by In this tutorial, we will walk you through installing and setting up the Heroic Games Launcher on the Steam Deck.
The Heroic Games Launcher is an open-source alternative to GoG Galaxy and the Epic Games Launcher.
One of the advantages of using Heroic Games Launcher on your Steam Deck is that it has a Linux client. With a Linux client, you don’t have to worry about using the Proton compatibility layer.
Not having to use Proton should ensure this launcher runs smoothly on your Steam Deck.
The Heroic Games Launcher has most of the GoG Galaxy and Epic Games functionality. It can install, uninstall, update, and even repair games.
This launcher will even run Windows games on your Steam Deck by utilizing the Proton compatibility layer.
Hopefully, by the end of the following sections, you will have the Heroic Games Launcher installed to your Steam Deck.
Installing the Heroic Games Launcher on the Steam Deck
This section will show you how to install the Heroic Games Launcher onto your Steam Deck. Additionally, we will show you how to add it to your library so you can access the launcher in gaming mode.
Access to this launcher in gaming mode will mean you can access the games from this launcher without having to return to desktop mode.
As this launcher natively supports the Linux operating system, this will be a straightforward process that can be completed with a couple of clicks.
Changing to Desktop Mode
1. To install the Heroic Games Launcher, you will need to change from gaming to desktop mode.
To get to this, you must open the Steam menu. You can open this by clicking STEAM Menu in the bottom-left corner or pressing the STEAM button.
2. With the Steam Menu open, swap to the “Power” menu.
3. After changing to the “Power” menu, select the “Switch to desktop” option.
This will remove you from gaming mode and drop you into the desktop interface.
Using Discover on the Steam Deck to install the Heroic Games Launcher
4. Once you are on the desktop interface, we can install the Heroic Games Launcher on your Steam Deck.
Luckily for us, this game launcher is available through the Discover app. This app makes installing Linux native applications a breeze.
Open the Discover app by clicking the shopping bag icon in the taskbar.
5. After opening the Discover app, change to the “Search” page (1.).
Next, use the search bar at the top of the screen to look for “Heroic Games Launcher” (2.).
You can open the Steam Deck’s on-screen keyboard on the desktop by pressing STEAM + X.
6. You should now see an entry labeled “Heroic Games Launcher“.
Double-click this entry to go to its Discover page.
7. Now that you are on the Discover page for the Heroic Games Launcher on your Steam Deck, click the “Install” button in the top-right corner.
The installation can take a couple of minutes, depending on the speed of your network connection.
Running the Heroic Games Launcher for the First Time
8. With the Discover app still open on your Steam Deck, you can now click the “Launch” button in the top-right corner to start the Heroic Games Launcher
9. You should now have the Heroic Games Launcher running on your Steam Deck.
The first thing you will want to do is log in to your Epic Games and GoG accounts. By logging in, the launcher can see what games you own and download them to your Steam Deck.
To begin this process, click “Log in” in the sidebar (1.).
You can now log in to each of these supported game stores (2.). After logging in, the games you own on that store will become available through the Heroic Game Launcher.
10. Below, you can see we have now logged in to our Epic Games Store account.
By changing to the “Library” page, we will be able to see all the games we own from that store and be able to install them.
11. Below, you can see all the games that we can now install on our Steam Deck using this launcher.
Adding Heroic Games Launcher to the Steam Deck Gaming Mode
12. With the Heroic Games Launcher now working, you will likely want to set it up to work in gaming mode.
To do this, you must add Heroic Games Launcher as a non-steam game on your Steam Deck.
Back on the desktop, launch the desktop version of Steam by double-clicking the “Steam” desktop icon.
13. Now that Steam is open, click the “Add a Game” button (1.) in the bottom-left corner.
You should see a couple of options. Click the “Add a Non-Steam game...” option (2.) to continue.
14. Scroll down through the list till you see the “Heroic Games Launcher” and click the checkbox (1.) next to it.
With the launcher now selected, click the “Add” button (2.) to add it to your Steam Deck’s library.
Returning to Gaming Mode
15. Everything is now set up, and you should now have Heroic Games Launcher added to your Steam Deck’s library.
You can now return to gaming mode by double-clicking the “Return to gaming mode” icon on the desktop.
Running Heroic Games Launcher on the Steam Deck Gaming Mode
16. Now that you are back in gaming mode, you will want to change to your game library.
The easiest way to get to this is through the STEAM Menu and clicking the “Library” option.
17. Once your library is open, change to the “NON-STEAM” tab (1.).
After changing to this tab, you should see “Heroic Games Launcher” in your Steam Deck’s Library (2.). Select this entry to continue.
18. To use the launcher on your Steam Deck, you only need to click the “Play” button.
19. Below, you can see that we successfully have the Heroic Games Launcher running on your Steam Deck.
Using this launcher, we can install and launch any Epic Games Store or GoG games.
Conclusion
Hopefully at this stage of the tutorial you will now have the Heroic Games Launcher installed and running on the Steam Deck.
This launcher is incredibly useful for those wanting a single launcher for the GoG and Epic Games Store games. While you can still use the official clients for these stores, they don’t natively support the Steam Deck and can break easily.
Please feel free to comment below if you have experienced any issues with installing this launcher.
Be sure to check out our many other Steam Deck guides to get the system working at its best.
