Nvidia’s Game-Changer for Steam Deck: What’s the Next Chapter?

Recently, there has been an avalanche of thrilling handheld gaming updates, but one announcement got slightly overshadowed by the flood of Legion Go S insights and Switch 2 speculation. That announcement is about Nvidia creating a native GeForce NOW application for the Steam Deck.

“A trillion-dollar entity often criticized by the Linux community works on native software for a singular Linux gaming device” certainly didn’t make it to my 2025 bingo card. Nonetheless, I am genuinely glad it’s occurring.

Advantages Of Nvidia GeForce NOW For Steam Deck

GeForce NOW is a cloud gaming platform that enables you to enjoy games you have acquired on marketplaces like Steam, Ubisoft, EA, and Epic Games on virtually any device with internet access. The catch is that you don’t require a massively expensive gaming PC for your games to appear as if they’re played on one.

For somewhat underpowered handhelds such as the Steam Deck, this offers numerous potential advantages. It delivers the ease of accessing your non-Steam library without numerous workarounds, modifications, or guides. It also allows for the enjoyment of certain titles that won’t even function on Valve’s handheld. Moreover, your battery won’t face severe strain, and you can experience these streamed titles at up to 4K/60FPS on an external display or television linked to your Steam Deck.

Presently, the official procedure to currently install Nvidia’s GeForce NOW on Steam Deck requires switching to desktop mode, downloading a script, extracting it, and then setting it up.

(It would be intriguing to know how many individuals have even accessed Desktop Mode at least once on their Steam Decks, but I suspect the figure is quite low).

While it remains uncertain how the native application, which Nvidia states is set to launch “later this year,” will be offered to Steam Deck users, it will undoubtedly be a more refined and efficient process. And this is significant.

But why is this important? What kind of effect could it have? To provide a broader perspective, I reached out to several notable figures in the Linux community to share their views.

Thomas Crider (aka GloriousEggroll) | Nobara, Red Hat

GloriousEggroll is well known among those closely monitoring the Linux gaming scene. In essence, he’s a prodigy who works at Red Hat during the day and enhances Linux gaming at night. He’s the initiator of Proton-GE and the gaming-focused Nobara Linux distribution, and he also contributes to Lutris.

Here’s what he mentioned:

“I view it as a wonderful development that SteamOS is becoming a more significant target. As it gains more mainstream appeal, it provides vendors with genuine motivations to both create solutions for and gain advantages from consumer Linux applications and drivers they could deliver. Those enhancements from other vendors subsequently strengthen the Linux ecosystem considerably for end users. By backing SteamOS, you are assisting Linux and open-source because much of what’s contributed to SteamOS can be adapted to other distributions.

There’s an increasing ripple effect affecting both sides—motives for both vendors and users to amplify support and usage correspondingly. Many other Linux users and I are extremely appreciative of all the efforts that have gone into SteamOS, and we’re eager to observe what lies ahead!”

Gardiner Bryant | Linux Content Creator

Previously referred to as The Linux Gamer, Bryant is a recognized figure who discusses Linux on his YouTube channel. He’s also a game creator and the president of the media production company Heavy Element.

Here’s what he thinks about Nvidia’s dedication to Steam Deck:

“Nvidia’s native GeForce Now application demonstrates their assurance in Linux gaming. Not only in the forthcoming growth of the ecosystem, but importantly in the financial reality that backing Linux gaming can yield profits and be beneficial.

A native GeForce NOW app fills one of the few remaining voids in the Linux library: enabling gamers to engage in multiplayer games from Linux-reluctant developers who lack anti-cheat measures. This is significant, and I believe it warrants commendation!”

Liam Dawe | Owner & Creator, GamingOnLinux

Lastly, we have Liam Dawe, a long-established figure in the Linux gaming realm, who has been professionally reporting on Linux gaming for 15 years.

“For Nvidia, this move is logical. It’s evident that the Steam Deck continues to perform well in sales, and with SteamOS transitioning to various devices, the commercial aspect of it is becoming increasingly rational as well.

As with all shifts in the industry, there will be more to follow. Nvidia’s decision is astute; get in early and illustrate how it can be accomplished. However, it is yet to be seen how user-friendly they will make it. Ideally, having it available as an app directly on Steam would benefit everyone across all platforms. The next most favorable alternative would be Flathub, where developers can launch their app for Steam Deck and most other Linux distributions.”

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Liam, Thomas, and Gardiner for contributing their thoughts.

Regarding the future of GeForce NOW on Linux, I anticipate Nvidia will ultimately offer this directly on Steam, thus making it accessible on Lenovo’s Legion Go S Powered by SteamOS, along with all forthcoming SteamOS devices.