Steam Is on Chrome OS: Here’s How to Start Gaming on a Chromebook – CNET [CNET]

One of the biggest knocks against Chromebooks is that they’re no good for gaming. There are Android games, but not all of them work. You can use a cloud gaming service such as Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now, but that generally requires a subscription. But Google’s been working on a bigger solution with help from game-maker Valve.

A prerelease version of Valve’s Steam game store is now available to try on Chromebooks through the Chrome OS Dev channel. It’s an early, alpha-quality version of Steam, so anything can break. Be prepared to face crashes, bugs and performance problems, Chrome OS Product Manager Zach Alcorn said in a community forum post. 

Also, it can currently only be enabled on a select set of Chromebooks with higher-end components:

• 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 IdeaPad Chromebook 5i

Even if you have one of these models, the Chromebook will need to have an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor (Core i3 configurations aren’t supported), at least 8GB of memory and Intel Iris Xe Graphics. Due to the instability of the alpha version, it’s best not to test it out on a Chromebook you rely on for work or school.

If you have one of these Chromebooks, you can access the alpha-quality version of Steam on Chrome OS. You’ll have to switch to the Dev channel in your settings menu. Once the Chromebook is updated to that channel, follow these steps to get set up:

1. Navigate to chrome://flags#borealis-enable and enable it
2. Open a crosh terminal (ctrl+alt+t)
3. Enter “insert_coin volteer-JOlkth573FBLGa” 
4. Follow the setup process to install Steam

Google has the full install instructions on the Chromium.org forums. You’ll also find a full list of games currently supported, which includes Dota 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Stardew Valley, Terraria, Hades, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. When available, Chrome OS will run the Linux version of games. Other games use Steam Play’s compatibility tool called Proton. It’s also used for the new Steam Deck handheld gaming device.