Here’s How to Get the Epic Games Launcher On Steam Deck

Having a wide selection of options on the storefront is nice, but there’s also the reality of missing out on specific games that hit PC but aren’t available on Steam. Its competitor, the Epic Games Store, has its fair share of exclusive premiere titles that Steam Deck enjoyers naturally wouldn’t be able to play.

However, with some workaround and clear guidance, anyone with a Steam Deck can get access to the non-Steam game library. First, you’ll need to install ProtonUp, an emulator that makes Windows programs run on SteamOS since the Deck is Linux-based.

You’ll first select the “Switch to Desktop Mode” option. You can do this by hitting your “Steam” key on the device and going down to the “Power” tab. Once switched over, you can use the right trackpad as your virtual mouse to navigate the screen.

Next, click on “Discover,” the shopping bag icon on the left side of your taskbar. Hitting the “Steam” and “X” key together will pull up the keyboard, which you’ll need to type “ProtonUp” into the search.

Install the software, press the application launcher in the corner of your taskbar, navigate to “Utilities,” and launch ProtonUp from this page. The last step is to choose “Add Version” when loading Proton, which allows you to select the most recent version. Now, relaunch your Steam Deck.

Once you’re back, you need to open Steam via a browser like Firefox. At this time, you need to also go to the official Epic Games Store page and download the launcher.

Navigate to the upper right “Steam” tab on the store page once you’re ready and click on “Add Game > Add a Non-Steam Game.” Browse and locate where the launcher was downloaded and select it. Now, within your Steam library, scroll down to the new “EpicInstaller” entry and right-click it with the left trigger to go from “Properties > Compatibility.”