Just because your Steam Deck is linked to Steam doesn’t mean you’re limited to your own Steam Library. The Steam Deck is a PC, after all, and you can expand your library to include non-Steam games from other digital platforms. If you’ve got a few games you’d love to test out, here’s how to play non-Steam games on Steam Deck.
How to Add Non-Steam Games on a Steam Deck
Thankfully, getting non-Steam games running on a Steam Deck isn’t an elaborate, painful experience. It’s quite simple!
- Enter Desktop Mode.
Hold the power button along the top until the power options menu appears. Choose “Switch to Desktop” near the bottom.
- Launch Steam.
Now launch Steam like you would on any other PC. There should be a desktop icon already, but otherwise it can be found in the start menu.
- Add a non-Steam game.
In the bottom-left corner of Steam, select “ADD A GAME” then choose “Add a Non-Steam Game.” Select the title from the pop-up menu, then pick “Add Selected Programs.” Hop back into Gaming Mode and you’re good to go.
Now, it’s worth noting that some titles may be incompatible due to hardware or software limitations. Elden Ring runs surprisingly well after some tinkering, whereas Destiny 2 cannot be played on the Steam Deck until you’ve wiped the SteamOS for Windows.
With that said and done, you now have everything you need to know on how to play non-Steam games on a Steam Deck. Knowing all this, what do you plan on playing? Let us know in the comments, then check out the other related content using the links below.
