Steam Deck user brings back floppy disks to launch digital games
- By Kumail Shah -
- Aug 06, 2026
Digital gaming offers great convenience for purchasing and playing video games, but many players miss the nostalgic feeling of physically inserting discs or cartridges to start a game. Recently, a creative Steam Deck user discovered a method to recreate that physical experience.
Reddit user u/BlackIceLA has developed a new open-source plugin called Decky Links.
With Decky Links, Steam Deck owners can use physical items like floppy disks, USB drives, NFC tags, or even QR codes to launch their digital games. Each object serves as a kind of key, giving a concrete feel to an otherwise virtual collection.
The project began when the developer looked for a simpler way to connect physical media to Steam games, hoping to avoid complicated apps or extra software running in the background. With help from an AI assistant, they built Decky Links to simplify the process.
The system works by saving a basic game link onto the tangible item. For instance, a floppy disk might store the web address needed to start Red Dead Redemption 2.
READ MORE: Nintendo says net profit jumped more than 50% in first quarter
When the floppy disk is plugged into a USB drive on the Steam Deck, the plugin reads the link and launches the game automatically. The game itself still runs from the console’s internal storage or microSD card.
That’s important, since today’s games are far too large to fit on a classic floppy disk’s 1.44 MB of space.
To complete the retro experience, the developer even printed tiny, custom cover art to stick onto the floppy disks, making them look like miniature game cartridges.
This approach may not be much faster than clicking through a digital library, but it does away with endless menu scrolling. More than that, it brings back the basic delight of having a physical connection to your games.
For now, Decky Links is available as an open-source project on GitHub, but it requires some manual setup. It hasn’t made its way to the main Decky Plugin Store yet, so early adopters should be ready for a few hiccups as they build their own physical game catalogs.