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github-actions[bot] edited this page Aug 4, 2026 · 1 revision

Platform: Linux

System Requirements

  • Linux kernel 5.4 or later
  • x86_64 or arm64 processor
  • X11 or Wayland display server
  • OpenGL 2.1 or later
  • SDL3 (bundled in packages or built from source)

Install from Release

File Architecture Format
firestaff_x.y.z_amd64.deb x86_64 Debian/Ubuntu package
firestaff-x.y.z.x86_64.rpm x86_64 Fedora/RHEL package
firestaff_x.y.z_arm64.deb arm64 Debian/Ubuntu package (Raspberry Pi, etc.)
firestaff-x.y.z.aarch64.rpm arm64 Fedora/RHEL package

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo dpkg -i firestaff_x.y.z_amd64.deb

Fedora / RHEL

sudo rpm -i firestaff-x.y.z.x86_64.rpm

Steam Deck

Firestaff provides dedicated Steam Deck packages (x86_64 only):

File Format
Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst Pacman package
Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.AppImage AppImage (no install needed)

Pacman Package

sudo pacman -U Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

AppImage

chmod +x Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.AppImage
./Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.AppImage

The AppImage is self-contained and runs without installation. Add it as a non-Steam game in Steam's desktop mode to launch from Game Mode.

Build from Source

# Install build dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install build-essential cmake ninja-build pkg-config \
  libx11-dev libxext-dev libxrandr-dev libxcursor-dev libxi-dev \
  libxfixes-dev libxss-dev libxtst-dev libwayland-dev \
  libxkbcommon-dev wayland-protocols

# Build SDL3 from source (not yet in distro repos)
git clone --depth 1 --branch release-3.2.14 https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL.git /tmp/SDL3
cmake -S /tmp/SDL3 -B /tmp/SDL3-build -G Ninja \
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DSDL_SHARED=ON -DSDL_STATIC=OFF -DSDL_TESTS=OFF
cmake --build /tmp/SDL3-build --parallel
sudo cmake --install /tmp/SDL3-build
sudo ldconfig

# Build Firestaff
cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
ninja -C build

Game Data Location

~/.firestaff/data/

You can also set the FIRESTAFF_DATA environment variable to override. The data directory can be changed in Settings within the launcher. See Game Data for the full directory layout.

Bundled Tools

The Linux release includes three companion tools:

  • firestaff_artpack_studio — create and edit V2.2 modern graphics artpacks
  • firestaff_dungeon_studio — dungeon viewer and editor
  • firestaff_savegame_editor — inspect and edit save files

Troubleshooting

No video output on Wayland

Set SDL_VIDEODRIVER=wayland or SDL_VIDEODRIVER=x11 to force a specific backend.

No audio on PipeWire

SDL3 supports PipeWire natively. If audio doesn't work, ensure pipewire and pipewire-pulse are installed and running.

Steam Deck controls in Game Mode

Firestaff maps the Steam Deck's physical controls through SDL3's gamepad API. For best results, configure controls in Steam's controller settings for the non-Steam game entry.

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