How many people even knew that there were actually movies available to rent on Steam? It might possibly be one of the most unnecessary but interesting features of all time, and it actually has a decent selection. The online Marketplace is primarily known for the games hosted on it, but hidden deep in there is a relatively large pile of Lionsgate productions, anime movies, and more.
Of course, all of these movies vary in their rental price, and rentals only last 48 Hours, so it's not exactly the most "premiere" service to use. However, for that niche group of people who want to watch their favorite anime movie through their favorite video game marketplace, here are a few of the standouts.
6 A Large Group Of Ghost In The Shell Movies
It only makes sense to group up all the movies that are part of the same franchise, which is why the 2017 Ghost in the Shell remaster movie, the Ghost In The Shell 2.0 movie, Individual Eleven, The Laughing Man, and Solid State Society are all part of this first entry.
Now, if there's anyone out there who somehow isn't at least passingly familiar with Ghost in the Shell, just know that it's one of the best Sci-Fi anime IPs of all time. And, out of all the Ghost in the Shell movies (of which there are actually quite a lot), these are some of the best of the best, so it's great that they can all be rented through Steam.
5 Dead Space: Downfall
Next up is a movie that many gamers out there probably aren't aware even exists, Dead Space: Downfall. This 2008 movie actually avoids the curse of popular game franchise movie adaptations being awful, as the Dead Space community seems to generally like this movie.
It's a bit over-written and there are a lot of complex details from the sequel games that don't necessarily need to be there, but the voice acting is fantastic (for the most part), it's insanely brutal, and the characters are all compelling. Viewers should be warned, however, that this movie is unbelievably violent and can be hard to watch in some scenes, but overall it's a great sci-fi body-horror movie.
4 Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale
Now, the SAO or Sword Art Online franchise is one that has its quality constantly under fire by the anime community as there are large groups of people who either swear by it being one of the best isekai anime of all time or generally find its entire existence offensive and unnecessary. However, Ordinal Scale is basically classic SAO at its best in many ways.
It does a lot of the things that people loved so much about the franchise originally, while also delivering some amazing action scenes and plot points about the future of technology. Overall, it's well worth a watch, and there's likely a lot of interest in it, as the Steam player base and SAO fanbase overlap to a large degree.
3 Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Side Of Dimensions & Bonds Beyond Time
By every account, Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Side Of Dimensions should've failed as a concept. It's a sequel movie to the original Dual Monsters series made long after it ended that somehow manages to pick up right after that ending with no issues. And, with the tragedy that is Kazuki Takahashi's passing, it's a good time to get back into the IP to see how amazing it truly is.
Meanwhile, there's also Yu-Gi-Oh: The Bonds Beyond Time, and while this movie is a lot more polarizing among the community, the audacity this movie has to make a crossover movie involving the protagonists from multiple seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh such as Yugi Moto the original MC, the protag of GX Jaden Yuki, and 5D's protagonist Yusei Fudo is absolutely worthy of respect. Overall, this movie is also generally well-received even if it's a bit silly in the story setup.
2 Initial D Legend 1: Awakening
Moving onto a classic among classics, especially among racing anime, let's talk about Initial D Legend 1: Awakening. This is one movie in a series called New Initial D The Movie that basically reworks the early stages of the manga and the first season or so of the anime into one big movie.
Legend 1 basically covers up until after Takumi manages to beat Keisuke Takahashi in a race. Overall, if it's something that gets more people into the magic that is Initial D, then this movie is absolutely worth the price of the rental.
1 No Game No Life Zero
No Game No Life Zero is a prequel movie of sorts to the hit series No Game No Life. It tells the story of the Great War thousands of years ago that eventually led to Tet becoming the "One True God" that now rules this world of games.
There's plenty to love about this movie, from the iconic librarian Jibril actually being a terrifying figure instead of just talking like one, to Riku and Schwi's relationship and all the obvious references their journey has to the story of Shiro and Sora in the NGNL anime. Overall, a fantastic watch both visually and emotionally, and also worth a rental through Steam.