Steam Is Coming to Google Chromebooks

Steam may be coming to Chrome OS, according to a recent Google Community post, with a limited set of Chromebooks to get the first taste.

Steam may finally be coming to Chromebooks, according to a Google Community post. As a result, Chrome OS users can expect an alpha release of Steam soon.

Steam and Valve have seen a lot of hype and fanfare lately, largely due to the reception of the Steam Deck device. Since its launch last month, Steam Deck has gained such a level of popularity that its demand appears to have exceeded Valve’s predictions. Steam, on the other hand, has seen a lot of success in the past few years. Over 31 million new users joined Steam in 2021 alone. The platform’s growth over the years has been fueled by a combination of accessibility, a large gaming library, frequent discounts, and other factors. This is why Valve continues to explore expansion opportunities. A recent initiative includes bringing Steam to Chromebooks.

After changing its name to Stadia, Google no longer aims to dominate the gaming market, but the tech giant is actively bringing gaming tools and services to its platforms. Previously, Google stated that it has been working with Valve to bring Steam to Chrome OS. A keynote presentation at the Google for Games Developer Summit stated that “the Steam alpha just launched.” However, a community post clarified that an early, “alpha-quality” version of Steam will soon be landing in the Dev channel for a select few Chromebooks. In spite of the fact that Google has yet to share specific details on this, a recently posted code change sheds some light on what users can expect.

The post lists out a few Chromebook models that support Steam:

  • Acer Chromebook 514
  • Acer Chromebook 515
  • Acer Chromebook Spin 713
  • ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5
  • ASUS Chromebook CX9
  • Elemi – HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook
  • Lindar (unreleased Lenovo Chromebook)

Additionally, the code change specifies a minimum of an 11th gen Core i5/i7 processor and 7GB of RAM. Thus, Steam’s initial availability is likely to be limited to Chromebooks with higher specifications. Nonetheless, this list is likely to expand in the months to come to include more devices. According to reports, Google is testing Steam on 10th generation processors and AMD chips already. Users could expect more standard Chromebook models to be able to handle much more than Minecraft on Chrome OS.

Steam’s launch on Chromebooks is just one of Valve’s latest efforts to expand its user base. In addition to adding Chrome OS to Steam’s list of supported devices, Valve is also looking at other opportunities ranging from a possible Game Pass-like Steam subscription service to its own upcoming titles. Clearly, the ambitions of the company are growing. This also means that Valve’s attention will be diverted to a number of different initiatives.