Middle-Aged Flings, Pixel Fists, and Tactical Nostalgia: Crunchyroll Throws Everything But the Kitchen Sink Into Its Game Vault This Summer

Crunchyroll, apparently unwilling to let its Premium subscribers go even five minutes without an anime-inspired distraction, has decided to stuff its Game Vault with six new mobile-exclusive titles this summer, each one more niche, nostalgic, or narratively absurd than the last.

Leading this onslaught of pixelated drama and tactical nostalgia is Pub Encounter, a visual novel that drops players into an old-fashioned tavern filled with—wait for it—eligible middle-aged bachelors, launching July 9. Because clearly what mobile gamers were really craving in 2025 was the chance to romantically entangle themselves with emotionally complicated, middle-aged men over a pint.

Also joining the vault is Grisaia Phantom Trigger Vol. 1, yet another kinetic visual novel, now optimized for iOS, where players are plunged into a shadowy world of secret agents and weapons training academies. If nothing screams “summer fun” to you like trauma-laden espionage delivered through anime dialogue boxes, Crunchyroll has you covered.

For those yearning for action that doesn’t involve wine and wistful conversation, Metal Slug Tactics brings the classic side-scrolling arcade chaos into the world of grid-based strategy. Characters like Marco and Fio return in a game that mashes together nostalgia and roguelite frustration in turn-based tactical combat. Because nothing honors the run-and-gun legacy of Metal Slug like slow, deliberate movement across a map.

Meanwhile, Phantom Breaker: Ultimate Battle Grounds promises chaotic anime-style beat ‘em up gameplay—now on mobile—for players still clinging to their love of button-mashing mayhem. This remaster plants players in the pixelated shoes of fighters like Mikoto and Itsuki as they save Tokyo from interdimensional doom. Because if it’s not Tokyo and it’s not existentially threatening, is it even anime?

For fans of childhood whimsy, Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation offers the exact opposite of high-octane action. It’s a slow-burn, beautifully animated title where Japan’s favorite pantsless five-year-old embarks on a week-long journey of countryside chaos and supernatural confusion. The game earned rave reviews in Japan during its initial release and now opens its pre-registration globally, offering a nostalgic, oddly philosophical journey for those who need a break from all the tactical gunfire and otome drama.

Rounding out the batch is Two Strikes, a gorgeously minimalist samurai fighting game where a single mistake means instant defeat. With hand-drawn ink-brush visuals and a no-frills combat system, it’s as unforgiving as it is artsy. Ideal for players who believe video games should hurt a little—emotionally and spiritually.

This lineup follows the recent release of Classroom of the Elite – Merge Puzzle Special Exam, a game that sounds exactly like what would happen if a school-themed anime and Candy Crush had a child. Released during Anime Expo, the game is now available globally and, in a rare act of mercy, has stripped out the original microtransactions that usually choke the life out of mobile puzzle games.

Crunchyroll Game Vault, which launched in late 2023, has grown its library to over 60 exclusive titles, all conveniently locked behind the Mega and Ultimate Fan membership paywall. That includes previously added titles like River City Girls, Moonstone Island, and Crypt of the Necrodancer. The Vault offers anime-loving gamers in over 200 countries a chance to escape real life with anime games that either remind them of their childhood or confirm that they’ve officially outgrown it.

As Crunchyroll continues to flood its platform with new content across both video and gaming, the message is clear: if you’re going to be chronically online, you might as well be doing it while seducing anime dads, commanding tactical units, or saving the world one awkward dialogue choice at a time.

At this rate, it won’t be long before Crunchyroll starts offering dating sims set in the comment sections of anime forums. And let’s be honest—we’d all probably play it.