Steam for ChromeOS enters beta, comes to more Chromebooks

ChromeOS has come a long way over the past decade and a half, becoming the primary operating system for schools and those that need software light on resources and battery life. However, the internet-centered OS has several limitations, one of the largest being gaming. Google recently unveiled a trio of Chromebooks designed for gaming, and Valve has been developing a ChromeOS-friendly version of Steam. Now, Steam has entered beta and is available to a wider array of Chromebooks. 

With the release of ChromeOS 108.0.5359.24, the beta version of Steam for ChromeOS will be available for download. Steam is only available for users on the Beta channel of ChromeOS (and through changing some flags), but switching to Beta is simple to do through the system's settings. This update moves Steam from the less stable Dev channel.

In addition to the move from alpha to beta, Steam can now run on more than three times as many Chromebooks (per Google) due to a lowering of system requirements. While the alpha build of Steam required an Intel Rocket Lake (11th Gen) Core i5 CPU or higher, the new beta version can run on a Rocket Lake or Alder Lake (12th Gen) Core i3 processor or AMD Ryzen 3 (5000 C-series) or better. The ChromeOS device will also need 8 GB of RAM or more.

Google still recommends at least a Core i5 CPU and 16 GB of RAM "for the best experience." In other words, users running on the minimum specs may have trouble running some games.

The devs also pointed out that, as it is still in Beta, "parts of the [Steam on ChromeOS] user experience are not release-quality," so prospective gamers should be aware that they will encounter stability and general usability issues. 

Still, the fact that Steam on ChromeOS is at this stage is a testament to Google's and Valve's commitment to gaming and increasing the feature set of Chromebooks. The beta version of Steam supports 50 new games, bringing the total to 100. While most of these are lighter Indie titles, there are some AAA games on the list, such as Dark Souls: Remastered, Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. 

It is interesting that Google has pushed cloud gaming in ChromeOS this year, especially recently. Google's Stadia game streaming service will shut down in two months. However, with the launch of Chromebooks made expressly for gaming and the continued push in Steam for ChromeOS, it seems like Google isn't out of the cloud gaming market quite yet. 

For a list of Chromebooks compatible with Steam and a list of supported games, check the Press Release section below.

Buy a Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook at Amazon.