Best Steam Deck case in 2023

The best Steam Deck cases will keep your precious gaming PC 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 of cases for Steam Deck below, 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.

To find a case for your needs, start by thinking about where and how you use your handheld. If you value protection over anything else, you’ll want a hard carrying case like the JSAUX Carrying Case in our number one spot. If you want to carry your Steam Deck around on the go, tomtoc’s Arccos Steam Deck Travel bag is ideal.

Bags and hard Steam Deck carrying cases also give you room to store important Steam Deck accessories like the best MicroSD cards in one place, unlike the best Steam Deck skins that wrap around your device. Although not cases in a traditional sense, we’ve also included a Steam Deck skin at the bottom of this guide, as these are a low-cost way to protect your device.

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

These are the best Steam Deck cases in 2023:

• JSAUX Carrying Case – best case overall
• tomtoc Arccos Travel Bag – best bag for travel
• Spigen Rugged Armor Case – best cheap case
• Geekria Kickstand Case – best compact case 
• Dbrand Steam Deck skin – best skin

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. The Deck can be kept in place with velcro straps and the double zippers can be padlocked making sure no one gets their grubby paws on your Deck without a fight.

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.

As is the case with most Spigen products, the Rugged Armor case is excellently built with reassuringly firm yet flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Putting on the case is a breeze, and its malleability is not at the cost of protection.

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 Steam Deck skin

The best Steam Deck skins to protect from scratches and customize your handheld.

Dbrand Steam Deck skin specs:

Pros:

• High quality
• Huge variety
• Very lightweight

Cons:

• Quite expensive
• Fiddly application

Dbrand is renowned for its high-quality Steam Deck skins, which wrap around your device snugly to keep it safe from scratches and dents. A Dbrand skin is ideal if you’re looking for a way to protect your Steam Deck from general wear and don’t want to carry a large case.

The skin is made from a scratch-resistant 3M vinyl material, ensuring that any dust and debris won’t damage your precious Deck. And because a Dbrand Steam Deck skin is so thin and minimal when it’s on, the Deck should still fit in a larger carrying case or Steam Deck Dock. 

The variety of Steam Deck skins on offer is staggering, so you’ll be sure to find one that suits your personality. One of Dbrand’s most fun skin options is their SwitchDeck design which looks designed to mimic an imaginary Nintendo Switch Pro.

The obvious downside of a Dbrand skin over a carrying case is that you won’t have storage for cables and accessories. The price of some of the designs is also high, and it can be tricky to apply the skin in the first place. However, the quality of Dbrand Steam Deck skins is also high, and once they’re applied, you’ll find your precious handheld is well protected.