Prepare System (Linux)

Prepare System (Linux)

This page covers Linux system preparation for the Unreal Engine and project setup guides.

Create Distrobox Container (SteamOS Only)

To create a Distrobox container for SteamOS, run the following commands from the host terminal:

distrobox create --name mmvs-dev --image ubuntu:22.04
cat /etc/os-release
exit

To use the container later, run distrobox enter mmvs-dev and launch Visual Studio Code from inside it.

Install Visual Studio Code

• Download Visual Studio Code in Linux .tar.gz - x64 format for the Steam Deck.
• Save the archive in ~/Downloads.

*Extract / Install

cd ~/Downloads
tar -xzf code-stable-x64-1791980416.tar.gz
mkdir -p ~/.local/opt
cp -a ~/Downloads/VSCode-linux-x64 ~/.local/opt/vscode
ls -la ~/.local/opt/vscode

Create Desktop Entry

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
cat > ~/.local/share/applications/vscode.desktop <<'EOF'
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Visual Studio Code
Comment=Code editor
Exec=/home/deck/.local/opt/vscode/code %F
Icon=/home/deck/.local/opt/vscode/resources/app/resources/linux/code.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Development;IDE;
StartupNotify=true
EOF

Configure PATH for Bash
To use code directly in Bash, run this command once to append the PATH configuration to ~/.bashrc. Skip it if the block is already present:

cat >> ~/.bashrc <<'EOF'

case ":$PATH:" in
    *":$HOME/.local/opt/vscode/bin:"*) ;;
    *) export PATH="$HOME/.local/opt/vscode/bin:$PATH" ;;
esac
EOF

Install Visual Studio Extension
Still in the terminal

code --install-extension ms-vscode.cpptools # C/C++ extension for Visual Studio Code

Install SVN Client

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install subversion

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S subversion

SteamOS

Use Distrobox to install Subversion in an Ubuntu container instead of modifying the SteamOS system partition. Create the container once, then enter it to install Subversion:

distrobox enter mmvs-dev
sudo apt update
sudo apt install subversion
exit

To use the container later, run distrobox enter mmvs-dev and execute the svn checkout commands from inside it. Distrobox gives the container access to the host's removable storage. Unreal Engine builds run directly on the SteamOS host using Build.sh, as described in [Prepare Engine (Linux)].

Prepare Unreal Engine Tools

The Unreal Engine 5.4 Linux documentation does not list Mono as a prerequisite. Setup.sh downloads the native toolchain, so do not install Mono unless a specific tool in your workflow asks for it.

Ubuntu/Debian

If a tool explicitly requires Mono:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mono-complete

Arch Linux

If a tool explicitly requires Mono:

sudo pacman -S mono

SteamOS

Avoid installing Mono in the SteamOS host just for Unreal Engine setup. Mono installed in the mmvs-dev container is available only inside that container; it will not satisfy a dependency of Unreal Engine scripts run on the SteamOS host. If a specific tool requires Mono, use an Ubuntu container to run that tool as well.

More Information

• Unreal Engine 5.4 Linux Development Requirements
• Distrobox Steam Deck Guide

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