As good as the Steam Deck is, its native interface can feel dull and vanilla after a while. What if there was a way to change the theme of your Steam Deck into a vibrant homage to your favorite game, a sleek minimalist haven, or a portal to another world? Thankfully, with the help of third-party tools, you can easily install and change themes on your Steam Deck.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to change themes on your Steam Deck, from installing the necessary loaders to choosing the perfect theme for your device. Whether you’re after a sleek, minimalist look, a theme inspired by your favorite game, or something that stands out with vibrant colors and designs, this guide will help you achieve that. So, let’s get to it.
How to Install Decky Loader on Steam Deck
The first thing we need to do is install Decky Loader onto your Steam Deck. Decky Loader serves as the foundation for theme customization, acting as a plugin manager for various tools. Here’s how to install it.
Step 1: Press and hold the power button on your Steam Deck. Here, tap on ‘Switch to Desktop’.
Step 2: Inside the Desktop mode, navigate to Decky Loader’s GitHub page. Alternatively, tap on the button below.
Step 3: Once on the GitHub page, scroll down. Then, click on the Download button.
Step 4: This should download the ‘decky_installer.desktop.download’ file to your system. Using Dolphin, rename the file to ‘decky_installer.desktop’ and shift it to the Desktop folder.
Step 5: Now, close all windows. Then, double-click on the ‘Install Decky’ file on your Desktop.
Step 6: The installer will show a warning. Click on Continue.
Step 7: The installer will now ask which branch to install. Select release and click on OK.
Step 8: The Decky Installer will automatically download and install the necessary files. Once done, you should get a pop-up message. Here, click on OK to close the installer.
Step 9: Now that the Decky Loader installer is finished, confirm if the tool was installed correctly. To do that, switch back to the Gaming Mode. Then, press the Quick Access button on your deck. At the bottom, you should find the icon for Decky.
How to Install CSS Loader on Steam Deck
With Decky Loader installed on the Steam Deck, the next step is to install the CSS Loader. CSS Loader is the theme manager plugin that allows you to install custom themes for the Steam Deck. Here’s how to go about it.
Step 1: Open the Decky Loader by pressing the Quick Access button on your Steam Deck and navigating to the plug icon. Now, inside the Decky settings, tap on the Store icon at the top-right corner.
Step 2: Now, search for CSS Loader. Tap on the Install button as shown.
Step 3: The installation will proceed on its own now. Once done, you should get the Decky window with CSS Loader installed as shown. Tap on it to open it.
How to Install Themes on Steam Deck
Now that CSS Loader is also installed, it’s time to download and install custom themes onto your Steam Deck. Here’s how to do that.
Step 1: Open the CSS Loader inside the Decky menu. Here, tap on the Download icon at the top.
Step 2: This will take you to the store page, where you can browse custom themes for the Steam Deck. Select the theme you like and wish to install.
Step 3: Inside the theme settings, tap on the Install button.
Step 4: With the theme installed, press the Quick Settings button and navigate to Decky > CSS Loader. Your installed theme should show up here. Simply enable the toggle next to the theme to apply it.
Step 5: And that’s it. Your custom theme should be applied and present everywhere.
Best Steam Deck Themes
Now that you know how to install custom themes on your Steam Deck, go ahead and experiment with new themes. But as a starting point, you can check out these community-favorite themes.
Art Hero
Material You
Pip-Boy
SDH-ClassicTheme
Srcery
Express Yourself With Custom Themes
With the power of themes, your Steam Deck transforms from a powerful device into a canvas for your creative expression. With the help of Decky Loader and CSS Loader, the process of installing and changing themes on the Steam Deck is straightforward. Don’t hesitate to experiment, mix and match, and discover themes that fuel your gaming passion.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.
