Version 0.5.0
Install DroidDeck 0.5.0 on Android
One install path for the current non-preview release. The APK stays on GitHub. Finish with Steam open and signed in, then judge each game on its own record.
- 1
Confirm the device is in bounds
The README asks for Android 9 or newer and a supported Adreno class. Adreno 6xx is experimental. Mali, Xclipse, PowerVR, and Adreno 710 are unsupported. Root is not part of the requirement.
Done when. The device checker shows an official line you can live with, and you have read that it is not a game test.
- 2
Download only from GitHub Releases
Open the DroidDeck releases page and take DroidDeck-0.5.0.apk from the 0.5.0 release. The README says the project has no stand-alone website and warns against download links that claim to be the team. Preview builds are announced on Discord. They are a different track.
Done when. The file on disk is the artifact from that GitHub release.
- 3
Install the APK
Android will ask for permission to install unknown apps from the browser or file manager you are using. A failed parse usually means the download is incomplete or it is not the release file.
Done when. The DroidDeck icon is installed and opens.
- 4
Install the Linux runtime
Plan for about 3 GB. That figure is the runtime, not the games, and not the optional desktop. Wait until this step finishes before treating Play as broken.
Done when. The runtime install has finished.
- 5
Set the child-process option for 0.5.0
On Android 14 and newer, turn on Disable child process restrictions in Developer options before Steam starts. On Android 12 and 13, if that option is missing, the first Steam launch offers Fix it for me. Release 0.4.0 used the older sentence: turn Restrict child processes off.
Done when. Android 14 or newer has Disable child process restrictions turned on, or Fix it for me has run on Android 12 or 13 where that option was missing.
- 6
Press Play and sign in
Steam downloads on first launch. Sign in inside the Steam client. This website never asks for the password. The first launch can take a while on a normal connection. That wait is the download, not proof the install failed.
Done when. Steam Big Picture is open and the library is visible.
After Steam is open
Optional desktop: install Desktop and apps. The README budgets about 1.1 GB more for the desktop and emulators. The 0.4.0 notes, which 0.5.0 still builds on, describe that desktop as KDE Plasma 6.7 with Return to Gaming Mode.
Optional stores: Setup, then Stores, then Show Stores in the rail. The README says this signs in to GOG, Epic Games, and Amazon Games, downloads into game storage, and adds each title to Steam as a non-Steam game so it launches through Proton. The 0.4.0 notes add cloud saves for GOG and Epic.
A signed-in library means the client launched. It does not rate a Windows game. Use the game records page for that, and the troubleshooting checks if a step above stops.
Install questions
Where do I download the DroidDeck APK?
From the GitHub Releases page of Droid-Deck/DroidDeck. The project README says DroidDeck does not have a stand-alone website. droiddeck.net does not host the file.
How much storage does the install need?
The 0.5.0 README allows about 3 GB for the runtime and about 1.1 GB more for the optional desktop and emulators. Games take additional space.
What is Fix it for me?
On 0.5.0, Android 14 and newer must turn on Disable child process restrictions before Steam starts. On Android 12 and 13, if that option is missing, the first Steam launch offers Fix it for me.
Do I need the desktop download to open Steam?
No. Desktop and apps is a separate optional install for the desktop and emulators. The path to Steam is the runtime, then Play.
Which version do these steps follow?
Release 0.5.0. The 0.4.0 notes used the opposite child-process wording. Check the release you actually installed before following a menu name.