DoomDeckLauncher

Made for your next playthrough

Your DOOM.
A whole new world.

DoomDeckLauncher is a free, open-source, controller-first launcher for Steam Deck. Turn your Steam-owned DOOM games into a doorway to community maps — discover, install and play.

Install on Steam Deck

Downloads a .flatpakref · Open with Discover in Desktop Mode

Experimental · v0.0.11 · Published

Donate
See the setup steps
A library beyond the originals DDL / DISCOVER
The launcher’s Discover view, with community mapset cards, the category strip, the catalog source date and controller prompts.
Launcher preview with sample data.
Published builds may differ.
Controller-first navigationCurated mapsets & load orderPowered by DSDA-Doom

Less setup. More discovery.

Find your next obsession.

DoomDeckLauncher collects community DOOM mapsets in one library. Browse the catalog, choose a setup and keep your adventures together.

01 / DISCOVER

A world of mapsets

Explore categories and tags, save favorites and find a new reason to return to DOOM.

02 / PREPARE

The details, in order

Curated recipes define components and load order. Review your setup before you play.

03 / PLAY

Your own corner of hell

Bring your legally owned base games. Keep engine settings, profiles and saves organized.

Home view with recently played mapsets and controller navigation.
HOME Pick up your next adventure.
Play setup with optional components, skill, pistol start and content load order.
PLAY SETUP Make the run your own.
Mapset detail with author, description, base game requirement, tags and favorite.
MAPSET DETAIL Know what you are about to play.
Audio settings with the default MIDI soundfont selected and an optional Arachno download.
AUDIO Choose your MIDI soundfont.

Current Slint UI rendered off-screen with sample data, shared with the README. Map imagery belongs to its respective creators; see credits.

Your first launch

From Desktop Mode
to your next map.

You’ll need a Steam Deck and legally owned DOOM base-game files (IWADs). DDL never bundles or downloads commercial base games.

Install on Steam Deck

Signed Flatpak · Experimental channel

  1. Download & open in Discover

    Switch to Desktop Mode and use the install link. Open the downloaded .flatpakref file from your browser’s downloads or Dolphin; choose Discover if asked. Review the source and permissions, then select Install. Downloading the file alone does not install DDL.

  2. Add the launcher to Steam

    In Steam, choose Games → Add a Non-Steam Game. Select DoomDeckLauncher if listed. Otherwise browse to /usr/bin/flatpak and set launch options to run com.doomdecklauncher.DoomDeckLauncher. Rename the shortcut to DoomDeckLauncher.

    In Properties → Compatibility, leave Force a compatibility tool off (tool: none).

  3. Bring your games. Find a map.

    Launch DDL, install the official DSDA-Doom engine and add a folder containing your own IWADs. Return to Gaming Mode, configure your controller layout, then discover and install a compatible mapset.

Keep the adventure going

A few useful details.

Read the Steam Deck guide

An independent, experimental channel

This is a pre-alpha, self-hosted Flatpak repository signed with the project’s key. It is not a Flathub listing or a Flathub-reviewed build. The install ref includes the repository key; runtimes come from Flathub.

DSDA-Doom is downloaded separately from its official upstream release. DDL is built with Rust and Slint, with AI assistance under its human maintainer’s direction and review.

Updates & other downloads

Check Discover for launcher updates from this signed remote. Engine and catalog updates stay inside DDL; your installed mapsets, profiles and saves survive app updates.

Prefer an archive? Download ddl-linux-x86_64.tar.gz and its checksum from GitHub Releases. Extract, keep the folder together and add the ddl executable to Steam. Tarball setup guide.

Konsole fallback & repository details

If the downloaded file does not open in Discover, install it from Konsole in Desktop Mode: 

flatpak install --user --from https://doomdecklauncher.com/com.doomdecklauncher.DoomDeckLauncher.flatpakref

Update the launcher:

flatpak update --user com.doomdecklauncher.DoomDeckLauncher

Uninstall the launcher (app data is kept unless you also pass --delete-data): 

flatpak uninstall --user com.doomdecklauncher.DoomDeckLauncher

Remote: https://doomdecklauncher.com/repo/ · Branch: stable · Repository file

The Flatpak research records the upstream evidence. The Deck checklist tracks hardware validation. The guide’s Flathub section describes a future channel; use this page for the current signed remote.

Before you install

Questions, answered.

What DoomDeckLauncher is, what it needs from you, and what it leaves to the games you already own.

What is DoomDeckLauncher?

DoomDeckLauncher (DDL) is a free, open-source launcher for Steam Deck that keeps community DOOM mapsets, curated load order, engine settings, profiles and saves in one controller-first library. It starts mapsets with DSDA-Doom. It is an independent project, not a DOOM re-release and not a game download service.

Is it free, and what is the license?

Yes. DDL is free software under GPL-3.0-or-later, with no account, subscription or paid tier. You still need to own the DOOM games whose IWAD files you add.

Does it include DOOM or the mapsets?

No commercial base game is bundled or downloaded. You point DDL at a folder holding your own IWADs, and DDL installs community mapsets from their published releases. Mapset imagery and credits stay with their authors.

Which source port does it use?

DSDA-Doom only. The official engine release is downloaded separately from its upstream project inside DDL. GZDoom and other source ports are not supported.

How do installation and updates work?

Download the signed .flatpakref, open it in Discover in Desktop Mode and install. Discover then delivers launcher updates from this self-hosted experimental remote — not Flathub. Engine and catalog updates arrive inside DDL, and installed mapsets, profiles and saves survive app updates. A ddl-linux-x86_64.tar.gz archive is available on GitHub Releases instead.

Is it made for Steam Deck?

DDL is designed controller-first for Steam Deck, with a Linux Flatpak build; no Windows or macOS builds are published. Installation happens in Desktop Mode, then you add the launcher to Steam and return to Gaming Mode. Hardware validation is still in progress: the install flow, controls and gameplay still need testing on a physical Deck.

More detail: the Steam Deck guide and the Flatpak research notes.