by In this quick guide, we will show you a method for playing the bedrock edition of Minecraft on the Steam Deck.
There are two major versions of Minecraft. The Java edition can be run natively on the Steam Deck. This version is the most popular for PC users but lacks cross play functionality unless you are playing on a server that is using GeyserMC.
The other version of Minecraft is the Bedrock edition. This edition is capable of running on mobile phones, game consoles, and Windows PCs. There are some core differences between the Java and Bedrock editions outside of cross-play, but we won’t be covering that in this guide.
If you want to play Minecraft on your Steam Deck alongside those playing on a game console you will need to run the Bedrock edition. The only problem with this is that the Minecraft Bedrock edition does not natively support the Steam Deck or Linux operating systems.
Luckily some users have come up with an alternative solution to get this version of Minecraft to run on the Steam Deck. That solution is to run the Android version through a compatibility layer. While not a perfect solution, it runs more than good enough for most people. The biggest caveat of the way this launcher works is that it is typically a version behind the latest release.
If you already have Waydroid set up on your Steam Deck, you can also use that to run the Bedrock edition of Minecraft. Using Waydroid allows you to download and run the latest release.
Before proceeding, you must own the Bedrock edition of Minecraft on Android. This guide will not work without it.
Installing and Running Minecraft Bedrock Edition on the Steam Deck
In the following steps, we will show you how to install and access the Bedrock edition of Minecraft on your Steam Deck.
These steps are relatively simple and can be completed quickly. All you need is a Google Play account that owns Minecraft for Android.
Changing to Desktop mode
1. To install Minecraft Bedrock Edition onto the Steam Deck, we must change it to desktop mode.
To access this mode, you must open the Steam menu. You can do this by pressing the STEAM button or tapping the “STEAM MENU” button in the bottom-left corner.
2. With the menu open, you will want to navigate to the “Power” menu.
3. Finally, you will want to select the “Switch to Desktop” option.
Installing the Minecraft Bedrock Edition Launcher
4. Once you are in desktop mode, you will want to open the Discover app. This app will allow us to install the Minecraft Bedrock Launcher to our Steam Deck easily.
To open this application, click the shopping bag in the taskbar.
5. With the Discover store open, change to the “Search” tab.
6. Now that we are on the right screen, use the search bar at the top of the window to look for “minecraft bedrock launcher” (1.). Remember that you can bring up the on-screen keyboard by pressing the X button.
After the search completes, you should see “Minecraft Bedrock Launcher” appear (2.). Once you see the launcher on your screen, click the entry to open it.
7. To install the Minecraft Bedrock Launcher on your Steam Deck, click the “Install” button in the top right corner of the window.
This installation process won’t take too long because the launcher is relatively small and doesn’t include the game itself.
8. Once the launcher is installed, you will want to open it by clicking the “Launch” button. Before running the launcher within gaming mode, we must do some initial configuration.
Using the Minecraft Bedrock Launcher on the Steam Deck
9. When you first open the Bedrock launcher you will be prompted with both the change log as well as the licence the launcher is distributed under.
To continue using this tool, click the “Continue” button.
10. To be able to install and run Minecraft Bedrock editio non your Steam Deck you must sign in to your Google account. Additionally this account must own the Android version of Minecraft.
Click the “Sign in with Google” button and follow the prompts.
11. After logging in to your account, you will be able to download the actual Minecraft Bedrock game to your Steam Deck by clicking the “DOWNLOAD AND PLAY” button.
If this button is missing, you may not actually own the Android version of Minecraft.
Changing the Resolution
12. While we still have the launcher open, we will want to adjsut the resolution so that it matches that of the Steam Deck.
To edit the resolution, click the little pencil icon.
13. On this screen, you will want to first tick the checkbox labeled “Window Size” (1.). This will allow you to adjust the resolution.
Next, adjust the resolution from the default value to 1280 x 800 (2.). This is the default resolution of the Steam Deck.
After updating the resolution, click the “Save” button (3.).
Adding Minecraft Bedrock to your Steam Deck Library
14. With the resolution updated, our next step is to add the Minecraft Bedrock Launcher to the Steam Deck’s library.
You can open the desktop version of the Steam client by double-clicking the “Steam” icon on the desktop.
15. With the Steam desktop client open, click the “Add a Game” button (1.) in the bottom-left corner.
Clicking this button will open up an additional menu. To continue, click the “Add a Non-Steam Game...” button (2.).
16. With the add a non-Steam game menu open, you will want to scroll down until you find “Minecraft BEdrock Launcher” (1.) and tick the checkbox next to it.
Once selected, you click the “Add Selected Programs” button to add the launcher to your library.
Return to Gaming Mode
17. At this point we have finished using desktop mode.
You can now return to gaming mode by double-clicking the “Return to Gaming Mode” icon on your desktop.
Launching Minecraft Bedrock in Steam Deck’s Gaming Mode
18. After switching back to gaming mode, you will want to open your Steam Deck’s game library.
19. Now that your game library is open, change to the “NON-STEAM” tab (1.).
Within this list of games, you should see one labeled “Minecraft Bedrock Launcher” (2.). Select this entry to continue.
20. You can now open the Minecraft Bedrock Launcher on your Steam Deck by clicking the “Play” button.
21. Now, you should be able to play the Bedrock edition of Minecraft on your Steam Deck.
Once you have connected your Microsoft account, you should be able to easily play the same game as your friends. Since this client often runs a version behind the official release, you may not be able to use Realm servers; however self-hosted Minecraft Bedrock servers should function fine.
Conclusion
Hopefully, at this point, you will have successfully got Minecraft Bedrock Edition running on your Steam Deck.
While this edition of Minecraft might not natively support Linux operating systems like SteamOS, there are luckily some really easy-to-use workarounds.
Please comment below if you have had any issues launching this version of Minecraft.
If you liked this tutorial, go and check out our many other Steam Deck guides.
