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EmuDeck gives you two practical ways to make emulated games accessible from your Steam Deck: add individual games to Steam with Steam ROM Manager, or launch EmulationStation DE and browse your entire collection there. The better choice depends mainly on library size.
Steam ROM Manager is well suited to a small or curated collection because every selected game can appear as its own Steam library entry. EmulationStation DE is usually easier for a large library because it detects games when it starts and avoids filling Steam with hundreds of shortcuts.
This guide assumes that you already have legally obtained ROM and BIOS dumps. EmuDeck supplies the emulators and configuration tools, but it does not provide copyrighted games or BIOS files.
Choose how your games will appear
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Steam ROM Manager | Adds individual ROMs to Steam as non-Steam games, grouped into system collections. | Small-to-medium curated libraries |
| EmulationStation DE | Adds one launcher to Steam. ES-DE detects and organizes your ROMs inside its own interface. | Large libraries |
| Neither | Launch the emulators manually from Desktop Mode or use their existing shortcuts. | Testing or minimal setups |
EmuDeck calls the Steam ROM Manager setup High integration. The EmulationStation DE setup is Low integration. You can use either one, both, or neither.
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Install EmuDeck and select an integration level
- On your Steam Deck, switch to Desktop Mode.
- Download the SteamOS/Linux installer from the EmuDeck website.
- Run the installer and wait for the EmuDeck application to open.
- Choose Easy Mode for EmuDeck’s standard setup, or Custom Mode if you want to select emulators and other options individually. Custom Mode is required for granular emulator-selection options.
- Choose where EmuDeck should store your games and emulator data. This can be the internal drive or a compatible microSD card.
- When asked for the integration level, choose SteamLibrary for Steam ROM Manager or EmulationStation for ES-DE.
During the installation, EmuDeck also presents options for emulator selection, RetroAchievements, bezels, aspect ratio, shaders, controller layout, cloud saves, and ROM/BIOS storage. Review these rather than accepting every default automatically.
If EmuDeck cannot select your microSD card, format it as EXT4. In Game Mode, the storage settings are under Preferences → Storage. Formatting erases the card, so copy anything important elsewhere first.
Put ROMs and BIOS files in the correct folders
EmuDeck creates an Emulation folder at the storage location you selected. The important directories are:
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Emulation/bios
Emulation/roms
Emulation/saves
Emulation/storage
Emulation/toolsFor a manual transfer, choose Manual copy when EmuDeck asks how you want to add games. It opens the Emulation folder. Put each game in the appropriate system folder under Emulation/roms; do not place every ROM directly in the top-level roms directory.
For example, a PlayStation 1 game belongs in the PlayStation 1 ROM directory created by EmuDeck, while its BIOS belongs in Emulation/bios. The exact folder names and supported extensions vary by system. Each ROM folder includes a systeminfo.txt file, and EmuDeck’s Cheat Sheet lists the required formats and BIOS files.
Common BIOS locations
| System | BIOS or firmware location |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 1 | Emulation/bios |
| PlayStation 2 | Emulation/bios |
| Nintendo DS | Emulation/bios |
| Sega Dreamcast | Emulation/bios/dc |
| Xbox | Emulation/bios |
| Nintendo Switch with Yuzu | Emulation/bios/yuzu/ |
| Nintendo Switch with Citron | Emulation/bios/citron |
| Nintendo Switch with Ryujinx | Emulation/bios/Ryujinx/keys for keys; firmware is installed inside Ryujinx |
| PlayStation 3 | Install the required firmware through RPCS3 |
Do not create extra BIOS subfolders unless the emulator specifically requires one. Also, .zip and .7z are not universally supported for every system. If a game is invisible later, check its required extension before changing Steam settings.
Importing games from a USB drive
EmuDeck’s USB import workflow is available on SteamOS/Linux:
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- Insert the USB drive.
- In EmuDeck, click Select your USB Drive.
- Select the drive from the menu.
- EmuDeck creates
romsandbiosfolders on the USB drive. - Eject the USB drive while leaving EmuDeck open.
- Copy each game into the matching system folder on the USB drive.
Reconnect the drive and follow EmuDeck’s import prompts if necessary. A failed or incomplete copy can make a ROM or BIOS unusable even if the original works on another computer.
Method 1: Add individual games to Steam with Steam ROM Manager
Steam ROM Manager creates non-Steam shortcuts for your ROMs. It uses system-specific parsers; each parser identifies games for a particular system and emulator or RetroArch core.
Generate Steam entries
- Remain in Desktop Mode.
- Open the EmuDeck application.
- Select Steam ROM Manager from the left sidebar.
- Activate only the parser or parsers you need. For example, select the PlayStation 1 parser that matches your preferred emulator.
- Click Add Games and read the displayed instructions.
- Click Parse.
- Wait while Steam ROM Manager scans your ROM folders and retrieves artwork. Do not continue until the Retrieving urls message at the top has disappeared.
- Click Add to Steam.
- Wait for the completion notification in the upper-right corner.
Switch to Game Mode, or open Big Picture Mode, and check the Steam library. Your games should be grouped by system under the Collections tab.
Avoid duplicate entries
Some systems have multiple parsers. PlayStation games, for example, may offer separate DuckStation, SwanStation, and Beetle PSX parsers. Enabling more than one creates duplicate Steam entries because each shortcut points to a different emulator or core. Select one preferred parser per system unless you intentionally want multiple versions.
The ES-DE parser and the Emulators parser do different jobs from system-ROM parsers. ES-DE adds the EmulationStation DE launcher to Steam, while Emulators adds EmuDeck’s installed emulator suite.
Update Steam after adding more ROMs
Steam ROM Manager does not monitor the ROM folders continuously. Every time you copy in new games:
- Open Steam ROM Manager in Desktop Mode.
- Select only the parser for the system that changed.
- Click Add Games.
- Click Parse.
- Wait for artwork retrieval to finish.
- Click Add to Steam.
Using only the changed system’s parser makes later updates faster and reduces the chance of unnecessary duplicate entries.
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Method 2: Use EmulationStation DE instead
ES-DE is often the cleaner option when you have a large collection. It adds the launcher to Steam’s Non-Steam section, and ES-DE automatically detects games each time it starts. You do not need to run Steam ROM Manager whenever a new ROM is copied.
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- Open Steam in Game Mode or Desktop Mode.
- Find EmulationStation DE under Non-Steam games.
- Launch it and select a system to browse its ROMs.
ES-DE does not display artwork by default. To download artwork, open ES-DE and:
- Press START.
- Select SCRAPE.
- Select SELECT SYSTEMS.
- Mark the systems you want to process.
- Select BACK.
- Select Start.
Scraping may take minutes or hours depending on the number of games and your connection. Games cannot be launched while scraping is in progress.
Fix games that do not appear or launch
Steam ROM Manager finds no games
Check the ROM’s file extension and location. Unsupported formats and extra subfolders are common causes. Open the relevant system folder and read its systeminfo.txt file. Also confirm that the correct system parser is enabled.
A game is hidden in Steam ROM Manager
- Open Steam ROM Manager.
- Click Exceptions.
- Search for or locate the game.
- Click Remove exception.
- Click Save.
- Generate the app list again.
The Save step matters. Removing the exception without saving leaves the game hidden.
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The game has the wrong artwork or Axios errors appear
Steam ROM Manager retrieves artwork through SteamGridDB. EmuDeck’s documented fix for connection-related Axios errors is to wait 24–48 hours and try again.
The ROM name causes a launch failure
Rename the file using simple characters, then run Steam ROM Manager again. Accented characters such as é, apostrophes such as ', and plus signs such as + are documented examples of characters that can cause problems.
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Do not enable Proton for an emulated game
Emulated games added by Steam ROM Manager do not need Proton. Do not enable Compatibility settings or add STEAM_COMPAT_MOUNTS for these entries. Those settings are for Windows games, not the emulator shortcuts generated by EmuDeck.
The SD card or external drive is not writable
EmuDeck identifies spaces in a drive label as a typical cause. In Desktop Mode:
- Open KDE Partition Manager.
- If it asks for a sudo password and you do not have one, open Konsole, run
passwd, and create one. - Right-click the drive and select Unmount.
- Open Properties.
- Change the label to a name without spaces, such as
SteamDeckSD. - Click OK.
- Right-click the drive and select Mount.
- Run EmuDeck again.
Emulators crash after installing Gamescope Flatpak
In Konsole, check whether the conflicting package is installed:
flatpak listLook for:
org.freedesktop.Platform.VulkanLayer.gamescopeIf it is present, remove it with:
flatpak remove org.freedesktop.Platform.VulkanLayer.gamescopeEmuDeck documents this Gamescope Flatpak as a possible conflict with Flatpak emulators.
Performance or audio is poor
In Game Mode, open the affected game first if you want a per-game profile. Then:
- Press the QAM … button.
- Select the Battery icon.
- Open Advanced View.
- Set Framerate Limit to Off.
- Set Refresh Rate to 60.
Enable Use per-game profile if these settings should apply only to the currently open game.
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Hold the Steam Deck’s Start button for three seconds. This switches the controller configuration to gamepad mode.
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Reset a damaged emulator configuration
Open EmuDeck in Desktop Mode, select Manage Emulators, choose the emulator from the drop-down menu, and click Reset configuration. Wait for the reset to finish before testing the game again.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.FAQ
Does EmuDeck automatically add every ROM to Steam?
No. Steam ROM Manager is optional, and ROMs are added only after you enable the relevant parser, click Parse, and click Add to Steam. You can use ES-DE instead, which keeps games inside its own launcher.
Do I need Steam ROM Manager if I use EmulationStation DE?
No. ES-DE detects games whenever it starts. Steam ROM Manager is only needed if you want individual ROM shortcuts in the Steam library.
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You probably enabled multiple parsers for the same system, such as DuckStation and SwanStation. Disable all but your preferred emulator or core, then parse and add the games again.
Do emulated Steam entries need Proton?
No. EmuDeck’s current guidance says not to enable Proton Compatibility or STEAM_COMPAT_MOUNTS for emulated games.
Where should BIOS files go?
Most BIOS files go directly in Emulation/bios. Some systems require documented subfolders, such as Dreamcast in Emulation/bios/dc, Yuzu in Emulation/bios/yuzu/, Citron in Emulation/bios/citron, and Ryujinx keys in Emulation/bios/Ryujinx/keys.
The Bottom Line
For a short list of favorite games, choose Steam ROM Manager, enable one parser per system, then use Add Games → Parse → Add to Steam. For a large collection, install EmulationStation DE and launch it from Steam’s Non-Steam section. In either setup, correct ROM locations, supported file formats, and system-specific BIOS paths matter more than changing Steam’s Proton settings.
