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First check the platform and claim instructions shown for the specific game in your Humble account. If it provides a Steam key, redeem that key in Steam, then install the game from your Steam library on the Deck. If the game comes through another storefront or launcher, you may be able to add an already-installed application as a non-Steam game in Desktop Mode, but that shortcut does not guarantee it will run on SteamOS.

Check how the game is supplied

Humble Choice titles do not all necessarily use the same storefront or redemption method. Open the game’s page in your Humble account and follow the platform and claim instructions displayed there. Do not assume a title includes a Steam key: it may use another storefront or launcher, and the steps below differ accordingly.

Once you know the platform, choose the matching route:

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  • Steam key: activate it in Steam, then install it from the Steam library.
  • Another storefront or launcher: claim and install it using that platform’s instructions. If the application is installed on the Deck, you can try adding it to Steam as a non-Steam game.

Redeem a Humble Steam key

  1. In your Humble account, open the game and follow its current claim instructions to reveal or obtain the Steam key.
  2. On a computer with the Steam client, choose + Add a Game in the lower-left corner, then select Activate a Product on Steam….
  3. Follow Steam’s prompts and enter the key. Valve documents this process in its Retail CD Keys instructions.
  4. After activation, find the game in your Steam library on the Deck and choose Install.

Steam Deck displays your Steam library, so an activated title can be installed there. After installation, offline play is generally possible, unless the game itself requires an internet connection, according to Valve’s Steam Deck FAQ.

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Try an installed non-Steam game

For a game supplied by another storefront or launcher, first use that platform’s instructions to claim and install it. If the application is already installed on the Deck, you can add a shortcut to it from Desktop Mode:

  1. Press the Steam button, choose Power, then select Switch to Desktop.
  2. Open the desktop Steam client. Choose Add a Game, then Add a Non-Steam Game.
  3. Select the installed application and add it to your Steam library. Return to Gaming Mode to launch it from the library.

Valve says, “Yes, you can run non-Steam games through Proton,” in its Steam Deck FAQ. That describes general capability, not a guarantee that a particular installer, launcher, or game will work. Adding a shortcut also does not install the application or make it compatible with SteamOS.

Valve notes that additional applications can be installed through Discover Software Center and that a physical keyboard and mouse may be needed in some situations. See the Steam Deck and Steam Machine Desktop FAQ.

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Check whether the game works well on Deck

Compatibility is title-specific. Valve’s Steam Deck categories are Verified, Playable, Unsupported, and Unknown. Ratings and the review process can change; check the game’s current status in the Deck Verified information. A rating is a useful guide to usability, but a non-Steam shortcut does not automatically inherit a verified status.

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Proton is Valve’s compatibility layer for running many Windows games on SteamOS. It does not make every Windows game or launcher work without adjustment. For a Steam library game’s compatibility troubleshooting, Valve’s Steam Deck Software Info & Troubleshooting Guide gives this route:

  1. Select the game in your Steam library.
  2. Open Properties, then Compatibility.
  3. Enable the option to force a Steam Play compatibility tool and select a tool. In the troubleshooting context described by Valve, it recommends trying the latest Proton version.

Compatibility settings may help with a Steam library game, but they cannot guarantee that a particular title will launch or behave correctly. Check for title-specific requirements such as launcher navigation, controls, or an internet connection.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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