The Game Boy Advance was an amazing little handheld that was a huge improvement over the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. It featured a larger screen, better graphics, colors and sound, and was a huge success story for the Nintendo brand.

Unfortunately, many of the games in the GBA’s huge library are not playable on modern consoles, but thanks to emulators on the Steam decklets you play your favorite games on Valve’s powerful handheld. This guide will walk you through the details of how to install EmuDeck, install the GBA games, and add them to the Steam Deck’s library along with your official Steam games.

Requirements before installing emulators on Steam Deck

Before running emulators like EmuDeckMake sure you have configured your Steam Deck with the necessary tools and settings by following these steps:

• A fully charged Steam Deck, docked or plugged in.
• A high-speed A2 microSD card to install EmuDeck and the games.
• Alternatively, an external HDD/SSD can be connected to the Steam Deck using a docking system. However, with a microSD card, the Steam Deck remains portable.
• Legally purchased Game Boy Advance ROMs.

Game Boy Advance file names end with .gbc

Enable developer mode

• Press the Steam button.
• Open the system Menu and switchDeveloper mode activated.
• Now open the developer menu and Turn on CEF debugging.
• Select the performance Option.
• Then Select “Switch to desktop mode”.

Download EmuDeck on Steam Deck

When the Steam Deck is ready, it’s time to switch to Desktop mode and download the necessary files to use EmuDeck, RetroArch and Steam ROM Manager.

• Open a browser of your choice such as Firefox, Chrome or DuckDuckGo.
• Download the launcher from the EmuDeck website.
• Click on the Steam OS version, and select Custom installation.
• When starting EmuDeck, select the SD card image named “Primary”.
• You can install or select all emulators RetroArch, Emulation Station and Steam Rom Manager and click Next.
• On the next screen Turn on car Save.
• Skip the next screens and select Finish to complete the installation.

Add Game Boy Advance games to Steam Deck

Once EmuDeck is installed, we can GBA ROMs into the correct folder using the following steps.

• Make sure the Steam Deck is in desktop mode.
• Open the Dolphin File Manager and select the Primarily under “Removable Storage”.
• Open the Emulation.
• Now open ROM’s.
• Then open the GBA Folder.
• Transfer your Game Boy Advance games to the GBA folder.
• After the file transfer is complete, Reopen EmuDeck.

Add games with Steam ROM Manager

• Select Yes to close the Steam client running in the background and tap Next.
• Disable parser in the parser menu.
• Activate the Game Boy Advance tabs.
• Choose Add games.
• Wait until the Steam ROM Manager has added the games and their covers to the Steam library, then select Save to Steam.
• Wait until the Add/Remove Entries Complete box appears. Close the Steam ROM Manager.
• Exit EmuDeck and Back to game mode by tapping or clicking on the Desktop icon.

Play GBA games on the Steam Deck

After the Steam ROM Manager is finished, it is time for switch back to gaming mode on the Steam Deck and play the games.

• With the Steam Deck in gaming mode, Press the Steam button.
• Open the library and press R1 to access the Collections tab.
• Click on the Game Boy Advance window.
• Select one of your GBA games and Play.

Play GBA games with Emulation Station

Following the steps above, EmuDeck will also set up Emulation Station, giving you an alternative method to enjoy your favorite Game Boy Advance games outside of the Steam Deck library if you so desire.

• Press the Steam button and open the Library menu.
• Slide to Collections Tab.
• Select the Emulators square.
• Open the Emulation station and select Play.
• Scroll to the Game Boy Advance icon and press A to open it.
• The games are displayed in a list.
• Start a game by selecting it and pressing A.
• Emulation Station includes RetroArchso you can access and adjust your settings by pressing the Select and Y keys.

Changing the user interface in Emulation Station

If you want Emulation Station to list your games with boxart and metadata in the UI to make them look cleaner and more appealing, change the appearance using the following steps:

• Open the Nintendo Game Boy Advance menu.
• Press the Steam Deck’s menu button – above the right analog stick.
• Choose Scraper.
• For Scrape From select TheGamesDB.
• In Scrape These Systems, Select Game Boy Advance.
• Select Back.
• Open Content settings and turn on game names, other metadata, screenshot images, title screen images, box cover images, box back cover images, and marquee wheel images.
• Then on the next screen, select “Back and Start”.
• Depending on how many games you have in your library, it may take some time to retrieve all the required data.
• You can now navigate your game library with box art and metadata via Emulation Station.

That’s all you need to play Game Boy Advance games using the Steam Deck’s main library or through the built-in Emulation Station interface. It’s surprising how visually impressive GBA titles look, with a fantastic library of RPGs and adventure games that stand the test of time.