How to Install and Run Mulderland Games on Linux or Steam Deck

Mulderland's installers are built to detect your operating system and install the matching version automatically, so on Linux or Steam Deck you generally don't pick a platform manually — you run the installer and it selects the Linux build. Two conditions matter most: some titles require the original PKG file before installation can proceed, and on Linux you may need to add the installer as a non-Steam game to launch it. The site's own update notes describe both behaviors directly.

What the installers actually do

According to Mulderland's news entries, the installers are cross-platform and handle platform selection for you:

• The installer "supports both Windows and Linux and will automatically detect your operating system to install the appropriate version."
• A later update states: "The installer will now install the Linux version of the port when Linux or Steam Deck is detected."
• Ports are versioned separately per platform — for example, one title lists "v0.51 on Linux and v1.7.1 on Windows."

So the practical rule is: download the installer, run it, and let it decide. You are not expected to hunt down a separate Linux package.

Installing on Linux or Steam Deck

1. Get the installer for the game you want from its Mulderland page.
2. Check whether the title needs a PKG file. For at least one port, the notes say plainly: "you'll need the original PKG file to install it." If your game requires one, have it ready before you start — the installer will not supply it.
3. Run the installer. On Linux or Steam Deck it should detect the platform and install the Linux version of the port.
4. If it won't launch normally, add it as a non-Steam game. Mulderland added this explicitly: "In Linux, the installer is now also runnable 'as non-Steam game.'" This is the standard workaround when a Linux build doesn't start from the file manager or desktop environment.
5. Verify the result by launching the installed game. If installation fails, the newer installers now tell you — one update notes that "you will now be notified" when PKG extraction fails, rather than failing silently.

Installing to an external drive or SD card

Steam Deck users hit a specific problem here. Mulderland's notes record that "some users reported installation issues on Steam Deck when installing to an external drive or SD card," and that this "should now be fixed." If you are on an older installer and installing to SD card or external storage, update the installer first rather than troubleshooting the drive.

Keeping installers and ports current

Some titles self-update, which changes how you maintain them:

• For one port, the notes say: "If you downloaded the previous installer, nothing to do, the authors have made a self update feature so next time you run [the executable], you'll be able to update it."
• Not every title works this way. Others are updated by downloading a new installer version (for example, a port "Updated to v1.0.3").

So before reporting a bug, check whether your installer is the current version — several fixes in the news log are exactly the kind of issue you'd otherwise waste time debugging.

Common snags and what they mean

What this means for you

If you're on Linux or Steam Deck, Mulderland's installers are designed to remove the platform decision from your side — detection handles it. Your two real prerequisites are a current installer and, for titles that need it, the original PKG file. The non-Steam-game launch option and the SD-card fix are the two Linux-specific details worth knowing before you start, because both are documented as resolved issues rather than things you should have to solve yourself.