Steam is one of the most popular gaming platforms for Linux, Mac and Windows operating systems. But if you recently purchased a new Chromebook you might not be able to run Steam directly on your Chrome OS. But don’t worry we have some practical methods that are a little complicated but you can use them to run Steam on your Chromebook.
Things to take care of first
If you want to run Steam on your Chromebook first make sure it has specifications that are good to run any games. Ideally, your Chromebook should have an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor for Steam games. Also, keep a note that ARM-based Chromebooks don’t support Steam and it is even difficult to run Steam on those systems without streaming from another PC. It would also be great to have an 8GB of RAM minimum. Next on this guide is first the simplest method to run Steam on your Chromebook which requires Linux or Android app support.
Mathod 1: Run Steam on a Chromebook via Steam Link app
This is the quickest way to run Steam on your Chromebook using the Steam Link Android app. Unfortunately, you need to have both your PC and your Chromebook running Steam on the same network. The Steam Link app on Android can stream Steam games to any mobile device which also means your Chromebook can support Steam games.
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This might not be the method you are looking for as you can’t bring the gaming experience on the road when you travel. However, this is very useful when you just want to play some casual games with a thin and light Chromebook and this trick could just do that for you. Follow these quick steps to use the Steam Link on your Chromebook.
- Visit the Google Play Store and install Steam Link
- Now connect your Chromebook to the same network as your PC using the same Steam account
- Open the Steam Link app and sign in to your Steam account
- You can either use a Steam compatible controller or use a keyboard
- Now connect to your local PC
- That’s All! Now you are all set to stream games to your Chromebook
With this method, you require your own PC which might not be possible for every Chromebook user. But still, if you have the required hardware in your Chromebook it just takes less than 5 minutes to set this up, and also it is a very simple method for ARM-based Chromebooks.
Using the Steam Link app can provide good results but there are some disadvantages which include poor visual quality because a streamed video game is already compressed in your Chromebook might not even support full HD content. If you are not ok with it you might need to think about upgrading your specs. However, if you are ok with the visual quality you can play many of the Steam games on your Chromebook easily through this setup.
Method 2: Install Steam on Chromebook devices using the Linux app
The next method requires some tinkering and technical know-how. If your Chromebook supports native Linux apps you can also install the full Steam Linux application and run everything locally without connecting to the network. Here are the instructions on how to download Steam on Chromebook using Linux app compatibility.
Before you begin you will first need to enable Linux apps on your Chromebook. Here is how you can do it
- Tap on the System Tray, which is the area in the bottom right corner of your Chrome OS
- Now click on the gear icon to open the Settings
- Click on Advanced for more options
- Look for the Linux development environment (Beta) section.
- Place the Turn on the button next to the Linux box
- Now click Install
- You will see a command terminal window appear when everything is installed
- You are now ready to run the Steam Linux app on your Chromebook
How to install the Steam Linux app on Chromebook
- If you can’t open the Linux terminal window press Shift + Ctrl + T simultaneously.
- Type the below-mentioned command and then press enter
echo ‘deb http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie main contrib non-free’ | sudo tee -a /etc
- Now type this command here: sudo dpkg –add-architecture i386
- Next enter this command: sudo apt update
- The next one is this: sudo apt install steam
- Final you have to enter this command
- Press Y to confirm
- Agree to the terms
- Once the installation process is finished you can go ahead and launch the app by entering the commands steam in the terminal
Method 3: Use Steam on Chromebook through cloud computing
Cloud computing can help you stream a Windows machine to your Chromebook without actually owning that machine. You can use powerful computers from a distance but it requires stable internet speed with minimum ping to be a viable option
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Our recommendation is shadow cloud computing that offers a subscription service that starts at $29.99 (Rs. 2,300) per month. It will provide you access to a virtual machine that has specs equivalent to a gaming pc. If you pay extra you can get even some upgrades
Shadow Cloud computing requires data speeds which are as follows:
You need a 15 Mbps download, 5 Mbps upload, no more than 10ms jitter, and no more than 30ms ping. If your Chromebook meets these requirements you can go ahead and use Shadow virtual machine from any mobile device. This remote Windows computer can run most of the heavy Steam games without any issues.
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Final Point
The above steps and information will help you use Steam for gaming on your Chromebook. Make sure that your Chromebook is powerful enough or else no amount of tips and tricks can help you. If you don’t have a stable internet connection then Method 1,3 won’t help much.
