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In the year and change since its official launch, Valve’s portable gaming PC, the Steam Deck, has made quite a name for itself. Its hearty processors and ergonomic design have made it a hit with folks who want to take their Steam library on the go (or just to a different part of their house than their gaming PC). Of course, the Steam Deck only has so much onboard storage for downloading games, but that’s nothing a bit of tinkering can’t remedy. So, can you upgrade Steam Deck storage?
Can You Upgrade Steam Deck Storage?
The answer to that question is an emphatic yes! Thanks to some clever design choices on Valve’s part, it is not only possible to expand your Steam Deck’s capacity for storing data, be it games or even an entire OS, but there are actually several different ways you can do it.
The precise means by which you expand your Steam Deck’s storage capabilities will depend on how much extra storage you’re looking to get, and what exactly you plan on doing with all that newfound space. If you’re just looking to add a few more games, the matter is much simpler, while extensive modding projects will require a bit of internal work. As a reminder, the amount and speed of the storage you have on your Steam Deck depends on the model you bought:
- $399 Model: 64GB eMMC internal storage
- $529 Model: 256GB NVMe SSD internal storage
- $649 Model: 512GB NVMe SSD internal storage
Steam Deck Storage Upgrade Options
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The first and simplest means of upgrading your Steam Deck’s storage is to install a micro SD Card. As is the case with most mid-sized electronics, you can plug a micro SD Card in the slot on the bottom of your Steam deck to give it some extra onboard storage. If you’re willing to shell out for it, you can get as much as a terabyte of extra space, and with fairly decent loading speeds. To install a micro SD Card on a Steam Deck, just stick one into the slot on the bottom, open the console’s system settings, and format the inserted card to make it Steam Deck-ready. Once the formatting process is finished, you can manage the card’s contents right away from the storage settings.
The second option for upgrading a Steam Deck’s storage is employing an external hard drive. Be it a simple USB-C flash drive or a full-scale external drive, you can plug any form of storage into the Steam Deck’s USB-C slot to allow the console to access its contents. This can be a bit of a tricky process, however, as you’ll need to use the console’s desktop mode to properly mount the drive every time you plug it in. You could just leave it plugged in, but the extra power requirements will drain your Steam Deck’s battery faster, which can be a problem, as plugging the console into its charger cable requires the USB-C slot to be free. The best situation for this kind of storage upgrade is for folks who employ a Steam Deck dock and leave the console in place rather than taking it with them.
The final option for upgrading a Steam Deck’s storage is a full SSD replacement. This is the most complicated option, as it requires you to actually open up the Steam Deck to remove and replace its components. If you’ve ever upgraded a laptop before, it’s a pretty similar procedure. Keep in mind that opening your Steam Deck will void the warranty, so only do it if you are 110% sure you know what you’re doing. I won’t list any instructions for this here, because I don’t want to be held accountable for broken Steam Decks, but it is an option, if you were wondering.
Bottom line, if you couldn’t get the highest-model Steam Deck for whatever reason, don’t despair about limited storage space. You have plenty of options for storage expansion, only some of which are prohibitively expensive and invasive. Frankly, that’s the best you can hope for when it comes to computer modification.
