Google is testing Steam for Chrome OS on first Chromebooks

By admin On Mar 22, 2022

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Google is making Steam available on the first Chromebooks through its Dev channel. This is the first alpha version of Steam for Chromebooks. Google eventually wants to make Steam available for as many Chromebooks as possible, if the hardware allows it.

Google writes on its website that the alpha version of Steam is in Chrome OS version 14583.0.0. This version of the operating system is available via the Dev channel and, according to Google, will not be available to all users for the time being. In addition, the alpha version can only be tested on a select number of Chromebooks for the time being.

At Google’s Games Developer Summit, the company already announced the alpha for Steam on Chrome OS and referred to the community forums for more information. This information did not come until the message that came online on Tuesday, which also contained the system requirements and instructions. For now, Steam is only available in the alpha version for the following Chromebooks:

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

Google adds to this list that the version of these Chromebooks with an Intel i3 CPU or with 4GB RAM are not supported. In addition, Google emphasizes that there are still many stability problems. The manufacturer therefore advises against installing this alpha version on a Chromebook that is used for school or work.

In addition, Google has also prepared a list of games to test. The dev team has already tried some of these games themselves, including Portal 2, Hades, Kerbal Space Program, and Euro Truck Simulator 2. The list consists mostly of older and lighter games, which is understandable given the hardware of most Chromebooks. The games from the developer team’s list should in any case be playable, although some titles also immediately have some comments to get the game working.

Google does not provide a release date for a stable version of Steam on Chrome OS for all Chromebook users. The company first wants them to thoroughly test Steam on Chrome OS and make it stable before it becomes available to more users.