Portable Powerhouse
Can you install Minecraft onto the Steam Deck? Yes you can. Having been using Steam Deck to play Minecraft, I thought I would at least talk about how to be able to play it and make it portable. Some of the ways I talk about doing this others have talked about but I have been playing around with it and It isn’t something that some people can do easily. This won’t be a Step by step but it will at least help you to understand what you might have to do get to play on the Steam Deck. You’ll need to have several things before you can do it on the Steam Deck like having a Minecraft License. I already created an ultimate Gaming Shell Script for Linux Mint which you could use if you use Linux Mint as your OS while using your Steam Deck. I’ve not really tried this but It seems like a good way to do it. Other ways to use Minecraft would be to install Windows 11 to your Steam Deck. I’ve also heard this be a possibility but I never found this to be very good. I must be one of the few who doesn’t like using Windows 11 with the Steam Deck due to it just not working properly. You can however Take your favorite block-building game anywhere with the handheld power of Steam Deck and that is where we will begin.
Install Minecraft
There are multiple ways to do it. Install something like Prism Launcher in your Linux Desktop environment. You’ll need to use the Desktop Mode, which is easy by press and Hold the power button until the power menu comes up and select Desktop Mode. You’ll probably should use a mouse and Keyboard and you can even use small dongle connection to do it temporarily so you can do what you need in the Desktop Mode. Once in the desktop Mode, You can either download Minecraft which would require some work around to keep you from having to login to Microsoft every time you launch the game or click on Discover and install one of the many Minecraft Apps available to install it. I suggest trying one of those to see if it will keep your login credentials when you launch the game. You’ll probably need to search for a work around on some of them to keep from having to login every-time. I can’t remember how I did but I think I installed the key-ring credentials to use the java version.
Adding it to Steam
Some things you will need to find out is where the Minecraft launcher is on the Steam Desktop. If you did it right it should be on your desktop. However, if you didn’t do it right, you’ll need to track down where it is on your steam os file system. However, it shouldn’t be hard to find and it should be hard to direct steam where to launch the launcher and stuff. I’ve done it on my Steam Deck and there are even instructions do it for Prism. I’ve not used Prism so I don’t know how well this will but it should work in theory.
Seamless Integration
Discover how Minecraft seamlessly integrates with Steam Deck’s controls for an immersive gaming experience. This is something you should be done before you do anything is to customize how it looks. You will probably need to add a custom Background and Custom Logo. You can easily do that by using clicking on the right mouse button and finding a background that would work for you. I typically search for a good background and save it to the Steam Deck to use. This helps when you leave the Steam OS desktop. You’ll need to also probably also look for a good Logo that you want to use as a way to identify with it as being Minecraft. This is something that can be easily done in the Desktop. Also you will need setup the control by clicking on the little COG icon and selecting the proper controller setup for Minecraft. I believe the WASP / Mouse settings work best for me and you will need to customize that to make it even more easy for you. Play around with the settings to see what works well for you.
What games are you using with the Steam Deck? Why not leave a comment and tell use what you are doing with yours and how you are using it? it can be very useful to know which games work on the Steam Deck? Don’t forget to subscribe for more Steam Deck tips and tricks.
