Google announces alpha for Steam on Chromebooks

Google has announced an alpha for Steam on ChromeOS. The platform is available immediately for a select number of Chromebooks. The tech giant has not yet announced when Steam will officially be supported on ChromeOS.

During Google’s Games Developer Summit, the alpha test that starts today was briefly discussed. Google has not yet revealed which Chromebooks are part of the alpha test, but reports that more information will be available in the community forums.

Google hinted a few years ago that the company was working on Steam support. Just like then, Google does not state a term in which we can expect Steam on ChromeOS, but with the alpha test a release is at least a little closer.

In addition to plans for Steam on ChromeOS, Google also talked about plans for Stadia at the Games Developer Summit. The game streaming service will let game developers offer demos of their games via Stadia. These can then be linked to YouTube, social media and advertisements so that consumers can try a game right away.

Earlier this year, Google announced that the focus of Stadia will shift to a service for third parties. This seems to be another step in this direction. Google previously closed all of its game studios, which were set up specifically to develop games for Stadia. Initially, Stadia was founded by Google to offer games itself.

The full Google keynote can be viewed here: