[TUTORIAL] Play Steam Games from a Network Drive on Steam Deck

[󠁳⁧⁧ kadraa]

If you're like me and had a rough time setting up a network drive to install games on your Steam Deck, this guide will show you how to install and play Steam games directly from a server or a main PC (Linux-based) using an NFS share.

IMPORTANT: I don’t recommend trying this over WiFi, especially for newer games. For a smooth experience, you'll need an Ethernet dongle for your Steam Deck (like on the official dock or a similar setup).

Step 1: Set Up an NFS Share on the Host
To start, you need to set up an NFS share. You can follow this tutorial [www.digitalocean.com]for creating an NFS server.

When you get to the part where you configure /etc/exports on the host machine, enter the following:

directory_to_share client_ip(rw,sync,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,insecure)

If your Steam Deck’s IP isn’t static, you can allow access for a range of local IPs by specifying a range like this:

192.168.0.0/24

This way, any device in your local network within that range can access the NFS share.

Step 2: Configure Steam Deck in Desktop Mode
Switch to Desktop Mode on your Steam Deck.

If you haven’t set a root password yet, you can do this in Desktop Settings or in the Konsole by typing:

passwd

Make your filesystem writable (SteamOS is read-only by default):

sudo steamos-readonly disable
echo "keyserver hkps:/keyserver.ubuntu.com" >> /etc/pacman.d/gnupg/gpg.conf
sudo pacman-key —init
sudo pacman-key —populate
sudo pacman-key —refresh-keys

Step 3: Install NFS Utilities on Steam Deck
Now, install the necessary NFS utilities with:

sudo pacman -S nfs-utils

Step 4: Mount the Network Drive
Open the fstab file with:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the following line (modify it for your setup):

host_ip:/directory_to_share /directory_to_mount nfs rw,noatime,exec 0 2

Save the file and exit Nano (CTRL+X, then Y to confirm).

Mount the share by running:

sudo mount -a

If everything’s set up correctly, you should now see your network drive in Dolphin (the file manager).

Step 5: Add the Network Drive to Steam
While still in Desktop Mode, open Steam.
Go to Settings > Storage, then Add Drive and select your mounted network drive.
That’s it! Your games can now be installed directly onto your network drive.

Troubleshooting
If it’s not working as expected, double-check that:

The permissions on the host are correct.
The file system is formatted as ext4.

[logixism]

wake up guys my bae posted

[Benji Coleman]

*moans*