How to Install and Play Steam Games on a Chromebook

Games are not a strong suit of Chromebooks, but thanks to the Linux Support, now you can install and play many desktop-level games on Chrome OS. Steam is one of the best digital game distribution platforms and it’s officially supported on Linux. So, you can get it running on Chrome OS and enjoy desktop games. And the best part is that you don’t need to move your Chromebook to the Developer Mode or install Crouton. Things are quite straightforward now and the installation process is a breeze. So, without any delay, let’s go ahead and learn how to install and play Steam games on a Chromebook. Install and Play Steam Games on a Chromebook (Updated 2021) Here, we have mentioned the steps to install and play Steam games on a Chromebook. Along with that, we have also tested a few Steam games to check if Chromebooks can be a viable alternative for desktop gaming. Keep in mind, if you have a school-issued Chromebook and the administrator has locked Linux on your Chromebook then you won’t be able to run Steam. Having said all of that, let’s now go through the installation process step by step. First and foremost, set up Linux on your Chromebook by following the linked article. After that, enable GPU acceleration for Linux in Chromebook for better graphics and smoother gameplay. In case, GPU acceleration is not enabled, don’t worry, just move on with the steps. Next, open the Linux Terminal and execute the below command. It will update Linux on your Chromebook to the latest build. If you get any errors, don’t worry, just move on. sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y Now, click on this link to download the setup file of Steam. Similar to the EXE format on Windows, it’s a DEB file for Linux. Next, move the DEB file to the “Linux” section in the Files app. Having done that, double-click on the setup file and click on “Install.” It will start installing Steam on your Chromebook. After the installation, press the “Search” key on the keyboard and search for “steam”. After that, open it. Alternatively, you can open the App Drawer and manually look for the Linux folder. After that, open Steam. The Linux folder generally resides on the last page of the App Drawer. Now, Steam will automatically start downloading dependencies and libraries which are needed to smoothly run Steam on Chromebook. After the update, Steam will automatically open up. Now, sign in to your Steam account. If Steam does not pop up after the update then open it manually from the App Drawer. Finally, there you have it. Steam running successfully on a Chromebook. But there is one more setting that you should enable. Click on Steam at the top-right corner and go to Settings -> Steam Play -> Enable Steam Play for all other titles and click on “OK”. This will unlock and allow you to run several Windows games that are not natively available for Linux. In our testing, we installed Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on our Chromebook through Steam, but it failed to run. However, other non-intensive games like Among Us, Stardew Valley, Squad, TankForce ran absolutely fine and without any graphics issue. I would recommend you to try your favorite Steam games and see if they work on your Chromebook. So, that was our short guide on how to install Steam and play games on a Chromebook. While the installation process is not a one-click process like on Windows OS, it’s still quite straightforward and all you need is a bit of familiarity with Linux. So, go ahead and install various Steam games to check if your Chromebook can handle graphics-intensive games. Hey, this is Everleig Kelly. I love to write articles based on technology and gadget reviews to let individuals stay updated with digital life. This is a little effort from my side to let people gain knowledge about the latest technology and gadgets in trend. You can go through my blogs on wiredq.com Source: How to Install and Play Steam Games on a Chromebook