Do you need to own the Game on Steam to install it on the Steam Deck?

[Der_Platzhalter]

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a handheld gaming console, but I'm not sure which one to buy?

 

The headline pretty much explains my issue. Overall, I think the Steam Deck suits me the best but I own only a few games on steam the other are bought with no steam key. I know that I can connect my games with Steam. Steam also says that they won't verify the purchase which I totally understand. But if I buy a Steam Deck and I cannot install all of my games on it because steam does not allow it I would waste money or have to deal with RMA process.

 

Does somebody know the answer to my question? It would be awesome if I could get a clear view on this problem.

[OhYou_]

if you add a non steam game to steam on your desktop, it will only be on your desktop. Steam will not host your third party game files in their servers for you to download to other devices.
The steam deck does not prevent you from installing third party games on it, it has a web browser, a file manager, everything you would need to install a game on it.
I'm not 100% sure you can add third party games to the deck launcher but if that is the case you can just switch to desktop mode and launch it there, it isnt a big deal.

you also need to keep in mind the steam deck is GNU/Linux and the games you have need to be compatible with GNU/Linux

[BoomerDutch]

6 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

if you add a non steam game to steam on your desktop, it will only be on your desktop. Steam will not host your third party game files in their servers for you to download to other devices.
The steam deck does not prevent you from installing third party games on it, it has a web browser, a file manager, everything you would need to install a game on it.
I'm not 100% sure you can add third party games to the deck launcher but if that is the case you can just switch to desktop mode and launch it there, it isnt a big deal.

you also need to keep in mind the steam deck is GNU/Linux and the games you have need to be compatible with GNU/Linux

You can add third party to steam library

Just select add non steam library and select executable and if you want you can enable proton and select exe file to launch instead linux executable as native.

 

So no you don't need desktop only.

 

 

Difference is you have you add yourself and add wallpaper or icon yourself.

It's not Hard.

[RONOTHAN##]

Do you mean you bought the games on other marketplaces like Epic or GOG or that you bought game keys and redeemed them on Steam? If the keys are redeemed on Steam, they should work with no issues given they run on Linux, though if it's Epic or GOG then you're more likely to run into issues. 

 

If you want to play games from another marketplace, there are workarounds to getting it functional like adding a custom game and manually setting up Wine/Proton settings, though it's definitely more difficult. If you have a lot of those games though, it's probably a better idea to spend the extra money and get an ROG Ally instead. 

[BoomerDutch]

2 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Do you mean you bought the games on other marketplaces like Epic or GOG or that you bought game keys and redeemed them on Steam? If the keys are redeemed on Steam, they should work with no issues given they run on Linux, though if it's Epic or GOG then you're more likely to run into issues. 

 

If you want to play games from another marketplace, there are workarounds to getting it functional like adding a custom game and manually setting up Wine/Proton settings, though it's definitely more difficult. If you have a lot of those games though, it's probably a better idea to spend the extra money and get an ROG Ally instead. 

Its not really difficult difference is if you use proton simply add library with exe file and enable proton.

 

If it's linux then its different executable.

[Der_Platzhalter]

4 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Do you mean you bought the games on other marketplaces like Epic or GOG or that you bought game keys and redeemed them on Steam? If the keys are redeemed on Steam, they should work with no issues given they run on Linux, though if it's Epic or GOG then you're more likely to run into issues. 

 

If you want to play games from another marketplace, there are workarounds to getting it functional like adding a custom game and manually setting up Wine/Proton settings, though it's definitely more difficult. If you have a lot of those games though, it's probably a better idea to spend the extra money and get an ROG Ally instead. 

Just to get it straight: from a scale 1-10 how difficult is it to add custom games?

[RONOTHAN##]

43 minutes ago, Der_Platzhalter said:

Just to get it straight: from a scale 1-10 how difficult is it to add custom games?

Not that hard (1-2), the harder part is getting those games to work on Linux which will vary from game to game. Some it will be a 1-2 click affair, while others will be a bit more involved. 

[Der_Platzhalter]

14 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Not that hard (1-2), the harder part is getting those games to work on Linux which will vary from game to game. Some it will be a 1-2 click affair, while others will be a bit more involved. 

Okay, and when the game is verified by Steam to work on the Steam deck, does it just need two clicks or is it a different process?

[RONOTHAN##]

4 hours ago, Der_Platzhalter said:

Okay, and when the game is verified by Steam to work on the Steam deck, does it just need two clicks or is it a different process?

It will vary depending on the game, some it will be enable Proton and you're done, others can be more difficult. The other issue is just getting those games installed on Linux (Epic Games doesn't have an official Linux launcher, and from what I remember from trying to use it a year ago is that getting a game installed from it can be a bit of a hassle, though that might've changed by now). 

[Der_Platzhalter]

2 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

It will vary depending on the game, some it will be enable Proton and you're done, others can be more difficult. The other issue is just getting those games installed on Linux (Epic Games doesn't have an official Linux launcher, and from what I remember from trying to use it a year ago is that getting a game installed from it can be a bit of a hassle, though that might've changed by now). 

 

On 3/27/2024 at 5:04 PM, BoomerDutch said:

Its not really difficult difference is if you use proton simply add library with exe file and enable proton.

 

If it's linux then its different executable.

 

On 3/27/2024 at 4:55 PM, OhYou_ said:

if you add a non steam game to steam on your desktop, it will only be on your desktop. Steam will not host your third party game files in their servers for you to download to other devices.
The steam deck does not prevent you from installing third party games on it, it has a web browser, a file manager, everything you would need to install a game on it.
I'm not 100% sure you can add third party games to the deck launcher but if that is the case you can just switch to desktop mode and launch it there, it isnt a big deal.

you also need to keep in mind the steam deck is GNU/Linux and the games you have need to be compatible with GNU/Linux

Thank you for your help! : ) I think I will spend the extra 50€ for a Ally.