How to Use Custom Boot Videos on Steam Deck

So you got Steam Deck! The Portable PC/console hybrid by Valve is slowly making its way into the hands of gamers worldwide who use it for PC gaming, emulation of retro systems, or running many homebrew programs – the Steam Deck seems to take it all.

The latest Steam Deck client update brings support for dynamic resolution settings as well as an easier way to add custom boot videos. What are custom boot videos? So if you want to have a custom animation when turning on your Steam Deck – for example, your console can turn on like the first PlayStation or like a classic Game Boy, or Xbox 360 or even with some random video that you made yourself – the sky is the limit. Keep reading to find out how to use custom boot videos on Steam Deck.

Related: Can You Play Overwatch 2 on Steam Deck? – Answered

How to Use Custom Boot Videos on Steam Deck?

Now that the Steam Deck supports custom boot and suspend animations, the system will look for them in the following location: steamui/overrides/movies/

Just be sure to create that folder yourself first and don’t forget that videos still need to be in .webm file format in order to work. Also, in the patch notes, it is confirmed that if you add boot videos in this way, ie. if you keep them in the mentioned folder, they will not be deleted every time the Steam Deck is updated.

Check out the video above from the YouTube user “X-Gen Tech” for some great ideas for Steam Deck boot videos containing many startup animations from various retro systems.

For more Steam Deck guides here on Prima Games, check out the following: Valve Shows How to Open the Steam Deck for (Potentially Dangerous) Self-Repair, How to Play Disney Dreamlight Valley on Steam Deck, and Valve Shares Info On How To Check If A Game Can Be Played On Steam Deck.