Games aren’t a strong point of Chromebooks, but thanks to Linux support, you can now install and play plenty of desktop games on Chrome OS. Steam is one of the best digital game distribution platforms and it is officially supported on Linux. So you can run it on Chrome OS and enjoy desktop games. And the best part is that you don’t need to move your Chromebook to developer mode or install Crouton. Things are quite simple now and the installation process is a breeze. So without further ado, let’s jump right in and learn how to install and play Steam games on a Chromebook.
Install and Play Steam Games on a Chromebook (2021 Update)
Here we have mentioned the steps to install and play Steam games on a Chromebook. Along with that, we also tested a few Steam games to see if Chromebooks can be a viable alternative for desktop gaming. Remember, if you have a school-issued Chromebook and the administrator has locked Linux on your Chromebook, you won’t be able to run Steam. Having said all that, now let’s go through the installation process step by step.
1. First of all, install 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 continue with the steps.
2. Next, open the Linux terminal and run the command below. It will update Linux on your Chromebook to the latest version. If you get any errors, don’t worry, keep going.
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y
3. Now, click on this link at download steam installer file. Similar to the EXE format on Windows, this is a DEB file for Linux. Next, move the DEB file to the “Linux” section of the Files app.
5. Once done, double-click on the installation file and click on ” To install“. It will start installing Steam on your Chromebook.
6. After installation, press the “Search” button on the keyboard and search for “steam”. After that, open it.
7. Alternatively, you can open the app drawer and manually find the linux folder. After that, open Steam. The Linux folder usually resides on the last page of the app drawer.
8. Now Steam will automatically start dependencies download and libraries needed for Steam to work properly on Chromebook.
9. After the update, Steam will open automatically. Now, log into your Steam account. If Steam is not showing up after the update, open it manually from the app drawer.
10. Finally, here it is. Steam works successfully on a Chromebook. But there is another setting you need to enable.
11. Click on Steam in the top right corner and go to Settings -> Steam Play -> Enable Steam Play for all other titles and click “OK”. This will unlock and allow you to run several Windows games that are not natively available for Linux.
12. In our tests, we installed Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on our Chromebook via Steam, but it didn’t work. However, other non-intensive games like Among Us, Stardew Valley, Squad, Tank Force worked perfectly and without any graphical issues. I would recommend trying out your favorite Steam games and seeing if they work on your Chromebook.
List of popular Chromebooks
Our tutorial will work with all of the following Chromebooks. This list is not exhaustive and is here only as an example.
| Brand | Model name |
|---|---|
| Acer | Acer Chromebook 315 |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3H-C2C3 | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3HT-C296 | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3H-C4QE | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-2HT-44MJ | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3HT-C3J0 | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3H-C5JS | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3HT-C6XF | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3H-C36A | |
| Acer Chromebook CB315-3HT-C16B | |
| Acer Chromebook 314 | |
| Acer Chromebook CB314-1H-C34N | |
| Acer Chromebook CB314-1H-C66Z | |
| Acer Chromebook CB314-1H-C02A | |
| Acer Chromebook 311 | |
| Acer Chromebook CB311-9HT-C4UM | |
| Acer Chromebook CB311-9H-C12A | |
| Acer Chromebook 311 – CP311-3H-K5GD | |
| Acer Chromebook CB311-9H-C7C8 | |
| Acer Chromebook Spin 713 – CP713-2W-79H3 | |
| Acer Chromebook 512 – C851-C1J7 | |
| Acer Chromebook 311 Touch – CB311-9HT-C4UM | |
| Acer Chromebook Spin 311 – CP311-3H-K5GD | |
| Acer Chromebox CXI3 – CXI3-I7V16GNKM4 | |
| Acer Chromebox CXI3 – CXI3-4GKM4 | |
| Acer Chromebox CXI3 – CXI3-4GNKM4 | |
| Acer Chromebook Spin 13 – CP713-1WN-51EA | |
| Acer Chromebook Spin 713 – CP713-2W-79H3 | |
| Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 13 – CP713-1WN-76M7 | |
| Chromebook Spin 13 – CP713-1WN-813G | |
| CB714-1W-32D4 | |
| CB714-1W-525Q | |
| Acer Chromebook Spin 514 | |
| Acer Chromebook 311 C733-C0FK | |
| Acer Chromebook CB314-1H-P7ZZ | |
| ASUS | ASUS Chromebook C204EE |
| ASUS Chromebook C403NA | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C214MA | |
| ASUS Chromebook C203XA | |
| ASUS Chromebook C202XA | |
| ASUS Chromebook 14 C425TA | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C434TA | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C433TA | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C436FA | |
| ASUS Chromebook C202SA | |
| ASUS C423NA Chromebook | |
| ASUS Chromebook C523NA | |
| ASUS Chromebook C223NA | |
| ASUS Chromebook Flip C101PA | |
| Google Pixelbook Go GA00521-US | |
| Google Pixelbook Go GA00519-US | |
| Google Pixelbook Go GA00526-US | |
| Google Pixelbook Go GA00124-US | |
| Google Pixelbook Go GA00519-EN | |
| Google Pixelbook Go GA00523-US | |
| Google Pixel Slate C1A | |
| HP | HP Chromebook – 14a-na0003tu |
| HP Chromebook 11A G6 EE | |
| HP Chromebook x360 12b-ca0010TU | |
| HP Chromebook – 14a-na0002tu | |
| HP Chromebook – 11-v010nr | |
| HP Chromebook – 15-de0010nr | |
| HP Chromebook – 14-db0030nr | |
| HP Chromebook – 14-db0020nr | |
| HP Chromebook – 15-de0015nr | |
| HP Chromebook – 14a-na0097nr | |
| HP Chromebook – 14a touch optional | |
| HP Chromebook – 14-db0098nr | |
| HP Chromebook 11a-nb0047nr | |
| HP Chromebook 11a 11a-na0010nr | |
| HP Chromebook 11a 11a-na0060nr | |
| HP Chromebook 14A G5 | |
| HP Chromebook Enterprise 14A G5 | |
| HP Chromebook 11A G6 Education Edition PC | |
| HP Chromebook 14A G5 | |
| HP Chromebook 11A G8 Education Edition | |
| HP Chromebook x360 11 G3 EE | |
| HP Chromebook Pro c640 | |
| HP Chromebook 11A G8 Education Edition | |
| HP Chromebook 14A G5 Laptop | |
| HP Chromebook Pro c640 | |
| HP Elite c1030 Chromebook | |
| HP Pro c640 Chromebook Enterprise | |
| HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Laptop | |
| HP Chromebook Pro c645 | |
| HP Chromebook x360 12b-ca0010nr | |
| HP Chromebook x360 – 14c-ca0065nr | |
| HP Chromebook x360 – 14b-ca0010nr | |
| HP Chromebook x360 14a-ca0097nr | |
| HP Chromebook x360 14c-ca0085nr | |
| HP Chromebook x360 – 14ct-ca000 | |
| HP Chromebook 11 G1 1NW60UT Laptop | |
| HP Chromebook – 14-ca020nr | |
| HP Chromebook 11 G6 Education Edition 3PD94UT | |
| HP Chromebook x360 11 G1 EE – Customizable | |
| Lenovo | Chromebook Duo (10.1″) 2 in 1 |
| Lenovo 10e Chromebook Tablet | |
| Chromebook 500e 2nd Gen (11.6″) Intel | |
| Chromebook 300e 2nd Gen (11.6″) | |
| Chromebook 100e 2nd Gen (11.6″) | |
| Chromebook 14e (14″) | |
| Chromebook C340 (11″) | |
| Chromebook C330 (11.6″) | |
| Chromebook Yoga (15.6″) | |
| Chromebook 3 (14″) | |
| Lenovo Chromebook S345 (14″) | |
| Chromebook Flex 3i (11″) | |
| Chromebook Flex 5 (13″) | |
| AMD Chromebook 100e 2nd Gen (11.6-inch) | |
| AMD Chromebook 300e 2nd Gen (11.6″) | |
| Samsung | Samsung Galaxy Chromebooks |
| Samsung Chromebook Plus (LTE) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 | |
| Samsung Chromebook 4+ | |
| Samsung Chromebook 4 | |
| Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2) | |
| Samsung Chromebook 3 | |
| Samsung Chromebook Plus |
Go Deep with Steam Games on a Chromebook
So that was our short guide on how to install Steam and play games on a Chromebook. Although the installation process is not a one-click process like on the Windows operating system, it is still quite simple 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.
Anyway, it all comes from us. But how was your experience? Let us know in the comment section below. Also, if you like playing Minecraft, you can install it on your Chromebook without Steam. In case Steam isn’t working for you, you can use GeForce Now on your Chromebook. It is a cloud gaming service and does not require Linux support. On top of that, the game library is quite huge.
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