Handhelds · Valve

Steam Deck

Valve's own menu drops you into a full Linux desktop with root access, officially. It also documents installing Windows instead, no warranty voided either way.

ModelsSteam Deck LCDSteam Deck OLED

Saved in this browser, no account.

What it can become

What owners already do with it, easiest first.

Easy~5 minNo risk

Switch to a real Linux desktop

One menu away: a browser, a file manager, a terminal with sudo. Nothing to install, nothing to unlock.

Built inSteam Deck Desktop FAQ

An evening~20 minMay void the warranty

Add plugins to the game mode interface

A plugin loader runs alongside Steam's own interface, adding themes, battery stats and utilities that survive SteamOS updates.

Decky Loader

An evening~45 minMay void the warranty

Set up emulation for games you own

An installer script sets up the folder structure and emulators for consoles you already own the games for, in desktop mode.

EmuDeck

Hands-on~1.5 hCan brick it

Install Windows instead of SteamOS

Valve publishes the drivers needed to run Windows on the Deck, for software that only runs there. It replaces SteamOS unless you partition the drive first, and Valve offers no support for Windows itself.

Steam Deck Windows resources

Everything built for it

4 projects from the index, most active first.