Now, if you have the right hardware, you can install the alpha version of Steam on your Chromebook and start playing some popular games. This is quite exciting for Chromebook gamers all over the world. But before you try to start playing, you should know that there are a lot of requirements that you have to meet.
Below, there’s everything you need to know.
Steam Is Finally Available for Chromebooks—Sort of
While the first alpha version of Steam is now available to Chromebook users, it’s too restrictive, and you’ll have to take a closer look at your Chromebook.
In a post on Google’s community forum, Chrome OS managers Alisha and Zach announced that the alpha version of Steam is now available on Chrome OS. However, not every Chromebook user can use it now.
“One of the most important aspects of Chrome OS is our open development model. Being able to share our work-in-progress with the community allows us to adapt in real-time and consistently makes Chrome OS better. So I’m very excited to share that today we’re releasing an early, alpha-quality version of Steam on Chrome OS in the Dev channel for a small set of recent Chromebooks.”
As you can see, Steam will only work with “a small percentage of recent Chromebooks,” which means older models of devices won’t be able to try alpha yet. Similarly, even if you have a modern device, you still need a proper configuration.
What it takes to run Steam on Chrome OS
Meanwhile, Chrome OS managers shared more details in a Chromium blog post, including everything you need to know before installing the alpha version of Steam on Chrome OS.
If you have one of the following devices, then you can try Steam now.
Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1W)
Acer Chromebook 515 (CB515-1W)
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W)
ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5500)
ASUS Chromebook CX9 (CX9400)
HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook
Lenovo 5i-14 Chromebook
In addition to having the right device, your Chromebook also needs to have the right device configuration. Note that if your Chromebook has an i3 CPU or 4GB of RAM, it won’t support the alpha version of Steam at all. And, you also need to keep the following points in mind.
1. Devices with 8GB of RAM may encounter issues in games that require 6GB of RAM or more.
2. Devices with display resolutions greater than 1080p may encounter performance and scaling issues.
How to install the Alpha version of Steam on Chrome OS
If you have everything you need to run the program on your Chromebook, you can try installing Steam on Chrome OS.
But keep in mind that you need to switch to the development channel, which is not so stable. This can cause problems for your Chromebook, so try using a device that you don’t use for work, school, or everyday activities. What’s more, it’s best to make a backup of all your data before you try.
The Chromium blog post also shares instructions for trying the Steam alpha version on your Chromebook. First, you need to switch to the development channel on your Chromebook. After that, you should follow these steps.
1. After updating, navigate to chrome://flags. Set both #borealis-enabled and #exo-pointer-lock to Enabled.
2. After restarting, open a crosh terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T.
3. Type insert_coin volteer-JOlkth573FBLGa and hit the Enter key.
4. Follow the setup flow to install Steam.
5. Login with your Steam account and start playing!
What games does Chromebook now support?
Unfortunately, even if you meet all of the above criteria, that doesn’t mean you can play every game on Steam because not all games will work properly.
However, you can still find many awesome and popular games already, including Portal 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Celeste, Half-Life 2, and more.
Start your adventure
Although the alpha version of Steam on Chrome OS has a lot of requirements, it is still moving in the right direction. If you’ve met all your requirements, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying Steam games on your Chromebook.
