Platform: Linux
System Requirements
- Linux kernel 5.4 or later
- x86_64 or arm64 processor
- X11 or Wayland display server
- OpenGL 2.1 or later
- SDL3 (bundled in packages or built from source)
Install from Release
| File | Architecture | Format |
|---|---|---|
firestaff_x.y.z_amd64.deb |
x86_64 | Debian/Ubuntu package |
firestaff-x.y.z.x86_64.rpm |
x86_64 | Fedora/RHEL package |
firestaff_x.y.z_arm64.deb |
arm64 | Debian/Ubuntu package (Raspberry Pi, etc.) |
firestaff-x.y.z.aarch64.rpm |
arm64 | Fedora/RHEL package |
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i firestaff_x.y.z_amd64.deb
Fedora / RHEL
sudo rpm -i firestaff-x.y.z.x86_64.rpm
Steam Deck
Firestaff provides dedicated Steam Deck packages (x86_64 only):
| File | Format |
|---|---|
Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst |
Pacman package |
Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.AppImage |
AppImage (no install needed) |
Pacman Package
sudo pacman -U Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
AppImage
chmod +x Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.AppImage
./Firestaff-x.y.z-steamdeck-x86_64.AppImage
The AppImage is self-contained and runs without installation. Add it as a non-Steam game in Steam’s desktop mode to launch from Game Mode.
Build from Source
# Install build dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install build-essential cmake ninja-build pkg-config \
libx11-dev libxext-dev libxrandr-dev libxcursor-dev libxi-dev \
libxfixes-dev libxss-dev libxtst-dev libwayland-dev \
libxkbcommon-dev wayland-protocols
# Build SDL3 from source (not yet in distro repos)
mkdir -p "$HOME/.cache/firestaff-build"
git clone --depth 1 --branch release-3.2.14 https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL.git "$HOME/.cache/firestaff-build/SDL3"
cmake -S "$HOME/.cache/firestaff-build/SDL3" -B "$HOME/.cache/firestaff-build/SDL3-build" -G Ninja \
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DSDL_SHARED=ON -DSDL_STATIC=OFF -DSDL_TESTS=OFF
cmake --build "$HOME/.cache/firestaff-build/SDL3-build" --parallel
sudo cmake --install "$HOME/.cache/firestaff-build/SDL3-build"
sudo ldconfig
# Build Firestaff
cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
ninja -C build
Game Data Location
~/.firestaff/data/
You can also set the FIRESTAFF_DATA environment variable to override. The data directory can be changed in Settings within the launcher. See Game Data for the full directory layout.
Bundled Tools
The Linux release includes three companion tools:
- firestaff_artpack_studio — create and edit V2.2 modern graphics artpacks
- firestaff_dungeon_studio — dungeon viewer and editor
- firestaff_savegame_editor — inspect and edit save files
Troubleshooting
No video output on Wayland
Set SDL_VIDEODRIVER=wayland or SDL_VIDEODRIVER=x11 to force a specific backend.
No audio on PipeWire
SDL3 supports PipeWire natively. If audio doesn’t work, ensure pipewire and pipewire-pulse are installed and running.
Steam Deck controls in Game Mode
Firestaff maps the Steam Deck’s physical controls through SDL3’s gamepad API. For best results, configure controls in Steam’s controller settings for the non-Steam game entry.