Steam is the go-to game launcher if you are a PC gamer like us. Not only does it have every game you could ever want, but you can also use it to play other games not normally played on handheld consoles. For instance, if done correctly, you can play your PS1, GameCube, and even N64 titles on your Steam Deck. You only need to follow a few simple steps to emulate your favorite games from across the decades on your handheld device.

For this tutorial, we will use EmuDeck to run various retro games on our Steam Deck. This will allow you to access games from older generations, such as the Atari, Genesis, and even the Dreamcast. If done right, you will be able to play your favorite retro titles on the go.

Recommended tools for installation

Before we set up EmuDeck on your Steam Deck, you need to prepare a few tools. These will help you set up your Steam Deck to run EmuDeck properly and allow you to download games easily. Gather the following:

• SD Card: Be sure to have an extra SD card to store excess games. Depending on the number of games you wish to download, you run the risk of filling up the internal SSD of your Steam Deck. To prevent this, get a spare SD card to store the less-demanding games.
• USB-C storage device and transfer cable: This will be used to transfer your ROM and BIOS files.
• Keyboard and mouse: A keyboard and mouse are helpful since we will be installing the emulator using the console's desktop mode. This is unnecessary as you can also use the Steam Deck's keyboard, but it is nice to have.

Once you have everything prepared, you can get to work on setting up your Steam Deck with an emulator so you can play those retro titles.

Enable developer mode and adjust your Wi-Fi

To start, you will need to enable developer mode. To do this, use the Steam button to open the access menu. From there, go to System and then set the System Update Channel to Stable. Under System Settings, select Developer Mode to enable it. This will grant you access to additional settings and features on your device. It also allows you to change and set limits for things like overclocking. With that done, you may want to adjust your Wi-Fi.

Go to your Wi-Fi settings and disable power management. Doing this will allow your Steam Deck to use 5GHz networks, allowing you to download the emulator and games faster. You will also be able to stream games better via the emulator with a faster network connection. While this step is not necessary, it does allow you to download files at a faster rate if you have a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection, so we recommend setting it up this way.

Installing EmuDeck

Now that you have taken care of the minor settings, we will download the emulator. To download EmuDeck, switch to desktop mode on your Steam Deck. This is done by pressing the Steam button and selecting Desktop Mode. Once there, open your internet browser and go to the EmuDeck website. Select the download option, and the emulator will begin downloading it to your device. Be sure to select the SteamOS version of the emulator. The prompts are very straightforward. Be sure to select the options that best work for your device. While installing the emulator, be sure to place it on the SD card. You can also use your internal storage if you have the room.

Adding emulated games to your library

Depending on the type of game you wish to add, you will either need to transfer a ROM file or a BIOS file. PS2 and PS1 games require you to download BIOS files. Due to the legality of obtaining ROM and BIOS files, we cannot break down where to find them, but you will want to use the transfer cable that we mentioned earlier to transfer them from your PC or other devices to your Steam Deck. Once you have the files for the games you want, you can access the Dolphin File Manager in EmuDeck and place the files in the corresponding folders. For BIOS files, you will want to place them in the BIOS folder.

It is important to note that not all of the games you download will have the artwork. You can go through a process of downloading the artwork for any games you have and add it to EmuDeck. This is only if you care about not having the correct artwork for the games you have installed. There are also various other emulators that you can download to increase the number of games you have available. These include DuckStation, Cemu, Dolphin, RetroArch, and more.