Steam Machine · Guides
Best Steam Machine Customization and Library Plugins
Summary
The Decky Loader plugins that can improve a Steam Machine library, from store shortcuts and artwork to tabs, themes, and startup animations.
Decky plugins can add storefronts, artwork, library tabs, themes, and startup animations to Gaming Mode. Choose by the change you want to make, and check the Steam Machine support limits below before installing.
All of these need Decky Loader installed first. See our Decky Loader guide for that. If its installer asks for a local administrator password, our Desktop Mode and sudo guide explains how to set one and why it is separate from your Steam account password.
Read this before you install anything
Decky Loader is not officially supported on Steam Machine. The project's FAQ scopes it to the SteamOS installation that ships on Steam Deck, and the open Steam Machine support request remains unresolved.
That unsupported status applies to every plugin below. A SteamOS update can require reinstalling Decky or updating an affected plugin.
Decky plugins can be uninstalled, but third-party tools may leave settings or files behind. Back up anything you would not want to recreate.
UnifiDeck
UnifiDeck brings supported non-Steam storefronts into the Gaming Mode library. Its project README lists the current integrations and install path.
UnifiDeck's documented integrations include Epic Games Store, GOG, Amazon, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It aims to make those libraries browsable and launchable from Gaming Mode. Store sign-in, individual games, and Steam Machine behavior still need checking; adding a library tab does not guarantee a working game.
What it handles for you:
- Proton setup, automatically, with the option to force a specific version through Steam's normal Compatibility menu
- Cover art, icons, Metacritic scores, and compatibility ratings, so non-Steam games look like they belong
- Cloud saves for Epic and GOG, with a warning if local and cloud copies disagree
- Install location, whether internal, microSD, or a folder you choose
UnifiDeck needs Decky Loader and Microsoft Edge for store sign-in and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It prompts you to install Edge if it is missing and bundles the rest of its tooling itself.
Install by downloading the ZIP from the project's GitHub releases page, enabling developer mode in Decky's settings, and installing from ZIP. Recent releases added Steam Machine and SteamOS categories to its compatibility tab, so the project is actively accounting for the device.
Read the project's known limitations before combining plugins. With Tab Master installed, UnifiDeck uses collections instead of injecting its own library tabs; not every game has complete artwork or metadata.
UnifiDeck's distinctive approach is putting supported stores and their games directly in the Gaming Mode library. Our non-Steam games guide compares that flow with Heroic and NonSteamLaunchers.
SteamGridDB
Fixes the ugliest problem with non-Steam shortcuts: missing or wrong artwork. The Decky SteamGridDB project describes it as a plugin for applying community artwork to library entries.
Manually added shortcuts can have missing or mismatched artwork. SteamGridDB lets you choose covers, heroes, logos, and icons from its community database without leaving Gaming Mode.
UnifiDeck already handles artwork for games it manages, so there is overlap. SteamGridDB still covers everything else.
CSS Loader
CSS Loader is a theme manager for the Steam interface. It applies community-made CSS themes that change colors, layout density, animations, and how the library is laid out.
Themes install from a browsable store inside the plugin. They stack, so you can combine a color theme with a layout tweak, and each can be toggled individually.
CSS themes depend on Steam's interface structure and can break when the client changes. Disable an affected theme and check for an update; there is no fixed repair timetable.
Tab Master
Tab Master rebuilds how your library is organized. Rather than Steam's default tabs, you build your own with rules, so a tab can automatically contain everything unplayed, everything from a given store, everything under a certain install size, or whatever combination you define.
Most valuable once your library is large and mixed. If you have Steam games, Epic games through UnifiDeck, and emulated games through EmuDeck all in one place, this is what stops that from being a mess.
Less useful if you keep twenty games installed and know where all of them are.
Animation Changer
Animation Changer replaces boot and suspend animations with community-made alternatives, downloadable from within the plugin.
Animation Changer is purely cosmetic.
On a living room device that boots in front of guests, the argument for it is slightly stronger than on a handheld.
Where to start
Start with UnifiDeck if you have libraries outside Steam and SteamGridDB if you want consistent artwork.
Add CSS Loader or Tab Master after you know what you want to change about the default interface.
Install one at a time rather than all five in a session. If something breaks, you want to know which thing caused it.
When something breaks
SteamOS and Steam client updates are common triggers.
- Check whether Decky itself is still there. If the plug icon is gone from the Quick Access Menu, re-run the Decky installer. It repairs an existing install rather than starting fresh.
- If Decky is fine but one plugin misbehaves, check that plugin's own page for an update.
- CSS Loader themes break more often than the plugin itself. Update themes before assuming the plugin is at fault.
Steam Machine compatibility limits
We have not tested every plugin on retail Steam Machine hardware. Project documentation describes the intended features; the device's unsupported Decky status still applies.