Switchdeck: Steam ARM64 for Switch (L4T)

---

Installation

1. Download and run install-steam.sh in your terminal.
2. In Steam go to Settings -> Library and turn on: Low Bandwidth, Low Performance and Disable Community Content.
3. Go to Settings -> Compatibility and select either Proton 10, 11 or Experimental. You can also download them manually in your library.
4. Restart Steam to apply the DXVK-Sarek patch to your Proton version. It's applied on launch.
5. To launch Steam, use launch-steam.sh in your Steam folder or use the provided shortcuts.

Note: If Steam updates your Proton version you have to relaunch it to reapply the DXVK-Sarek patch.

---

Requirements

• Linux for Switch
• Box64 to run games. Shipped with fedora 42 by default, install from this repo for ubuntu.

---

Information

• Proton-CachyOS can be used instead of Valve-Proton, it comes with DXVK-Sarek
• update-switch.sh can be used to update all switchdeck scripts and parts of the steam client.
• launch-steam.sh contains several launch commands. Feel free to tweak them to fit your needs. Changing STEAMDECK_MODE="false" to true at the top enables steamdeck / big picture mode.
• wineesync is force-disabled in launch-steam.sh because it causes crashes with dxvk / vulkan.
• If a game crashes on launch or has broken graphics (mostly 32 bit games) use opengl instead: PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command%.
• For older games, you may need to force Proton 10+ in the settings, as Steam often defaults to unsupported older versions.
• launch-steamRT3.sh can be used to run Steam in a container (RT3 Beta). For this to work, your Proton installation must be patched: Copy runtime-helper.sh and toolmanifest.vdf from your compatibilitytools.d folder into your Proton folder.

---

Explanation

This script downloads and installs the latest Steam ARM64 version. Builds newer than April 15th, 2026, do not work on the Nintendo Switch, so this script will automatically downgrade parts of the client to that version to prevent "illegal instruction" crashes. The L4T kernel 4.9 is too old to use FEX-Emu, instead this script sets up an x86_64 runtime container (SteamRT3) to use with Proton x86_64 and box64.

Credits to Ivy for the original steam-arm64 download script

---

Community & Support

• My Discord – My Discord for all my mods and projects.
• Twitter – Updates, clips, and general progress.
• Switchroot Discord – For general L4T Linux help.
• Patreon / PayPal – If you'd like to support my work!

---

Legal Notice

The bash scripts (launch-steam.sh, launch-steamRT3.sh, etc.) in this repository are provided under the MIT License. The Steam binaries, libraries, and resources located in /files/downgrade/ are the proprietary property of Valve Corporation. These files are NOT covered by any open-source license and are subject to the Steam Subscriber Agreement (SSA). This project is not affiliated with, maintained by, or endorsed by Valve Corporation. It is provided "as-is" for the sole purpose of maintaining ARM64 compatibility for the Nintendo Switch (L4T) community.