Introduction
If you're itching for some Diablo or World of Warcraft on the go, you could use an automated tool and get running in minutes, but half the fun of a Linux system is figuring out how to make things work, right? Right?
Adding and running a Windows-based launcher to the Steam Deck isn't too difficult thanks to Proton. In most cases, it only involves a bit of fiddling and configuring a few settings.
What is Proton?
Proton is the Windows compatibility layer developped by Valve for the Steam operating system. In other words, it allows Linux systems, like the one the Steam deck uses, to run Windows executables when native builds aren't available.
Proton is specialized tool rather than a universal fix. While it enables most games to run, others may simply faily to launch, suffer from performance issues, or crash. That's why, before purchasing a game, you should always check its compatibility with the Deck and Proton.
Checking a game's compatibility with Proton and the Steam Deck
Steam has the Deck Verified program which ensures a game's general performance is adequate, is legible on a small screen, and has compatible controls. While not exactly praised for its accuracy, particularly in the indie game scene, the rating generally serves as a good quality indicator.
You can also check with community resources like ProtonDB, where you'll often find solutions to common issues in the comments as well as detailed metrics on whether a game is compatible or crashes.
Installing the Battle.net launcher using an automated tool
There are a handful of automated and semi-automated tools designed to add non-Steam launchers to the Steam Deck. The one I prefer is the aptly named NonSteamLaunchers and is simply ran from its download location.
Getting started wth NonSteamLaunchers couldn't be simpler:
- Boot the Deck into desktop mode.
- Download the .desktop file and save it to your own desktop.
- Run NonSteamLaunchers.desktop from the desktop.
- Check the desired options and press OK to begin the installation. Steam will then restart.
- Return to desktop mode.
- Open Steam.
- Open the games list and launch Battle.net.
- Login to Battle.net and install the desired games.
Installing and configuring the Battle.net launcher manually
Downloading and configuring the installer
The first thing you'll need to do is download the Battle.net installer. Save the executable to your desktop so its easy to find then right-click the file and select "Add to Steam" from the context menu.
We now need to set the launcher to run with Proton:
- Boot the Deck into desktop mode.
- Open Steam.
- Navigate to the Games list.
- Right-click Battle.Net-Setup.exe and select Properties
- Select the Compatibility tab
- Enable Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.
- Select Proton Experimental or the most recent version if that fails.
The launcher is now configured to run in Proton. You can launch it to begin the installation.
Installing Battle.net
Once the installer fires up, select the appropriate language and select Continue.
When prompted to select an installation path, you can leave it at the default path, which will install in the Proton-emulated Windows in the home directory, or select your own. For reference, the Z drive is your internal SSD and E is typically the SD card.
Once the installation completes, exit the application and remove Batte.Net-Setup.exe from your games list. We don't need it anymore.
Adding the Battle.net launcher to Steam
To add the launcher to our Steam Games list, we'll have to locate the laucher's executable.
If you can't find the file, one alternative is to open the file browser and navigate to the compatdata folder. From there, you can run a search for launcher.exe.
- Boot the Deck into desktop mode.
- Open Steam.
- Navigate to the Games list.
- Select the Add Non-Steam Game to My Library option.
- Press the Browse button
- Navigate to the following folder where the numerical value is the most recent, ten-digit folder found in the compdata directory:
<output>/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/0000000000/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (X86)/Battle.net/</output> - Select launcher.exe
Configuring the Battle.net launcher
Like the installer, the executable has to be configured to use the Proton compatibility layer:
- Select launcher.exe in your games list.
- Press the Manage button
- Select Properties from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Compatibility tab
- Enable Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.
- Select Proton Experimental or the most recent version available.
Conclusion
You should now have a working installation of the Battle.net launcher on your Steam Deck. If you want to launch games directly, bypadding Battle.net, you can repeat the process of adding it to your games list.
If you'd like to customize the launcher's artwork in Steam, you can use the SteamGridDB Decky Loader plugin for a seamless integration.