XIVLauncher Steam Deck Installation Guide
Installation
Install the Steam version of FFXIV on your Steam Deck
To use XIVLauncher, the FFXIV Free Trial or the full version of FFXIV has to be installed on your Steam Deck’s internal memory. You don’t need to start it at any point in time, or need to create a Steam account, it just has to be installed. If you don’t own FFXIV on Steam, please install the Free Trial.
To install the Trial, you will need to look for it in the Steam Store. Depending on whether or not you have previously installed the Trial on this account, it may be hidden from search results. In this case, look for Demos within the Final Fantasy franchise in Desktop Mode, or use this link to go to the Trial.
This is needed for Gaming Mode to see the game window.
Switch to Desktop Mode
Press and hold the Power Button. Select Switch to Desktop Mode
Install XIVLauncher
Open the Discover Store, search for XIVLauncher, and press Install.
For Any other linux distro The Discover Store is a GUI for flatpak. This is the package: https://flathub.org/apps/dev.goats.xivlauncher
OPTIONAL: If you would like to install Final Fantasy XIV to your Deck’s MicroSD card or any folder outside of the default (~/.xlcore/ffxiv), you will also need Flatseal from the Discover Store.
Add a Non-Steam Game
In Steam’s Desktop mode, select ADD A GAME, scroll down to XIVLauncher, click the checkbox, and click ADD SELECTED PROGRAM
Right click on XIVLauncher in Steam, select Properties, and replace the Launch Options with the following: XL_SECRET_PROVIDER=FILE %command% run --parent-expose-pids --parent-share-pids --parent-pid=1 --branch=stable --arch=x86_64 --command=xivlauncher dev.goats.xivlauncher
Please note that with this configuration, XIVLauncher will save your password to a file on your Steam Deck, as Valve does not ship a safer way to store passwords by default. If this is a problem for you, please leave out XL_SECRET_PROVIDER=FILE %command% from the line above - XIVLauncher won’t be able to save your password in that case.
(For desktop Linux users with a sudden performance drop after some time in game, this may be caused by the Steam overlay. Try adding LD_PRELOAD="" at the start to disable it.)
Do not set a Compatibility mode for XIVLauncher. XIVLauncher is a native Linux application. Setting Compatibility for it will break it.
OPTIONAL: Allow external folder access to XIVLauncher
Run Flatseal. On the left, scroll down to XIVLauncher. In the main part of the window, scroll down to Filesystem. Click the Folder icon next to Other files. Type the location where you would like to install Final Fantasy XIV. By default, your MicroSD is mounted to /run/media/mmcblk0p1.
Switch to Gaming Mode
On the Desktop, tab Return to Gaming Mode.
First time setup / Running the game
Run XIVLauncher in Steam. Once XIVLauncher has opened, click the Gear icon in the bottom left if you need to set the game data path, OTP macro, etc. (Use the mount location above for the data path if you’re installing to the MicroSD.) After changing settings, click the check mark. Input your username and password, click login, and let XIVLauncher install the game (if it is not already present in your game data path).
When prompted, press the Steam button, select FINAL FANTASY XIV Online or FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Free Trial (the latter will appear for non-Steam service accounts). Final Fantasy XIV will appear on the screen after a few moments.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Where are my configuration files kept?
Configuration files are saved to ~/.xlcore.
Q: The game is disappearing randomly and won’t resume after sleep mode
Please make sure that FFXIV or the FFXIV Free Trial from the Steam Store is installed on your Steam Deck’s internal memory.
Q: My audio is crackling/distorted
Try adding PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=60 to the beginning of the Launch Options in Steam.
Q: I can’t control my game
Change the control layout for the game SteamOS thinks FFXIV is running as. For non-Steam service accounts, this means FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Free Trial.
If that does not fix it, rename ~/.xlcore/ffxivConfig/FFXIV.cfg to FFXIV.cfg.bak and run the game again from Gaming Mode. This will reset all Final Fantasy XIV System settings to default.
Q: Final Fantasy XIV doesn’t close properly / Steam constantly thinks Final Fantasy XIV is playing
Make sure you set the Launch Options in the “Add a Non-Steam Game” step. Specifically the --parent-expose-pids --parent-share-pids --parent-pid=1 arguments allow XIVLauncher to communicate with Steam to report the game closing.
Q: XIVLauncher immediately closes when trying to run it through Steam
Do not set a Compatibility mode for XIVLauncher in Steam. XIVLauncher is a native Steam application that does not need Proton to run.
Q: I can’t enter my username/password
Due to a limitation of Steam’s text input API, please use the Steam Deck’s Gaming Mode to finish setup.