If you have the Steam Deck full of free games If you're tired of navigating launcher after launcher from Epic, GOG, or Amazon, you've probably already heard of Unifideck. This Decky Loader plugin is gaining popularity because it allows you to view and manage all those external titles as if they were native Steam games, directly within the game mode interface, without any complicated setup or unnecessary tinkering.
The idea is very simple: Centralize your libraries from Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Unifideck offers a single, seamless experience within Steam Deck. It creates dedicated tabs in your library, lets you install games with a single click, handles the Proton software needed to run them, and even automatically downloads cover art, banners, and logos. All of this is free and leverages numerous open-source community projects.
What is Unifideck and what exactly does it do in your Steam Deck?
Unifideck is a A plugin for Decky Loader designed to unify libraries from various PC stores into your Steam Deck. Instead of relying on separate launchers like Heroic or NonSteamLaunchers, this add-on seamlessly integrates your games from Epic, GOG, and Amazon into your Steam library.
The operation is based on a unified game libraryAfter authenticating your accounts, Epic, GOG, and Amazon titles are added as non-Steam access points, but with a very polished integration. They appear within Steam in special tabs, with their corresponding cover art, and are ready to install and play without having to go to the desktop or another launcher.
One of the key features is that the plugin creates custom tabs that replace Several standard interface views: Great on Deck, All Games, and Installed. Thanks to this, Unifideck can group your external content and offer its own filters, although this has a downside: the standard filters and options of those Steam sections, for now, They don't work as usual with these custom tabs.
Main features of Unifideck: more than just a launcher
Among the most interesting aspects is the idea of Unified game libraryEpic, GOG, and Amazon titles are now integrated into your Steam library, eliminating the need to open external applications. This integration relies on how Steam handles non-native games, but the plugin takes care of editing the necessary shortcut and configuration files to ensure everything works seamlessly.
The "Great on Deck" tab takes on a new life: Unifideck adds all verified or platinum games there Based on Steam Deck's ratings, both from your Steam library and connected third-party stores, you can see at a glance which games from Epic, GOG, or Amazon are particularly well-rated to play on Deck.
It also offers a one-click installation From within the Steam interface itself. You don't have to return to the desktop or open traditional installers: you choose the game, click install, and the plugin takes care of downloading and preparing it in the background. You can even see the download progress within the Unifideck interface itself, in the Deck's quick menu.
Regarding saved games, the plugin includes a layer of cloud sync Currently available on Epic and GOG. Not all titles are compatible, but for those that are, Unifideck can handle uploading and downloading saves so you can maintain your progress. It's a feature still evolving, but it already makes a difference compared to other, more manual approaches.
Another very striking feature is the automatic download of artwork The plugin retrieves cover art, banners, and logos for most games from SteamGridDB, ensuring a cohesive look for your library, even with games from third-party stores. When images are unavailable in the database, generic artwork is displayed, but you can always use SteamGridDB's dedicated tools for more precise customization.
To make life easier for the user, Unifideck includes authentication integrated within game mode itselfYou can log in to Epic, GOG, or Amazon without leaving the Steam Deck environment, using the plugin's built-in login buttons. This eliminates the need to go to the dashboard every time you want to link an account.
Another very convenient detail is that You don't need to restart Steam after installing each gameOnce Unifideck is up and running and you've done an initial synchronization (which does require a one-off restart), any games you install from then on are added to the library and are ready to play instantly, without any additional restarts.
The plugin, however, establishes fixed routes for downloads of the games, both on internal storage and on the SD card. For now, it's not configurable, so if you like having a highly customized folder structure, you'll have to adapt to the way Unifideck organizes the titles.
Prerequisites: What you need to use Unifideck
For all this to work, the first thing is to have Decky Loader installed on your Steam DeckUnifideck is a plugin that runs within that environment, so you won't be able to use it without Decky. Decky provides the necessary infrastructure, the menu in the quick access panel, and the APIs to interact with the Steam interface.
An important advantage is that You don't need to manually install external tools such as innoextract, legendary, or specific scripts: the plugin itself comes packaged with all the necessary dependencies. This greatly simplifies configuration, especially for those who don't want to struggle with the terminal or Python environments.
How to install Unifideck step by step
In some cases, Unifideck is not yet listed in the Decky plugin store, so it's common install it manually from a ZIP fileThe procedure is simple, although there are two different ways depending on whether you prefer to do everything from game mode or directly by placing folders.
One common way is to download the ZIP file of the plugin from GitHub (For example, a package like unifideck-plugin-v0.2.0.zip or a newer version, such as 0.4.2). Once downloaded, you can use Decky's own menu in game mode to complete the installation without going to the desktop.
To install it from Decky, open the Quick access menu (the one with the three dots on the Steam Deck), navigate to the Decky section (the plug icon or similar), enter Settings (gear icon) and activate Developer Mode If you haven't already enabled it. This is necessary to install plugins from external files.
With developer mode enabled, you will see the option "Install plugin from ZIP"Click on it, navigate to the folder where you saved the ZIP file you downloaded from GitHub, and select it. Decky will automatically extract and install it. In a few seconds, Unifideck should appear in the list of available plugins.
Another possibility, if you prefer to do it manually or are in a desktop environment, is copy the Unifideck folder to the Decky plugins path, usually something like /home/deck/homebrew/pluginsOnce the plugin folder is there, upon restarting Steam or returning to game mode, Unifideck will also appear in the Decky menu.
Configure Unifideck and sync libraries from Epic, GOG, and Amazon
Once installed, it's time to configure it. Open the Quick access menu and enter the Decky sectionThere you'll see Unifideck listed as one of the plugins. When you open it for the first time, it will ask you to connect your various accounts.
You will see buttons to authenticate yourself in Epic Games, GOG and Amazon (often referred to as Amazon Prime Gaming in the gaming context). Clicking on each one will open a login flow integrated into the game mode itself. Enter your credentials and complete the login process so the plugin can access your library.
Once you have one or more linked accounts, the next step is to press "Sync Libraries" or "Synchronize libraries"In this process, Unifideck queries the Epic, GOG, and Amazon APIs using its integrated tools, downloads information about the games you own, and begins generating Steam logins. Simultaneously, it downloads artwork from SteamGridDB.
The first time, it's advisable that, once the synchronization is complete, restart Steam or even the Steam DeckThis ensures that the library refreshes correctly and that all custom tabs and new shortcuts are displayed without issue. From then on, when you perform new syncs, you typically won't need to restart each time.
Once this process is complete, your Epic, GOG, and Amazon games will be available. They will appear in the Steam library in separate tabs for each store, in addition to integrating verified titles into the revamped Great on Deck tab. Each game will have its own page, artwork, and installation button within the usual interface.
Daily use: Install, play, and download art with Unifideck
With everything set up, day-to-day use of Unifideck is very simple. From the tabs it creates in the library, you can View all your games from each store and select the one you want. Before you can play, though, you'll have to install it.
On the game's page you'll see a specific button for Install the title before clicking playIn some cases, the interface is designed to be used with the touchscreen when confirming the installation, so you may have to tap the button with your finger instead of using only the physical controls, something that some users have pointed out as a minor inconvenience.
While the game is downloading, the plugin itself offers you a View with download progress and additional detailsThis way you can monitor how much is left, what's being downloaded, and if there are any problems. Once the installation is complete, the game will be ready for you to click Play from your Steam library, just like a native game.
Regarding the art, if you see a game without an image or with a generic cover, you can always force another synchronization from Unifideck, since the plugin leverages those processes to query SteamGridDB again. Some titles simply don't have artwork in the database, so in those cases, you have no choice but to use tools like SteamGridDB Decky or upload the images manually.
Current limitations and behavior with other tools
Despite everything it offers, Unifideck has some important limitations that are worth knowingThe first, already mentioned, is that when creating custom tabs that replace Great on Deck, All Games, and Installed, the standard filters and options of those views temporarily stop working as they do with Steam's native library.
Another relevant limitation lies in the Proton and Winetricks managementThe plugin itself handles everything necessary for Windows games to run under Proton, so for now there's no option to manually change compatibility settings from the game properties. In fact, it's recommended not to check the "Force the use of a specific compatibility tool" box for games managed by Unifideck, because the plugin expects to manage this aspect itself.
The download paths for the games are also included. set by the plugin both on internal storage and on the SD card. Currently, these locations cannot be customized, so if you prefer a particular folder structure, you'll have to use the one the plugin uses by default.
Regarding interaction with other plugins, Unifideck has specific compatibility with TabMasterWhat it does is create collections that TabMaster can use to form tabs, but when TabMaster is installed, Unifideck stops displaying its own custom tabs, delegating some of the organization logic to TabMaster. This can be useful if you want a much more advanced library setup, although it also adds some complexity.
Common problems with Epic, GOG, and synced libraries
As is to be expected in a relatively young project, some users encounter Errors logging in or syncing librariesespecially with Epic Games. A fairly common scenario is that GOG works without problems, while Epic experiences recurring authentication failures.
It may happen that Epic works correctly the first time You connect, but the authentication doesn't seem to complete. From then on, any subsequent login attempt from Unifideck fails, as if the session were locked or corrupted, and neither restarting the Steam Deck nor reinstalling the plugin solves the problem.
The cause of many of these errors lies in how Epic manages its changes in legal terms and agreementsWhen Epic updates its terms, applications and plugins that use its API can become "stuck" because they are unable to display the full window where you accept the new terms. From the user's perspective, all they see is that the login attempt fails repeatedly.
The solution usually goes through Log in to Epic from a different browser or device (For example, from your PC or the Deck's own desktop browser), verify that you can log in without problems and accept any legal notices or new policies that appear. Once you accept the terms from the official website or launcher, logging in from Unifideck should usually work normally again.
If you're having trouble syncing libraries or games not showing up, it's recommended restart Steam or the Steam DeckTo force a new synchronization from the Unifideck menu, verify that all your accounts are still marked as connected. Sometimes an expired session is enough to stop the title list from updating.
When problems affect the download or installation of games, it's advisable to check if You have enough storage spaceCheck that your store account is still properly authenticated, and even try logging out and logging back in. If the error persists after that, it's a good idea to look at the launcher logs in the file ~/.local/share/unifideck/launcher.log, where it details what is failing.
In some GOG titles, the installers come divided into multiple download filesUnifideck is designed to handle these cases automatically, but installations may take longer than usual. If you notice that something is running very slowly or seems stuck, you can check the logs again or even reinstall the specific game.
If the artwork for some games doesn't appear even after several synchronizations, it's very likely that There is no content for that title on SteamGridDBIn that case, it's not the plugin's fault: there are simply no images to download. That's where solutions like SteamGridDB Decky or manually uploading custom covers come in.
For very specific problems, especially with GOG, it can also help. check that the game folder exists in the path that the plugin expects (for example, ~/GOG Games/If the directory structure doesn't match for some reason, reinstalling the game from within Unifideck itself usually resolves the issue.
Under the hood: open source technologies and projects used by Unifideck
Unifideck does not live in isolation: it relies on a good number of open source projects, libraries and tools which enable integration with stores and Steam. The entire project is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0, and its documentation explicitly acknowledges the work of many developers and communities.
In terms of integration with the Steam Deck interface, the plugin uses Decky Loader as a runtime environment and the bookstore decky-frontend-libwhich provides Steam interface components, a navigation system, and React hooks specific to the Deck. Thanks to this, the experience feels so natural within game mode.
To handle communication with the Steam Deck and non-native games, it uses libraries such as websockets for real-time communication with the Steam client already python-vdf, which allows you to read and write Steam's configuration and shortcut files (such as shortcuts.vdf), a key component for registering external games.
The integration with the Epic Games Store is based on legendaryUnifideck is a command-line tool that lets you authenticate, sync your library, download, and launch Epic games without relying on the official launcher. Unifideck wraps this functionality and presents it in a user-friendly format within Decky.
To run Windows games, the plugin relies on umu-launcher, which is responsible for launching executables .exe Running under Proton on SteamOS, it hides the user from the complexities of compatibility settings and special parameters. Thus, the player only sees a working Play button.
In the case of GOG, one of the key tools is innoextractThis allows you to extract game installers from Windows without using Wine. This makes it easy to install GOG titles on your Steam Deck cleanly and automatically, without having to deal with outdated or incompatible graphical installers.
For networking and APIs, Unifideck uses very popular Python libraries such as Requests (to make HTTP requests to GOG APIs and other services), urllib3 as a transport layer, certified to manage SSL certificates, charset-normalizer to correctly handle the characters in the answers and idna for the management of internationalized domain names.
To manage its own departments, the project includes integrated pip in an isolated environment, so the user doesn't have to touch any Python on their system. All of this comes packaged with the plugin, and Decky simply runs it in the background.
The art of games is achieved thanks to SteamGridDB the bookstore steamgridThis feature allows you to automatically download covers, banners, and logos for titles not available on Steam. This makes your library look much more cohesive, although, as mentioned before, there may always be gaps for games without available images.
Regarding stores, Unifideck uses the Epic Games API via legendary to recover your game library and metadata, and the GOG API For authentication, game listing, and obtaining installer download URLs. All of this is coordinated from the plugin's backend to offer a unified experience.
During its development, other aspects have been thoroughly studied. Decky plugins that have served as a referenceTabMaster, for example, was key to learning library tab replacement techniques and patching the Steam interface. CSSLoader served as inspiration in terms of plugin internal architecture and settings management.
Others important references These have been SteamGridDB Decky (for its integration with the SteamGridDB API and image download logic), ProtonDB Decky (for the way it integrates ratings of game compatibility), HeroicGamesLauncher (for its experience with Epic and GOG) and Junkstore (another plugin with a similar focus for external games and authentication).
The project also explicitly acknowledges the work of Valve and the SteamDeckHomebrew communityas well as specific developers like derrod (for legendary and the integration with Epic), JSONDerulo (for his help in the integration with Amazon and code review) and, in general, all the open source contributors who have made it possible.
Community, support and plugin creator
Unifideck features a fairly active community which is organized in part around Reddit and other social media platforms. Many users comment that the plugin is free, easy to use, and is receiving improvements at a good pace, although it still has bugs to fix.
Precisely because of this activity, it has even been possible to create a subreddit dedicated specifically to the pluginseparate from others like Junkstore. The idea is to have a space to comment on the latest versions, report bugs, share tips and tricks, and discuss ideas for new features without mixing it with other projects.
The main creator of Unifideck is Numan Mubarak (mubaraknumann), who is also involved in moderation and community communication. It is made clear that the plugin is an unofficial third-party tool, with no direct affiliation to Valve, Epic Games, Amazon, or CD Projekt (GOG), and that any use is the user's responsibility.
Aside from the subreddit itself and GitHub, you are encouraged to follow content creators who talk about Unifideck on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Bluesky, Reddit or YouTubewhere guides, weekly reviews of free games using Epic, GOG, and Amazon are published, along with comparisons to other launchers like Heroic. Some of these creators say that Unifideck could eventually replace Heroic in their daily use, although they still hope that certain issues will be ironed out, such as occasional glitches with Epic games, somewhat slow downloads on GOG, and some usability issues with the touchscreen.
Many users point out that, despite these setbacks, the plugin already offers more direct integration into the Steam library What other solutions offer, thanks to its dedicated tabs and how simple it is to install, view download progress, and launch games without leaving game mode.
With everything it offers, Unifideck has become one of the most convenient ways to Collect and manage your games from Epic, GOG, and Amazon. Within the Steam Deck, it takes full advantage of Decky Loader and a good number of open-source tools. Although it still has some rough edges, limitations in filters, fixed installation paths, and the occasional headache with Epic when they change their legal terms, the combination of visual integration, one-click installation, cloud save support, and an active community makes it a very attractive option for anyone who accumulates free games outside of Steam and wants to have them as readily available as the rest of their library.