Whether DroidDeck runs on your Galaxy depends on one thing: is it the Snapdragon version or the Exynos version? Snapdragon Galaxy phones from the S22 onward have an Adreno 730 or newer GPU and are in DroidDeck's supported class. Exynos chips use Samsung's Xclipse GPUs, which the DroidDeck README lists as unsupported. Samsung sells several models in both versions, depending on the country.
Snapdragon Galaxy
S23, S23+, S23 Ultra · S24 Ultra · all S25 except the FE · S26 Ultra · Z Fold4 to Z Fold8 · Tab S8 and Tab S9, plus the regional Snapdragon versions below.
Exynos and MediaTek Galaxy
S24 and S24+ in Europe · S26 and S26+ in Europe and Korea · S24 FE and S25 FE · Z Flip7 · Galaxy A series · Tab S10 and Tab S11.
Which Galaxy phones run DroidDeck
The rule is the README's: Android 9 or newer and an Adreno 730 or newer GPU, or any Adreno 8xx. Here is how each recent Galaxy flagship and foldable falls against it. Where Samsung uses different chips in different countries, the model appears twice.
| Galaxy model | Chip | DroidDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Adreno 840 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S26 / S26+ (US, Canada, China, Japan) Model number ending in U, U1 or W: Snapdragon. Ending in B or N: Exynos. | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Adreno 840 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S26 / S26+ (most other regions) | Exynos 2600 Xclipse 960 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy S25 / S25+ / S25 Ultra / S25 Edge | Snapdragon 8 Elite Adreno 830 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S25 FE In every region | Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S24 / S24+ (US, Canada, China) Model number ending in U, U1 or W: Snapdragon. Ending in B or N: Exynos. | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S24 / S24+ (most other regions) | Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy S24 FE Including in the US | Exynos 2400e Xclipse 940 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy S23 / S23+ / S23 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S23 FE (US, Canada) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Adreno 730 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S23 FE (most other regions) | Exynos 2200 Xclipse 920 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy S22 series (US, Canada, China, India) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Adreno 730 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy S22 series (Europe and most other regions) | Exynos 2200 Xclipse 920 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy Z Fold8 / Z Fold8 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Adreno 840 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Z Flip8 (US, Canada) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Adreno 840 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Z Flip8 (most other regions) | Exynos 2600 Xclipse 960 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy Z Fold7 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Adreno 830 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Z Flip7 | Exynos 2500 Xclipse 950 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy Z Flip7 FE | Exynos 2400 Xclipse 940 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy Z Fold6 / Z Flip6 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Adreno 750 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Z Fold5 / Z Flip5 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Z Fold4 / Z Flip4 | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Adreno 730 | Supported GPU |
"Supported GPU" means the phone is in the class the project builds for, not that every game will run well. The README says results vary by device and game and that hardware validation is limited. Phones have far less cooling than a handheld, so expect long sessions in demanding games to slow down as the phone heats up.
Snapdragon or Exynos: how to check your Galaxy
Samsung does not show the chip name in Settings, but it does show the model number: open Settings › About phone. For the models that come in both versions (the S22 series, S23 FE, S24, S24+, S26, S26+ and Z Flip8), the last letters tell you which one you have:
| Model number ends in | Sold in | Chip in split models |
|---|---|---|
U or U1 | United States | Snapdragon |
W | Canada | Snapdragon |
0 (for example SM-S9210) | China | Snapdragon |
B | Europe, UK and most other countries | Exynos |
N | South Korea | Exynos |
So an S24+ that reads SM-S926B is the Exynos 2400 version, and an S24 that reads SM-S921U is the Snapdragon one. If your model number does not fit the table (Japanese carrier models, for example), install a CPU information app and look at the GPU line: Adreno means Snapdragon, Xclipse means Exynos. DroidDeck checks too: on an Exynos phone its device report says the GPU is not supported and that DroidDeck needs an Adreno (Snapdragon) GPU.
Buying second-hand to play Steam games? Ask for the model number before you pay. An S24 Ultra or any S25 is a safe pick in every country; a European S24 or S24+ is not.
Exynos Galaxy: will DroidDeck ever support it?
Plenty of Exynos owners have asked. GitHub has requests for the Exynos 2200, for the Xclipse 540 in the Galaxy A56, and a general Exynos request (#823, #707, #815). On 13 October 2026 a project contributor answered one of them plainly: Xclipse (Exynos) GPUs are not supported by current releases, which need an Adreno (Snapdragon) GPU. They added that support for non-Snapdragon GPUs is being worked on and tracked under issue #218, which is about Mali GPUs through the open-source PanVK driver. There is no date, and Mali work would not by itself cover Xclipse.
Do not waste an evening on driver settings. In issue #788, an S24+ owner (SM-S926B, Xclipse 940) tried several drivers without success; the Turnip drivers DroidDeck offers are written for Adreno GPUs, so none of them can drive an Xclipse. If you have an Exynos Galaxy and want to play PC games on it today, look at apps that do not depend on Adreno: we compare them in DroidDeck vs Winlator and DroidDeck vs GameHub.
Setting up DroidDeck on a Galaxy
The full walkthrough is in the DroidDeck install guide. Galaxy phones have a few extra steps:
- Let the APK install. Download it only from GitHub Releases. If Samsung's Auto Blocker is on (Settings › Security and privacy › Auto Blocker), it stops apps from sources other than Galaxy Store and Google Play; turn it off to install DroidDeck, then turn it back on if you like.
- Open Developer options. On a Galaxy, Build number sits under Settings › About phone › Software information. Tap it seven times. Developer options then appears at the bottom of Settings.
- Turn on Disable child process restrictions. Every Galaxy that can run DroidDeck is on Android 14 or newer if it is up to date, so use this switch in Developer options before you launch Steam. Without it, Steam closes right after it opens. On an older Galaxy still on Android 12 or 13, use the Fix it for me button DroidDeck shows instead.
- Watch the storage. The Linux runtime takes about 3 GB and the optional desktop and emulators 1.1 GB more, before any game. Most Galaxy flagships have no microSD slot, so the 128 GB and 256 GB models fill up fast.
Samsung DeX and foldables
DeX is not reliable yet. Owners of an S23 Ultra, S25 Ultra and S26 Ultra report the same thing: DroidDeck starts in DeX, but as soon as Steam or the desktop launches it acts as if it were sent to the background and shows a Resume button that does nothing (#586, #741, #776). The S26 Ultra owner who opened #586 got it working by changing DroidDeck's background setting, and another user thanked them for the workaround. The issue is still open.
Foldables are being worked on. A change merged on 15 October 2026 stops DroidDeck's main screen, file manager and store sign-in from resetting when you fold or unfold the phone; it should arrive in the release after 0.4.0. Separately, a Z Fold8 owner reports DroidDeck disappearing from the phone a day after installing it (#806). A contributor asked them to check Play Protect and Auto Blocker; the cause is not known yet.
Games reported on Galaxy phones
These rows come from our DroidDeck games list, which collects public reports with a link to each source. We have not tested them ourselves.
| Game | Phone | Result | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majikoi! Love Me Seriously! | Galaxy S24 Ultra | Runs well | Launches and runs without problems. | GitHub issue #469 |
| Muv-Luv | Galaxy S24 Ultra | Doesn't run | Shows the Steam logo, then closes about 20 seconds after its window opens; changing Proton version did not help. Issue open. | GitHub issue #469 |
| Pizza Tower | Galaxy S24 Ultra | Runs well | Launches and runs without problems. | GitHub issue #469 |
| Watch Dogs | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Doesn't run DroidDeck 0.4.0 | Crashes after loading into the world. Issue open. | GitHub issue #687 |
| Fields of Mistria | Galaxy S26 Ultra | Runs well | Played successfully; more stable than GameNative for this user. | ResetEra thread |
Galaxy Tab and Galaxy A
| Galaxy model | Chip | DroidDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Tab S9 / S9+ / S9 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Adreno 740 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Tab S8 / S8+ / S8 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Adreno 730 | Supported GPU |
| Galaxy Tab S10+ / S10 Ultra / Tab S11 | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ / 9400+ Immortalis | Unsupported |
| Galaxy Tab S9 FE | Exynos 1380 Mali | Unsupported |
| Galaxy A56 / A55 | Samsung Exynos 1480 / 1580 Xclipse 530 / 540 | Unsupported |
| Galaxy A36 Its Adreno 710 is the one Adreno the README names as unsupported. | Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Adreno 710 | Unsupported |
The Tab S8 and Tab S9 are the Galaxy tablets to look for: big screens, big batteries and a supported Adreno. Samsung moved its newer high-end tablets to MediaTek, so a newer Tab is not a better DroidDeck tablet. The Galaxy A series is out across the board: the A55 and A56 use Exynos chips with Xclipse GPUs, and the Snapdragon-based A36 has an Adreno 710, the one Adreno the README names as unsupported. For every other brand, see DroidDeck compatible devices.
Samsung Galaxy questions
Does DroidDeck work on the Galaxy S24 Ultra?
Yes. Every Galaxy S24 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy with an Adreno 750 GPU, which is in DroidDeck's supported class. The S24 and S24+ are different: outside the US, Canada and China they use the Exynos 2400, which is unsupported.
Does DroidDeck work on the Galaxy S25 or S26?
The S25, S25+, S25 Ultra and S25 Edge use Snapdragon everywhere, so yes. The S26 Ultra does too. The S26 and S26+ use Snapdragon in the US, Canada, China and Japan and the Exynos 2600 in most other countries, including Europe and Korea. The S25 FE is Exynos in every country.
My Galaxy has an Exynos chip. Can I make DroidDeck work?
Not with current releases. A project contributor wrote on 13 October 2026 that Xclipse (Exynos) GPUs are not supported and that current builds need an Adreno GPU. Switching drivers inside DroidDeck does not change that: the Turnip drivers it offers are for Adreno GPUs only.
How do I check whether my Galaxy is Snapdragon or Exynos?
Open Settings › About phone and read the model number. For models sold in both versions, a number ending in U or U1 (US) or W (Canada) is Snapdragon; one ending in B (international) or N (Korea) is Exynos. DroidDeck's own setup also reports the GPU it finds.
Does DroidDeck work in Samsung DeX?
Not reliably yet. Owners of an S23 Ultra, S25 Ultra and S26 Ultra report that Steam pauses as soon as it starts in DeX, with a Resume button that does nothing. One owner got around it by changing DroidDeck's background setting; the issue is still open.
Will a Galaxy Tab run DroidDeck?
The Tab S8 and Tab S9 series use Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and 8 Gen 2 and are in the supported class. The Tab S10+, S10 Ultra and Tab S11 switched to MediaTek Dimensity with Immortalis GPUs, and the Tab S9 FE uses an Exynos with a Mali GPU; none of those can run it.
Sources
- DroidDeck README: the GPU rule and the Android 14 child-process setting.
- GitHub: #707 (contributor reply on Xclipse), #788 (S24+ device report), #586 (DeX), #806 (Z Fold8), pull request #832 (fold and unfold).
- Chips by region: Android Authority (S24), SamMobile (S26), PhoneArena (S26), SamMobile (S23 FE), Android Authority (S22 India), SamMobile (S25 FE).
- Foldables and tablets: Android Authority (Z Flip7), GSMArena (Z Flip7 FE), Android Authority (Z Flip8), TweakTown (Z Fold8), SamMobile (Tab S11).
- Galaxy A: GSMArena (A36 and A56), GSMArena (Exynos 1480).