Yousef
Local Gal Gun Psychopath!
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2025
- Messages
- 146
A general guide on how to navigate the deck and its many intricacies!
To do this, go to desktop mode, launch steam from there, go to a game of your choosing, click the “gear” icon, click “properties” then click “local files”. You’ll find a “browse” tab. Click it and then you’ll be able to do stuff like patch your games!
I would generally advise that you don’t do this and instead try to pirate any games stuck on external launchers, but if you absolutely must open one, go to desktop mode, go to the steam deck’s own built-in App Store and look up a launcher of your choosing. Download it, open steam, go to said launcher, click the gear, go to properties and check “force compatibility”.
This will tell you how to run the .exe file of a game that’s only available on Archive.org or similar sites. First you download the zip file of a given .exe file, you then extract it and open steam. Scroll down to “add game” then “add non-steam game” then “browse files” and find the .exe. Once you’ve added it, click the gear, click properties then click force compatibility.
This should run most games with the exception of ones that necessitates .NET
.NET is not supported by Linux in any capacity. Even ones that claim to actually don’t, but some have argued otherwise but most people can’t run it. But it’s very rare you’ll run into this.
I don’t think emulation works all that different. If you have a basic grasp of how to emulate on PC then you’re good to go. A lot of emulators also natively support Linux and some come with folders so you minimize guesswork.
Some people online also sell SD cards with pre-installed roms although this takes away your agency and it’s only really good for saving space. It also makes you access a completely different UI, so it’s not in the native OS.
Turn off “quick boot” and “quiet boot”. To do so, hold down the Power and Volume Up buttons until a beep sounds, then select Setup Utility. In the BIOS menu, navigate to the Boot section and change Quick Boot to Disabled. (This is written weirdly because I copied the explanation from somewhere else cuz I’m really bad at phrasing this one trick).
1- Altering local game files.
To do this, go to desktop mode, launch steam from there, go to a game of your choosing, click the “gear” icon, click “properties” then click “local files”. You’ll find a “browse” tab. Click it and then you’ll be able to do stuff like patch your games!
2- External launchers (EG: rockstar launcher)
I would generally advise that you don’t do this and instead try to pirate any games stuck on external launchers, but if you absolutely must open one, go to desktop mode, go to the steam deck’s own built-in App Store and look up a launcher of your choosing. Download it, open steam, go to said launcher, click the gear, go to properties and check “force compatibility”.
3- Non-steam games (outside of external launchers)
This will tell you how to run the .exe file of a game that’s only available on Archive.org or similar sites. First you download the zip file of a given .exe file, you then extract it and open steam. Scroll down to “add game” then “add non-steam game” then “browse files” and find the .exe. Once you’ve added it, click the gear, click properties then click force compatibility.
This should run most games with the exception of ones that necessitates .NET
.NET is not supported by Linux in any capacity. Even ones that claim to actually don’t, but some have argued otherwise but most people can’t run it. But it’s very rare you’ll run into this.
4- Emulation
I don’t think emulation works all that different. If you have a basic grasp of how to emulate on PC then you’re good to go. A lot of emulators also natively support Linux and some come with folders so you minimize guesswork.
Some people online also sell SD cards with pre-installed roms although this takes away your agency and it’s only really good for saving space. It also makes you access a completely different UI, so it’s not in the native OS.
5- Constant issues booting up steam deck/stuck on loading screens.
Turn off “quick boot” and “quiet boot”. To do so, hold down the Power and Volume Up buttons until a beep sounds, then select Setup Utility. In the BIOS menu, navigate to the Boot section and change Quick Boot to Disabled. (This is written weirdly because I copied the explanation from somewhere else cuz I’m really bad at phrasing this one trick).
