How to Set Up Steam Deck for the First Time

The Steam Deck boots into a setup wizard the first time you turn it on. The whole process takes about 20 minutes. This guide walks through each step and covers what to do after the initial setup to get the most out of it.

First Boot Setup

Hold the power button on the top right edge. The Valve logo appears, then the setup wizard starts.

Select your language and time zone. Connect to your Wi-Fi network. Log into your Steam account — if you don’t have one, create it at store.steampowered.com on your phone or computer first. The Deck’s on-screen keyboard works for this but a phone is faster.

Steam will ask to update SteamOS during setup. Let it run. The update takes 5-15 minutes depending on your internet speed. This is worth doing before anything else.

After Setup: Update Everything

Go to Settings (the gear icon) > System > Software Updates and check for any updates that didn’t install during setup. Then go to Settings > Controller and run the controller calibration to verify the thumbsticks and triggers are accurate.

Install a MicroSD Card

The MicroSD slot is on the bottom edge of the Deck. Push a card in until it clicks. The Deck detects it automatically and asks if you want to format it. Format it as ext4 (the default option). This gives the best performance for game storage.

After formatting, go to Settings > Storage and set the MicroSD card as the default install location. New game downloads go to the card automatically. Keep the internal SSD for your most-played games since internal storage is slightly faster.

A 512GB Samsung Pro Plus runs about $50 and is the most commonly recommended card.

Download Your First Game

Press the Steam button to open the main menu. Select Library. Your Steam games appear here. Find one, press Install, and it downloads to the Deck. Games marked with a green checkmark are Valve-verified to run well. Games marked with a yellow symbol are playable but may have minor issues.

If a game you want isn’t showing up, check if it’s in your library on steam.steampowered.com — you may need to add it there first.

Set Up Performance Settings

Press the three-dot Quick Access button on the right side of the Deck. Go to the Performance tab. For most games, set the Frame Rate Limit to 40 and the Refresh Rate to 40Hz. This balances performance and battery life well on demanding titles.

Set these as per-game profiles rather than globally. Press the Steam button while in a game, go to Properties, and enable per-game settings. Each game remembers its own configuration.

Desktop Mode

Desktop Mode runs a full Linux desktop. To access it, hold the power button and select Switch to Desktop. This is where you install non-Steam software, manage files, and configure emulation apps like EmuDeck.

To return to Gaming Mode from the desktop, double-click the Return to Gaming Mode shortcut on the desktop.

Most people spend 95% of their time in Gaming Mode and only use Desktop Mode for specific setup tasks. You don’t need to learn Linux to use the Deck.

Key Settings to Configure

Notifications: Settings > Notifications. Turn off notifications you don’t want during gameplay.

Sleep settings: Settings > Power. Set the screen timeout and suspend timer to your preference. The default settings are conservative — most people extend them.

Download in Sleep: Settings > Downloads. Enable “Allow Downloads During Sleep” if you want games to download overnight.

Family View / PIN: Settings > Family. Set a PIN if you share the device.

First Week Tips

Check ProtonDB (protondb.com) before installing a game you’re unsure about. Community reports show how well each game runs and whether specific settings help. Games listed as Gold or Platinum run without issues for most people.

The Deck gets warm during demanding games. This is normal. The fan ramps up — that’s also normal. If a game runs poorly, check the Quick Access performance tab and try capping the frame rate before assuming the game is broken.

For games to start with, see best Steam Deck games in 2026. For the accessories worth buying, see best Steam Deck accessories.