaknesses of every case, comparing them against the needs of every type of Steam Deck user. Some key considerations include:

• Pricing: We want to include an option to suit every budget
• Protection: The Steam Deck doesn’t come cheap, so we’ve included cases that can ensure your expensive handheld is well looked after
• Storage: Is there space for additional microSD cards and the Steam Deck charger? We’ve included cases that provide storage for additional accessories
• Portability: The Steam Deck is essentially a portable PC, and we want to make sure any case we recommend can necessitate you taking your handheld wherever you want to go.

Read our how we test page to learn more about our process for choosing products for buyer’s guides.

Do you need a Steam Deck case?
Regardless of what model of the Steam Deck you purchase, Valve does provide a carrying case to help keep your pricey PC gaming handheld out of harms way. While great to have, it doesn’t leave much to be desired, and doesn’t feature all the extra bells and whistles you’d expect for a case that’s expected to be taken out a lot and used on the go.

Ensuring you have a Steam Deck case that’s up to par and gives you room to store important Steam Deck accessories, like the best MicroSD cards, can fully unlock the full potential of owning a high-powered PC gaming handheld. As well as keep your expensive piece of kit provided with the adequate protection and support it requires, to remain your favorite way to play some of the best PC games on the go for longer.

Whatever case you choose, you’ll also want the best Steam Deck accessories, the best Steam Deck Dock, and the best Steam Deck games to get the most out of your handheld gaming PC.