How To Activate a Game on Steam Deck
What is Steam Deck?
The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve and released on February 25, 2022. The device uses Valve’s Linux distribution SteamOS, which incorporates the namesake Steam storefront. SteamOS uses Valve’s Proton compatibility layer, allowing users to run Windows applications and games.
How To Activate a Game on Steam Deck
The Settings menu has a bunch of submenus. Ignore all of them and scroll to the very bottom of the list. Select Library, and a page will appear with the words Activate a product on Steam. Select Add game, and a text box will appear, allowing you to redeem your code.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I launch a Steam Deck game?
On your Steam Deck devkit, navigate the library to find a new title named ‘Devkit Game: YourGameName’ and select it to run.
How do I add games to my Steam Deck?
On the desktop, go to the Steam client, and click the “add a game” button in the lower left corner, click ‘add a Non-Steam game’, then find the application you installed in the list.
Why is my Steam Deck not letting me play games?
Install any available system updates (Steam > Settings > System > Software Updates). Restart your Steam Deck (from the Software Updates section or via Steam > Power > Restart). Make sure that any third party applications that you have installed via Desktop Mode are exited or disabled and retest your issue.
Why is Steam not letting me play a game?
If a game won’t launch, this is often caused by corruption in your extracted game files. Please see our Verify Integrity of Game Files article for instructions on verifying the integrity of your game files. Games may not launch if you’re running software which interferes with Steam.
Where do I find my Steam activation key?
These keys appear in the Steam library when you right-click the game and select ‘Manage’ -> ‘CD keys’. These keys are used to register your product outside of Steam, with a third party client or service. This FAQ pertains to Steam-issued keys that were added to your account after a game was purchased or registered.
How do I get Steam to recognize my games?
If you have moved your games previously or had a custom location to store game data , Steam won’t be able to find the game files and will show them as uninstalled. To fix this, you can manually add any existing game folders to the Steam client using Steam Manager.
Do all Steam games work on Steam Deck?
The short answer is yes. Technically speaking, the Steam Deck has the potential to run any Steam game you have in your library, but whether all games will run well, is another question. Valve has a list of games that have been optimized for use on the Steam Deck – listed as Steam Deck-verified games.
How do you use a CD key?
Select Games & Apps, then choose Redeem Code. Enter the 25-character code that’s displayed on the ‘Order’ page of CDKeys.com, then follow the prompts. Don’t worry about hyphens, the system takes care of those for you.
How do I redeem a Steam deck code?
The Settings menu has a bunch of submenus. Ignore all of them and scroll to the very bottom of the list. Select Library, and a page will appear with the words Activate a product on Steam. Select Add game, and a text box will appear, allowing you to redeem your code.