How DroidDeck Differs From Steam Link, GameNative and Winlator
Steam Link and similar apps stream games from a PC running somewhere else. DroidDeck does the work on the phone. FEX translates x86 PC code so it can run on the ARM-based Snapdragon chip, and Proton handles the Windows side, the same compatibility layer Valve uses to get Windows games running on the Steam Deck.
Android already has several apps for running PC games locally, including GameNative, Winlator and GameHub, and all three put their own interface between you and your library. DroidDeck uses the real Steam client instead, complete with the Quick Access Menu and the performance stats Steam Deck owners will recognize. The other route to a Linux gaming setup on an Android handheld involves flashing custom firmware such as ROCKNIX and switching the bootloader between Linux and Android, and DroidDeck skips all of that by running inside a normal Android app.
What DroidDeck Can Do Beyond Steam
- GOG, Epic Games and Amazon Games: DroidDeck signs in to all three, downloads games from them and adds each one to Steam as a non-Steam game, so it launches through Proton like everything else.
- Desktop mode: a Linux desktop similar to the Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode, installed from the app’s Desktop tab.
- Linux apps: ARM64 builds from Flathub through Flatpak, plus AppImages.
- Emulators: installable for older consoles and available from desktop mode.
- Decky plugins: the Steam Deck’s community plugin system works here too.
- Frame generation: LSFG frame generation, ported to DroidDeck by maxjivi05, which needs your own copy of Lossless Scaling because DroidDeck ships none of its shaders.
- Recent additions: Android home screen shortcuts for games, dual-screen support, automatic selection of the best GPU drivers for your device, and a detailed performance overlay.
Which Phones and Handhelds Support DroidDeck
Compatibility depends on the GPU inside the phone’s chip. DroidDeck is built around Qualcomm’s Adreno graphics, and the developers split support into three tiers:
| GPU | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Adreno 730 or newer, and Adreno 8xx | Supported | Covers Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and newer chips |
| Adreno 6xx | Experimental | DirectX 11 games run through DXVK 2 and may work, while DirectX 12 games can crash |
| Adreno 710, Mali, Xclipse, PowerVR | Unsupported | Rules out phones on MediaTek, Exynos and Google Tensor chips |
That excludes most of Google’s phones and many Samsung models, along with budget and mid-range Snapdragon devices. Samsung’s Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra do qualify, as do ASUS ROG and RedMagic gaming phones and handhelds such as the AYN Odin 2. DroidDeck’s Setup tab also shows whether your GPU is verified before you install anything else.
How to Set Up DroidDeck
- Download the APK from the Releases section of the DroidDeck GitHub page and install it.
- Open the Setup tab and install the Linux runtime.
- Go to Developer options in your phone’s settings and turn off “Restrict child processes”. This stops Android from shutting down the extra background processes that Steam and its compatibility layers launch. On Android 12 and 13 devices where the option doesn’t exist, the first Steam launch shows a “Fix it for me” button that switches it off through wireless ADB debugging instead.
- Go back to the Steam section and press Play. DroidDeck downloads the FEX and Proton components, and Steam installs itself on first launch.
- Sign in to your Steam account and wait for your library to fill.
- Optionally, install Desktop and apps to unlock desktop mode, the Linux app store and emulators.