OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition · Steam Deck

Play Tyrian on Steam Deck

The Linux package targets SteamOS. Add it to Steam as a non-Steam game: launched from Steam, the game applies a controller layout for the Deck the first time it starts. Not yet tested on a real Steam Deck.

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Install Tyrian on the Deck

The Steam Deck uses the Linux x86_64 package of version v1.0-rc1, with the HD (AI) art (683.4 MB). The lite one (185.6 MB) leaves out that art if space is short.

In Desktop Mode, download the Linux package (or the lite one) and extract it with the file manager. Keep the extracted OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced folder in one piece; the download page has the details.
In Steam, use Add a Non-Steam Game and point it at OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.x86_64 in that folder.
Start the game from Steam.

Why through Steam? Launched from Steam, the game knows it runs on a Deck (Steam sets this automatically) and applies the controller profile below. Started another way, it does not.

Full or lite? Both play the same game. The full package includes the HD (AI) art. The lite one is less than a third of the size, which helps on a Deck with little free space; you can add the art to it later with the HD pack (506.5 MB).

The Linux package targets SteamOS, but it has not been tested on a real Steam Deck yet. The known issues are listed on the download page. Found a bug? Use the contact form or open a GitHub issue; mention your system and the game version.

The controller profile

On the first launch from Steam on a Deck, when you have no saved controls yet, version v1.0-rc1 applies this layout.

Command	Deck control
Move	Left stick or d-pad
Fire	R2 or A
Change fire (rear weapon mode)	B
Bullet time	L2
Left sidekick	X
Right sidekick	Y
Pause in a level	Start or R1
In-game menu (volumes, game speed, quit)	View (Back) or L1
Confirm / back in menus	A or L1 / B or R1

Tyrian gameplay over Savara V: the player's ship among Modern explosions and damage numbers — Savara V · real capture on PC · on the Deck, R2 fires and L2 starts bullet time

Back buttons

The game does not see the back buttons (L4, L5, R4, R5). To use them, map them to A, B, L1 or R1 in the Steam Input controller configuration.

Your own layout

Change any button in Setup → Key Bindings. As soon as you save that screen, your own controls.cfg replaces the Deck profile. Setup → Joystick sets the stick: analog on or off, sensitivity and threshold.

By default, as in the original, the left stick acts like a d-pad. With Analog on, the ship moves faster the further you push the stick.

To get the Deck profile back, delete controls.cfg from the userdata folder inside the game folder.

Display settings worth knowing

The function-key shortcuts need a keyboard. On the Deck, everything is in the Setup menu, which works with the controls.

Full screen: the game starts in full screen. Setup → Graphics → Display switches between a window and a full-screen display.
Picture fit: Setup → Graphics → Scaling Mode offers Center, Integer, Fit 8:5, Fit 4:3, Fit 16:9 and Fill. The Deck's 1280×800 screen has the same 8:5 shape as the game's 320×200 picture, exactly four times larger.
Look: Setup → Graphics → Sprites switches between Original, Remastered (HD (AI) art, full package or HD pack) and Upscaled (xBRZ) (sharp pixel art, with xBRZ edge smoothing).
CRT filter: Setup → Graphics → CRT Mode has five CRT filters (plus Off): Scanlines, CRT Plus, CRT Premium, Aperture Grille and Soft CRT.
Effects: Visual Effects (Off, Basic, Extended) and Explosion style (Classic, Retro+, Modern) are in the same menu. Off and Classic give the pure 1995 look.

Tyrian with a CRT filter, real capture — CRT filter · real capture

Tips and fixes

Situation	What to do
The Deck profile is not applied	Start the game from Steam. The profile only applies if `controls.cfg` does not exist yet: delete that file.
The back buttons do nothing	Map them to A, B, L1 or R1 in Steam Input.
“Permission denied”	In a terminal, in the game folder: `chmod +x OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.x86_64`
The game cannot find its data	Keep the `data/` folder next to the executable: extract the full archive again.
Two players	Player 2 uses the second gamepad detected.
Installing a mod	Setup → Mods → Install a mod (.zip). See Modding.

Saves, replays and mods are kept in the userdata folder inside the game folder: when you update, move it into the folder of the new version. More in Download → where your files go and in the wiki's Controls page.

Download for Steam Deck All downloads

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