Valve’s Steam Deck, that handheld gaming PC thingy, was a big splash at first. Like, huge. But now, it’s like all the other new handhelds are stealing the stage. Still, the Deck’s got this rep for being the go-to for gaming on the go. But, tiny hiccup… only Steam games work, right?
Nah, not true!
You can totally play way more than just Steam things on it, but it ain’t just click-and-go easy. You gotta fiddle with stuff. Enter the Heroic Games Launcher. Used it on a Linux gaming PC project earlier, and poof! Access to GoG, Amazon, Epic libraries. You know, the ones giving away free games that are probably gathering dust – or is that just me? Anyway, slap those into your Deck, and voilà! Play while commuting, lounging in bed, or when having a gaming sesh with buds.
Right, so my big mission here is fitting this Heroic stuff right into my Steam Library, so I can own my couch like a boss. First step? Install Heroic on the Deck.
Step one: Hit the Steam button, then find “Switch to Desktop” under Power.
Next, on the desktop, click that Discover icon (four dots, looks a bit like an app store). It’s where you manage apps on this thing.
Then, look up Heroic. Easy peasy. Select it, smash that install icon, and wait a few minutes for it to do its magic.
Once done, close up Discover and fire up Heroic. It’ll be chilling in the main menu under Games.
Next bit? Skip the pop-ups. Seriously, they’re just update notes – not winning any fun awards. Then hook up your first gaming account. I went with Epic, mainly for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge vibes. Add more libraries through the Stores link on the side.
Jump into picking a game. Scroll to Show Wine settings, pick Proton Experimental. This latest Proton stuff can glitch out sometimes, but mostly, you’re golden.
Install time. Shredder’s Revenge? Seconds. But Cyberpunk 2077 on GoG? Yikes, around 40 minutes for me.
Now, test drive the game. Mine played smooth… until some tech hiccup hit my capture gear. Forget that nonsense though, the rest was cool.
Now, if you wanna level up the whole setup, let’s integrate Heroic into Steam’s Library. From the desktop, hit the main menu, poke Games, and right-click Heroic Games Launcher.
Pick “Add to Steam”. Boom, it’s now part of your Steam crew.
But why stop there, huh? For extra flair, add custom artwork using steamgriddb. Grab your chosen art and make it look snazzy in your library. It’s optional, but – trust me – it’s worth the effort for those aesthetic feels.
Final touch? Double-click “Return to Gaming Mode”. And when you fire up your Steam Deck, your Heroic Games Launcher is right there, your little ready-for-action sidekick. More games, more fun. Bet you won’t regret it!
