Easy Steam Deck Emulation - Emudeck Guide (LCD & OLED)

Play all your retro games on the go
EmuDeck takes care of everything. Emulator installation & configuration, bezels, hotkeys, performance fixes and more.

A lot more than games
Discover all the extra tools that come with EmuDeck!
EmuDeck Compressor - Compress your games using the EmuDeck Compressor tool, saving up to 70% disk space!

DeckyControls
Consult emulator hotkeys directly in Game Mode.

BIOS Checker
Validate your BIOS using the BIOS Checker tool. BIOS not included.

Cloud Backup
Backup your saves to the cloud. Cross platform sync coming soon!

SteamDeckGyroDSU
Enable your Steam Deck gyroscope for 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii, and Wii U games.

Power Tools
Supercharge your Steam Deck to get maximum performance on emulation.

All your favourite systems
Atari, Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Sega 32X, PC Engine, NES, Super Nintendo, MAME, FinalBurn Neo, Master System, Game Boy, Neo Geo Pocket, Game Gear, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP, Dreamcast, Playstation, Playstation 2, Nintendo 64, Wii, GameCube, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and more!

Hotkeys galore
EmuDeck follows the AmberElec convention so you can jump right in and button combo like an expert. In some emulators, EmuDeck unleashes all of the Steam Deck's controller configurations using custom Steam Input Profiles.

- Quit Game: SELECT + START
- Fast Forward: SELECT + R2
- Quick Save: SELECT + R1
- Load Quick Save: SELECT + L1

Tailored to your needs
EmuDeck's graphical wizard will install everything you need in just a couple of clicks. Looking to customize your install? Choose Custom Mode and select shaders, aspect ratios, themes, etc. ROMs and BIOS not included.

Beautifully detailed
Add your games with box art alongside the rest of your Steam library, thanks to a powerful tool called Steam ROM Manager. EmuDeck downloads and configures Steam ROM Manager for you. Add your ROMs to your Steam Library with just a single click.

EmulationStation Desktop Edition
Use EmulationStation Desktop Edition to manage and launch your ROMs. A beautiful front-end with endless customization and themes.

SteamOS, Windows, and Rog Ally
EmuDeck for Windows will be released for free before 2024. Right now it's available for all EmuDeck patrons that have access to early access builds! EmuDeck for Android will come soon after Windows. Check our Patreon for updates on the development of these and other features

0:00 - Emudeck Introduction
0:10 - SD Card Preparation for Emudeck
0:41 - Keyboard and Mouse for Steam Deck Desktop Mode
1:13 - Download Emudeck
1:38 - Install Emudeck
1:46 - Emudeck Custom Mode
1:56 - Select ROM Directory
2:03 - Select your Device
2:06 - Emulators for Steam Deck
2:32 - Emulator Configurations
2:46 - Auto Save
3:03 - RetroAchievements
3:25 - Configure Game Bezels
3:39 - Configure Aspect Ratio
4:08 - Configure Shaders
4:32 - EmulationStation Theme
4:59 - Emudeck Configuration Overview
5:06 - Installation
5:29 - Transfer ROMS to Emudeck
6:02 - Emudeck Post Installation Menus
6:42 - Steam ROM Manager
7:36 - Manually transfer ROMs to Steam Deck
8:22 - How to Load EmulationStation in SteamDeck Gaming Mode
8:54 - Scrape Box Art and Information for your ROMs
9:23 - Loading ROMs in EmulationStation
9:36 - Exiting ROMs in EmulationStation --------------------

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[Iamfirebird]

First time pc gamer here. Getting a steam deck oled next month. This guide was exactly what i needed.
Im a console gamer and pc never really appealed to me. But the deck changed all that.
I cant wait to start adding roms and reliving the golden era of gaming.

[jasonnugent]

Thank you for this !.. I have a new OLED Steam Deck coming mid next week.. I'm excited about all the things it can do !

[tony]

I love this thing, coming from modding psps and vitas, this is such a breeze.

[raider]

Hands down best guide to setting up emudeck

[matthewa]

Stellar guide. This was clear and concise.

[danbissett]

My OLED comes today and I bought a 1tb so card just for Rom’s, I can’t wait to play Amiga and Atari games from my child hood. Thank you.

[paulcasamar]

New subscriber here! Thanks for this. Going to buy SD OLED today

[Boz-vfmy]

Gonna have a watch now m8, I always look forward to yr vids 💪

[kingcychotic]

Great tutorial lets go boys time to get those retro libraries going

[OhnJuice]

Finally something I can follow thank you

[kyoxthoru]

Hey there ! Super tutorial ! What sd size do you recommend if I’m only interested in GameCube or some Nintendo switch titles? Is 256gb enough ?

[mickw]

Great guide.

Already installed emudeck on my deck. But I put it all on my ssd, including my roms.

That's because I recently upgraded to a 1TB sabrent ssd.. I haven't noticed any issues with this. So my question is.. is there a reason why yourself and other state that you have to install onto a micro sd card??

Cheers

[GregTheLion]

So can I manually transfer games from my SD card INSTEAD of needing a USB drive, or are they both mandatory?

[wafflezjones]

This may be a silly question but I haven't seen a clear answer. If I have an adaptor to put my micro SD into my desktop, can I remove it from the deck and add bios and roms that way then place it back into the deck or does it have to all be loaded onto the deck first and foremost

[jony]

Love this tutorial, I have one question it's been years since I've downloaded anything like music and films, where would I get the games from? I used to use pirate bay for all the stuff. Not sure if they are still available.
Cheers

[keepitshort]

Is there a way to make the save data on the sd card too ?
Also is there way to make the sd card for steamdeck before having a deck in hand ? as adding roms will take so long want to prepare my sd

[kaihoward]

So a key part of this process i do not understand. You installed emudeck and then you downloaded roms onto a usb stick from a computer, then transferred them to the deck. But where do you get the roms from? I am a complete newbie to this stuff

[dion.b]

Cant you just download the games on you're steam deck? And then add them in a folder because i dont have a laptop to put the usb drive in

[okay]

Is a USB the only way? Can I download games to the deck SSD and use that

[fgates]

on the manually. what you copy? got confused there