Integration guide
Steam Deck proxy settings
Set up a proxy in Game Mode, in Desktop Mode or for all traffic.
How to set up a proxy on Steam Deck
Steam Deck has two modes, and each handles proxies differently. Pick the part that fits your task:
- Steam store, downloads and updates: the Game Mode HTTP proxy, steps 1–4.
- Browsing in Desktop Mode: Firefox or the KDE system proxy, steps 5–6.
- All traffic, including online games: a Decky plugin with SOCKS5, steps 7–11. Games mostly use UDP, which an HTTP proxy can't carry, so this is the only route that works for them.
Whichever route you choose, start by checking which port to use. The steps below match SteamOS 3.8, the stable version in October 2026.
Which FineProxy port to use
Your proxy IP address, login and password are in your active service in the FineProxy dashboard. The port depends on the protocol and on how the proxy checks who you are:
- HTTP with login and password: port 8080.
- HTTP with IP allowlist: port 8085.
- SOCKS5 with login and password: port 1080.
- SOCKS5 with IP allowlist: port 1085.
Neither the Game Mode proxy nor KDE has fields for a login and password, so for them use port 8085 and add your public IP address to the allowlist. That address belongs to the network you're connected to, so it changes when you take the Deck elsewhere, and you'll need to update the allowlist each time. The Decky plugin accepts a login and password, which means port 1080 works there from any network.
Steam's Subscriber Agreement forbids using an IP proxy to disguise where you live, whether to reach content meant for another region or to buy at another country's prices, and Valve may close accounts that do it. Your store country follows your payment method rather than your IP address, so a proxy won't change prices anyway. Use it for a better route to servers, privacy on public Wi-Fi or networks that require a proxy.
Game Mode: Steam's built-in HTTP proxy
Add your IP address to the allowlist
Connect the Steam Deck to the network you'll use it on.
Open the FineProxy dashboard on any device connected to the same network, go to your active service and add the current IP address to the allowlist. Every device behind the same router shares that address, so a phone or laptop works just as well as the Deck.
Open the proxy settings
Press the STEAM button and open Settings → Internet.
Scroll to the very bottom of the page, open Advanced settings and select the HTTP proxy option.
Enter the proxy
Switch the proxy to manual mode and enter the FineProxy IP address as the address and 8085 as the port.
If there's an option to skip the proxy for local addresses, leave it on, so the Deck still sees devices on your home network. Then save the settings.
Restart and check the setting
Steam reads the proxy setting when it starts, so it only takes effect after a restart. Press the STEAM button, open Power and choose Restart.
After the restart, open the proxy settings again and make sure the values are still there. Some users find that the setting falls back to no proxy, and if that happens, enter it again and restart once more.
The Game Mode proxy covers the Steam store and community pages, game downloads and SteamOS updates. Games still connect directly, and Decky Loader plugins ignore this setting too.
Desktop Mode: browsers and the KDE system proxy
To switch, press the STEAM button, open Power and choose Switch to Desktop. Settings made here don't affect Game Mode, and the other way round.
Set up Firefox
Firefox on the Steam Deck keeps its own proxy settings. Open Settings → Privacy & Security, find the connection settings and click Configure proxy. In versions before 152, the same button is at the bottom of the General page.
Choose Manual proxy configuration. For an HTTP proxy, enter the IP address and port 8080 and tick Also use this proxy for HTTPS. Firefox will ask for your login and password on the first page you open.
For SOCKS5, leave the HTTP fields empty, enter the IP address and port 1085 in SOCKS Host, choose SOCKS v5 and tick Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5. Firefox can't send a login over SOCKS5, so this port needs the IP allowlist from step 1.
Set the KDE system proxy
Open System Settings → Wi-Fi & Internet → Proxy and choose Use manually specified proxy configuration.
Enter the FineProxy IP address and port 8085 in the HTTP and HTTPS fields, or tick Use this proxy server for all protocols, then click Apply.
KDE apps and browsers that follow system settings, such as Chrome, will use this proxy. The Steam client doesn't, so for Steam use the Game Mode setting from steps 2–4.
All traffic, including games: a Decky plugin with SOCKS5
Online games mostly use UDP, which an HTTP proxy can't carry. To send them through the proxy, you need a client that creates a virtual network interface (TUN) and forwards all traffic, UDP included, to a SOCKS5 proxy.
On the Steam Deck the most practical option is Decky Clash, a plugin for the Decky Loader that runs the Mihomo core and is controlled from Game Mode. Both are third-party open-source projects, not made by Valve or FineProxy.
Set a sudo password
The Deck has no password by default, but the installer needs one. Switch to Desktop Mode, open Konsole and run passwd.
Choose a password and keep it somewhere safe, because Desktop Mode tools will ask for it again.
Install Decky Loader
In Konsole, run the official installer with the command below and choose the release version when asked.
When it finishes, switch back to Game Mode.
curl -L https://github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-installer/releases/latest/download/install_release.sh | shInstall Decky Clash
In Game Mode, press the … button to open the Quick Access menu, go to the Decky tab with the plug icon and open the plugin store.
Find Decky Clash and install it.
Create the proxy config
Switch to Desktop Mode and create a text file named fineproxy.yaml in your home folder (/home/deck), for example in the Kate editor.
Paste the config below and replace the address, login and password with the data from your FineProxy service. Indent with spaces, not tabs.
The udp: true line lets game traffic through the proxy, and the tun block makes the plugin route the whole system rather than only apps that support proxies.
mixed-port: 7890
mode: rule
proxies:
- name: fineproxy
type: socks5
server: 203.0.113.10 # your proxy IP
port: 1080
username: your-login
password: your-password
udp: true
proxy-groups:
- name: PROXY
type: select
proxies:
- fineproxy
rules:
- MATCH,PROXY
tun:
enable: true
stack: mixed
auto-route: true
auto-detect-interface: trueImport the config and turn it on
Return to Game Mode and open Decky Clash. Add a new subscription (that's what the plugin calls config files) with the address file:///home/deck/fineproxy.yaml, select it and turn the plugin on.
Open any IP-checking site in a browser to confirm that it shows your FineProxy address.
If you don't want large game downloads to use up proxy traffic, turn on the plugin's option to skip the proxy for Steam downloads.
SteamOS updates occasionally remove Decky Loader. If the Decky tab disappears after an update, run the installer from step 8 again. Your plugins and their settings stay in your home folder, so you won't have to set Decky Clash up from scratch.
If something doesn't work
- The store won't load after you set the Game Mode proxy. Usually the allowlist doesn't include the IP address of your current network, or the port isn't 8085. The Game Mode proxy can't send a login, so ports 8080 and 1080 won't work there.
- The proxy setting keeps resetting to no proxy. Enter it again, restart the Deck and check that the values stayed.
- Firefox keeps asking for a password on SOCKS5. Firefox doesn't support SOCKS5 logins, so use port 1085 with the allowlist or switch to HTTP on port 8080.
- Games still show your real IP address. The Game Mode proxy doesn't cover games. For them, use the Decky plugin with SOCKS5 from steps 7–11.
- Decky Clash won't connect. Check the file for tabs and wrong indentation, make sure the port is 1080, and use the login and password from your proxy service, not your FineProxy account password.
If none of this helps, write to us in the chat on this page and we'll help you connect.
Does Steam Deck support proxies?
Yes. Game Mode has a built-in HTTP proxy under Settings → Internet → Advanced settings, which covers the Steam store, downloads and SteamOS updates. It has no login fields, so it works with IP-allowlist proxies, such as FineProxy's HTTP port 8085.
Can I use a SOCKS5 proxy on Steam Deck?
Not in the built-in Game Mode setting, which only supports HTTP. In Desktop Mode, Firefox accepts SOCKS5 without a login, and for the whole device, games included, a Decky plugin such as Decky Clash can use SOCKS5 with a login, password and UDP.
Will a proxy change my Steam store region or prices?
No. Steam sets your store country from your payment method, not your IP address, and its Subscriber Agreement forbids using a proxy to disguise where you live. Valve may close accounts that do it.
Do online games work through a proxy on Steam Deck?
Only if all traffic goes through a TUN client with a SOCKS5 proxy that supports UDP, because most games use UDP. Each extra hop adds latency, so choose a proxy location close to the game's servers.
Why doesn't the Game Mode proxy ask for a password?
Valve's setting only stores an address and a port, so it can't send a login. Use FineProxy's HTTP port 8085 and add your network's IP address to the allowlist in the dashboard.
Do I need to set the proxy up again after a SteamOS update?
The Game Mode and Firefox settings usually survive updates. Decky Loader sometimes disappears after one, and reinstalling it brings back your plugins with their settings.
Proxies for 48 hours
Build a plan for your task and test the proxies in real work. Pay for the selected configuration for 48 hours—the price is calculated during setup.