To install Lutris on your Steam Deck is to swing open the doors that SteamOS, being a Linux-based device in the Windows-dominated world of PC games, normally keeps shut. See, for all the thousands upon thousands of Steam Deck-ready games on Steam itself, there are many more hiding within their publishers’ preferred launchers – launchers that SteamOS can’t install without help. Lutris is a convenient tool that not only forces these apps to work on the Steam Deck, but handles their individual installations, all while acting as a handy all-in-one launcher of launchers.
It supports all the biggest Steam alternatives like GOG, Battle.net, the Epic Games Launcher, the EA App, and Ubisoft Connect, and can gather and install all the Linux compatibility gubbins they need with minimal input from you. It’s a fabulous addition for Deck owners whose game collection is spread across multiple services, and once you have a launcher up and running, it operates with the same functions and UI that you’re already familiar with from desktop use.