The Steam Deck is a great way to enjoy gaming on the go, or even grab a quick game bite while lounging on the sofa. But what if we tell you your experience on the Deck could be made better through a couple of simple steps? Let’s see what are the best apps for your Steam Deck.
The best apps to improve your Steam Deck experience
Keep in mind that most of the apps in our list can be installed by using the Discover menu, which can be accessed by heading to the “Power” section of your Steam Deck menu. Now select “Desktop mode,” and you will be booted into a desktop-like environment. Click on the menu button in the bottom left and you can use the on-screen keyboard to search for any apps in the Discover section.
Mozilla Firefox
Do we really need to explain this one? We think you have probably already used it on your computer or your mobile device. Firefox is one of the best browsers around, and while you might only use your Deck to browse the Steam marketplace, browsing websites would be quite difficult without a specific web browser. There are a lot of different ones you can try, such as Microsoft Edge and Opera, but we do believe Mozilla Firefox is still the best option.
By using a web browser on the Deck, you can check a walkthrough and find useful information on a game you might need, such as how long to beat it. While, clearly, all web browsers do the same thing and work just as well on the Deck, other apps also require having one installed. For example, if you use Epic Games Store on the Heroic Launcher (see below), often you will need to confirm details in a browser window. Not having one installed means that the game will often freeze or exit without providing any details.
Heroic Launcher
The Steam Deck, out of the box, is ready and willing to play all of your Steam games, of course. But what if you want to play games from the Epic Games Store, GoG, or any of the other storefronts? Doesn’t seem doable, right? Wrong, it is and doesn’t even require a lot of tinkering. Say hello to the Heroic Launcher, an app that you can install on your Deck and run just like one of the games in your Steam library.
Once run, the Launcher can be configured to interface with several stores, such as the mentioned Epic Games Store, GoG, Ubisoft, and so on. But what if you have compatibility issues? No worries since, thanks to its built-in Wine Manager, you have a ton of different options and plugins to make games run even better. Heroic will also suggest which Proton versions to use if you are unsure. Heroic can easily double or triple your library of available games without even having to install an SD card. Lutris is also a good alternative.
EmuDeck
Perhaps all the games available on Steam are not enough for you, or perhaps you want something older that you can’t get anywhere else. Like that classic PlayStation platformer or that obscure PC Engine shoot ’em up. Enter EmuDeck, one of the best tools to allow you to play retro games on devices that weren’t originally designed to play retro games, with additional features available to improve the experience. Clearly, the d-pad on the Deck would not be the best to play classic retro 8-bit games, but you can still give it a decent attempt.
The Deck can run a lot of different consoles, including ones such as the NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, GameCube, and even more recent ones. But that’s not all; if you have already used EmuDeck, then you can easily transfer your cloud saves over to the Deck so you won’t lose that progress in Chrono Trigger. Also, if you have any good Bluetooth controllers, EmuDeck will allow you to quickly set them up for much more comfortable gameplay. This is a must-have for any retro fans.
Discord
Again, we probably don’t think we need to thoroughly explain this one. Chances are that you are already using it to communicate with your friends or other users, along with having joined one (or more) of its millions of servers. Naturally, the app becomes even more necessary if you are going to play any cross-platform titles and want to stay in touch with your friends. Or, perhaps you want everyone on your friends list to know what game you are currently playing.
While the app is not as easy to recommend as it once was because of more and more bloatware, not to mention many interesting features now locked behind a paywall, it is still easy to install and use. Also, while there are alternatives to Discord, such as Skype, chances are all your friends will already use it anyway. Perhaps it would make more sense to use Discord on your phone or other mobile device, but switching apps on the Deck is easy, just via a long press of the “Steam” button.
Chiaki4deck
Have you been greedily eyeing the PlayStation Portal, thinking you don’t really want to spend that kind of money on a simple streaming device? Well, you are in luck because with a Deck, you can get an experience that is quite similar and, many users swear, even better than Sony’s expensive portable device. Enter Chiaki4deck, an app that you can use to stream PS5 games directly from your console to your portable Steam device.
The app ran into some problems at first, with users complaining about the app’s performance degrading in a few minutes. But luckily, this issue seems to have been fixed, so you can go ahead and try Chiaki4deck for yourself. While Chiaki does require a bit of customization before running it, as it might not work perfectly out of the box, once it’s set up, it is very easy to use and should guarantee efficient performance with any game. If you are looking to stream Xbox games, try XBPlay instead.
Moonlight
Since we are on the topic of streaming games, Steam already provides its own specific app to stream games from your PC: Steam Link. This usually works quite well, but many users have problems with its performance. So, if you are unsure if Link is the ideal streaming app for you, then you’ll be happy to know there is a free alternative you can try out. Plus, Moonlight, as opposed to Link, supports HDR natively and can improve latency if you have been having issues.
Installing Moonlight requires a couple of more steps than usual, as you need to install Sunshine first. Sunshine provides the server from which the games will be streamed. You can do this, as always, by using the Discovery section of the menu in Desktop mode. Once they are both installed, the setup for Moonlight is easy and mostly painless, and you will be streaming games from your PC in no time, having a great experience while saving battery life.
Decky Loader
Wondering how to customize your Deck beyond buying a silly-looking silicone cover? By using Decky Loader, you can choose from a vast selection of plugins and scripts that will not only change the looks of your Deck but also improve how you use it. For example, do you want to add NES sounds to your Deck or perhaps show off some tasty Windows 95 wallpapers? You can do it really easily through a huge free library of items. But wait, there’s more!
You can also use the app to look up and apply the recommended settings for any game in your library automatically. Plus, by using Decky Recorder, you can easily record gameplay footage that you can upload to Steam or use for your Let’s Play YouTube channel. Also, look up FAQs easily and see many useful details on each game you have. Decky Loader will improve your life as a Deck user, no doubt about that.
Foliate
Why not take a break between playing your favorite games with a good book? While that might not sound like the most engaging proposal, reading a book on the Steam Deck is feasible thanks to its great screen. Also, by bringing your Deck with you, you can consider leaving your Kindle or ebook reader at home, which will definitely save you a bit of hassle. So, if you would like to think of your Deck as an all-in-one platform to read, play, and even watch movies (see below), then head over to the Discovery section of the Desktop mode.
Foliate, along with other apps that you can find, such as Sigil and Bookworm, will do the heavy lifting and leave you to your reading. Foliate includes handy features such as different reading modes (paginated and scrolled), font customization, light/sepia/dark modes, and a useful progress slider so you can keep track of where you left off. Whoever said that reading is the enemy of gaming?
VLC (Videolan)
Sure, streaming is still the easiest way to access content on any device you currently own or are thinking of buying. But if you possess a digital collection of media, perhaps a leftover from your iPod days, or maybe you would like to watch on the Deck those old Vines you made as a kid, then VLC is the app you need. It will allow you to play any kind of media content transferred to the system or loaded from an SD card.
Naturally, VLC (or VideoLan) is not the only app that you can install on the Deck. You can easily find other media players, such as Kodi or MX Player; it is just a matter of preference since all of them do the same thing. Also, these apps support streaming from another source, so you can watch content directly from your computer or cast a video from the Deck to another device (such as your Google Cast). If you have been dreaming of a DRM-free world, then this is your first step into a wider universe.
ProtonUp-Qt
This might be a bit more for the “option nerds” among you, but hear us out. If you have been playing games in non-native Steam mode, perhaps because you are a retro fan or indie games downloaded from Itch, then ProtonUp-Qt will be a powerful help. This app will let you not only install several GE-Proton versions but also customize them through compatibility options within SteamOS.
This will greatly improve game compatibility in case you have been running into problems trying to run anything outside of the store. Find the tool in the Discover store, then run it in Desktop mode to get an interface with which you can install more compatibility options. If you are not planning to run anything outside of the Steam store, then ProtonUp-Qt is probably not needed, but thanks to its ease of use and accessibility, it is still a great app to keep handy.
