The Steam Deck is a versatile portable game console preloaded with SteamOS. While the software on the Steam Deck is generally open and allows for customization without relying on third-party software, there’s always room for more enhancements.
If you own a Steam Deck, install plugins to enhance your gaming experience. Plugins can add unavailable features and functionality in the standard Steam Deck settings. Fortunately, installing plugins on your Steam deck is easy with Decky Loader. In this article, we’ll walk you through installing plugins on your Steam deck using Decky Loader.
What is a Decky Loader for Steam Deck?
Decky Loader is a free and open-source tool that can be installed on your Steam deck. It empowers you to install and manage plugins for Steam games, enhancing your gaming experience by introducing new features, improving graphics, and even modifying game mechanics.
Once installed, Decky Loader allows you to browse and install plugins from various sources. It also provides the convenience of managing your installed plugins, updating them, and uninstalling them if necessary.
Overall, Decky Loader proves to be an invaluable tool for Steam Deck users who seek to personalize and elevate their gaming experience. It enables you to add new functionalities and features to your favorite games, and it’s user-friendly, even for those who need to be tech-savvy.
How to Install a Decky Loader on a Steam Deck
Installing Decky Loader on your Steam Deck is straightforward, but first, you need to enable Developer Mode.
Enable Developer Mode on the Steam Deck:
- Press the Steam button and scroll down to access the Settings menu.
- Within the settings menu, navigate to the system settings option.
- Look for the “Enable Developer Mode” option and activate it.
- Scroll down the Settings menu to find the newly added Developer Menu option.
- In the developer menu, enable the CEF remote debugging setting.
- Upon selecting this, the Steam Deck will prompt you to restart the console to apply the changes.
- After the reboot, switch to desktop mode by pressing the Steam button, scrolling to the Power option, and selecting “Switch to desktop.”
Downloading and Installing Decky Loader on Steam Deck:
- Once in desktop mode, open a browser such as Chrome or Firefox.
- Visit the Decky Loader website by accessing the URL: https://deckbrew.xyz/.
- You can find the download button in the upper-right corner of the website or by scrolling down. Click on the button to initiate the installation file download.
- Once the file is downloaded, open the Dolphin file manager and navigate to the downloaded folder.
- Locate the “decky_installer.desktop” file and double-click or double-tap it. Select “Run” and then “Continue” to proceed.
- Decky Loader will prompt you to create a temporary password. Choose “Yes” to proceed.
- Select the desired release version of the application on the subsequent screen and click “OK.”
- Once the installation is complete, click “OK” to close the window.
- Return to the Steam Deck interface by tapping or double-clicking the “Return to Game Mode” icon on the desktop.
- You can access the quick access menu by pressing the button with three dots beneath the right trackpad. You should now see the Decky menu icon.
- If everything goes smoothly, the Decky menu will be visible. Even if it currently appears empty, congratulations! You have successfully installed Decky Loader on your Steam Deck.
How to Install Plugins Using Decky Loader on Steam Deck
Now that you have successfully installed Decky Loader on your Steam Deck, installing plugins using this program is a breeze. Follow the steps below to install plugins on your Steam Deck via Decky Loader:
- Press the Options button to access the quick access menu. A new menu icon resembling a plug represents the Decky plugin menu.
- In the Decky plugin menu, click on the icon in the upper right corner that resembles a store. This will open the Decky plugin store.
- Upon selecting the plugin store icon, you will be presented with a list of plugins available for download.
- Choose the plugin you desire and click on the “Install” button. The plugin will be downloaded and applied automatically.
- All the plugins you download through Decky will be displayed in the Decky plugin menu. From there, you can manage each plugin individually.
- You can also access Decky’s settings to check for updates and adjust other configurations while managing the plugins from the plugin settings menu.
Install Plugins on Steam Deck Using Decky Loader
Now that you know how to install various plugins on your Steam deck using Decky Loader, your gaming experience will be significantly enhanced. By utilizing plugins to customize settings or change the theme of the Steam Deck interface, you can breathe new life into your SteamOS experience on the Steam Deck.
Feel free to experiment with different plugins to find the ones that best suit your preferences. If you have questions or suggestions regarding the Steam Deck, please leave them in the comments below.