Hydra Launcher is a launcher designed to simplify the management and sharing of your favorite games. Available on various platforms, including Steam Deck, Hydra Launcher offers a wide range of features to enhance your gaming experience.


  • Game Management: Hydra Launcher allows you to collect and organize your games in one platform.

  • Detailed Information: Thanks to integration with various sources of game information, Hydra Launcher provides essential details such as average completion time, images, descriptions, video previews, and game size. This helps you make informed decisions about your next gaming adventures.

  • Compatibility with DRM-Free Copies: If you own DRM-Free copies of your favorite games, Hydra Launcher allows you to include them in your library and access them directly through the launcher.


This guide aims to help Steam Deck owners install Hydra Launcher in the simplest way possible, with the possibility of changes due to updates.


But let's move on to the installation steps.


WARNING PLEASE - Disclaimer on Usage and Responsibilities


It is hereby stated that neither the project, nor the website, nor the author of the article assume any responsibility for the use of the program and the results obtained. Furthermore, no responsibility is assumed for any errors that may cause the console to be blocked or malfunction. It is strongly advised to perform each step with awareness and competence, and it is strongly discouraged for those who are not familiar with such procedures to proceed. The user is required to fully understand the actions they are taking and to act with caution.



EASY MODE:

Installation Steps on Steam Deck:

You need just to go in this page: https://github.com/hydralauncher/hydra/releases

 

  • Search for AppImage

  • Detect the folder where you want download, wait for download, then run it.

  • Done.

 
 
 
 

HARDCORE MODE:

Installation Steps on Steam Deck:


  1. Download the latest version zip of Hydra Launcher.

  2. Extract the zip file to a folder of your choice.

  3. If you haven't already, unlock the read-only mode to install programs. Note that the database is in read-only mode, hence you'll receive an error with the same phrase.


sudo steamos-readonly disable
sudo sh -c 'echo "keyserver hkps://keyserver.ubuntu.com" >> /etc/pacman.d/gnupg/gpg.conf'
sudo pacman-key --init
sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux
sudo pacman-key --populate holo

3.1. Save the following text into a file named setup.sh in the same folder where you extracted the program. This script will install the necessary dependencies to proceed with the program's build. The file will install Node.js, Yarn, and Python 3.9


#!/bin/bash

 

# Install Node.js, Yarn, Python 3.9, and project dependencies

sudo pacman -S --needed nodejs npm yarn python

 

# Install Node dependencies

yarn install

 

# Install Python dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

 

# Configure environment variables

cp .env.example .env

 

# Add instructions here to insert any necessary credentials into the .env file

# STEAMGRIDDB_API_KEY=

# ONLINEFIX_USERNAME=

# ONLINEFIX_PASSWORD=

 

# Build Electron

yarn build:electron

 

# Run Hydra Launcher

yarn dev




To grant execution permissions, you can use the following command:

chmod +x setup.sh



Then, to execute the script, use:

./setup.sh


This will run the setup script and install the necessary dependencies for Hydra Launcher.


To restore the read-only mode, you can use the following command:

sudo steamos-readonly enable

This will re-enable the read-only mode on your system.


 

To start the launcher

Navigate to the folder where Hydra Launcher is installed, and then run the following command:yarn dev

This command will launch Hydra Launcher and allow you to start using it on your system.


Exactly like the setup, you can create a file called, for example, 'Hydra Launcher.sh' and add it to Steam to run it directly from there.


Here's a sample script that you can use:

#!/bin/bash

# Navigate to the directory where Hydra Launcher is installed

cd /path/to/hydra_launcher_directory

# Run the launcher

yarn dev


Replace "/path/to/hydra_launcher_directory" with the actual path to the directory where Hydra Launcher is installed. After creating the script, make sure to grant execution permissions to it using the command chmod +x Hydra\ Launcher.sh

Then, you can add this script to Steam as a non-Steam game, allowing you to launch Hydra Launcher directly from your Steam library.

#linux, #hydra, #hydralauncher, #archlinux, #steamdeck, #steam, #howtowork

Argument Associated

This website uses cookies to improve the user experience. By clicking "Accept", you consent to the use of cookies. Please read our cookie policy for more information.