While I realize that EA's Origin client has been replaced by the EA App nearly three years ago, I have been lazy to do a major update to this guide because the principle has been identical as it was with Origin. However, since I keep getting asked about it, I thought that I would overhaul this guide for the EA App instead.

This guide will show you how to get the EA App to play nice with Steam. This method does not need any scripts, installers, or attempts to bypass the EA client altogether. Please note that since I rarely use the EA App for gaming, and will be using "Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes" to demonstrate.

It is assumed anyone following these instructions is running the Steam client in Windows 10 and 11, as I am not able to test it in Mac, Linux, or other modern operating systems to know if this method will work.

To save time and to avoid the possibility of troubleshooting this later, it is advised to configure the EA App client first.

This section will go over how to configure the EA App.

1. Open the EA App and click on your EA App account profile icon in the far top-right corner of the client window. This will open up the hidden menu, and select Settings.
   
   
2. Select the Application tab below the Settings header..
   
3. Beneath the Languages setting, turn on Application updates, and turn off the Open the EA app automatically on startup.
   
   Note: Other settings can be optionally customized to your tastes in this section, however, it is advised to turn off the in-game overlay within the EA app client.
   
   
4. Exit the EA App client before trying to run a game from the Steam shortcut.

Remember that games must be manually selected and run through the EA App which can be found in the Installed games menu on the left side of the EA App client. Steam will not start them for you.

If anyone who has ever read my guide for getting the Battlenet Launcher to work on Steam, the principle is still the same – and far less tedious than most other launchers I have ran through Steam.

1. Click Games in the top left of the Steam client, then navigate and click Add a Non-Steam Game to my Library…
   
   
2. After the list has populated, check the box next to EA then click the button labeled ADD SELECTED PROGRAMS.
   
   Locate and add EADesktop.exe. Default location can be found here:
   "C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\EA Desktop\EA Desktop\EADesktop.exe"
   
   Note: If it not found under the PROGRAM list, click the Browse… button to search for EADesktop.exe.
   
3. Navigate to Library > GAMES in the Steam client’s main navigation bar, then begin typing EA in the GAMES Search field to easily locate it. (Note: you will not need to capitalize or type in the entire keyword.)
   
   
4. Right click on EA from the GAMES list in the left column and click on Properties.
   
   
5. Change the name of your shortcut to reflect the EA App game you are intending to use the Steam overlay with, in the field below the Shortcut heading and to the left of your game icon. (In this demonstration, I have used Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes as the shortcut name.)
   
   
   
   
6. To locate your newly changed EA game name shortcut, begin typing the shortcut’s name in the GAMES Search field to locate it easily.

Optional – change the shortcut icon by clicking the CHOOSE ICON… button. (Another guide on Steam explains how to remove the shortcut arrow.) Alternately, you can change the non-Steam game icon by right clicking and go to Manage > Set custom artwork to select a custom image. Using game box art is ideal for the new Steam library layout. You can also customize game collections to identify non-Steam games easier, and include a background header image on your game shortcut page.

It is important to remember that this guide intends that you manually run your games from the EA App and that the shortcut will only launch the EA App client itself. Due to the way that EA designed their launcher, this particular method will trick Steam into attaching its overlay to the EA App and any games being run in the EA App.

Make sure that the EA App client is not running before launching the shortcut from Steam.

If you followed each step correctly, test the new shortcut by clicking the blue PLAY button in your GAMES library. It will also update your Steam status as well as launch the EA App client. (Game updates will also be ready for download from the launcher when they become available.)



IMPORTANT – Your Steam status will not revert back to normal after quitting the game. Be sure to EXIT out of the EA App client afterward!

Should your Steam status fail to retain your new in non-Steam game shortcut or capture any screenshots through Steam, the Steam overlay somehow lost its focus to the EA App. To troubleshoot, start by deleting the EA App game shortcut and create a new one by following these steps more closely. If the overlay still isn’t working, please read closely my notes below as well as my other Steam guides for cross-reference.

Note: In some cases when running multiple game launchers through Steam, additional tweaks might be in conflict. In order to get other non-Steam games working – such as the HoYoPlay Launcher, I have also customized the properties to Steam’s executable file that is currently in use with my setup. (Refer to my HoYoPlay guide linked in the Other Guides section.)

Should you still have trouble getting it to work, leave a comment below and I will do my best to help troubleshoot the problem.


Please rate this guide with a thumbs up if you found it helpful; or a thumbs down if you didn't. Be sure to reserve questions, concerns, suggestions for improvement, or anything else regarding this guide in the comments section below.

For your convenience, here is a list of other guides I have written:

• Run Games from Battlenet Launcher with Steam Overlay
  
• Move Sims 3 Game Saves to Another Location & Improve Performance
  
• How to get the Steam Overlay working with Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR)
  
• Get the Steam Overlay Working with Games on Origin – This guide.
  
• Auto-Delete Sims 3 Cache and Run it on Origin with the Steam Overlay
  
• Auto-Delete Sims 3 Cache and Run it on Steam
  
• How to Stop Vampire the Masquerade – Redemption from Requesting a CD Key
  
• Move the Mabinogi Folder from Documents to Another Location
  
• Auto-Delete Sims 4 Cache and Run it on Steam
  
• How to Fix Fable Anniversary from Causing Motion Sickness
  
• How to Fix EULA Bug in Steam's SWTOR Launcher
  
• Run Games from HoYoPlay Launcher with Steam Overlay

10/01/2025 – Updated images for EA App and removed residual images for Origin; still waiting for support concerning title/description issues.
09/30/2025 – Updated guide information for the EA App and removed outdated information for Origin; looking into issue concerning guide title update.
11/30/2024 – Added new guide link.
07/10/2024 – Added new guide link.
06/17/2023 – Added minimalist information for getting the Steam overlay to work in the EA App. (See Step 2. in section "Get the Steam Overlay Working in Origin".)
10/28/2022 – Added new guide link.
07/08/2020 – Added new guide link.
03/03/2020 – Replaced image.
01/23/2020 – Fixed typo in link.
01/14/2020 – Added new guide link.
11/02/2019 – Embedded new image.
11/01/2019 – Added new guide link.
10/31/2019 – Updated images for new Steam library layout; fixed text for image continuity.
09/03/2019 – Added new guide link.
10/20/2018 – Changed wording for clarity.
10/19/2018 – Added new guide link.
10/16/2018 – Fixed typo.
10/15/2018 – Initial version.