When looking for a dedicated gaming PC, Chromebooks are likely to be at the bottom of the list. That doesn’t mean you can’t play with them and run Steam on ChromeOS it was a big boost.

Chromebooks have become an interesting alternative to Windows and macOS computers. But games were not his strong point, neither because of the level of hardware nor because of the software support. Recently, however, the situation has been encouraged by the arrival of Google Play and the possibility of running Android games.

And even better. It was announced last September The industry’s first “gaming” Chromebook. It was a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook, followed by a model from Acer (Chromebook 516 GE) and another from ASUS (Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip). It didn’t seem like the best time since Google announced the official cancellation of its Stadia service shortly before, but there have been hardware improvements from its partners.

And along came Steam

Valve’s digital games store is the most popular and influential in the industry, and its official arrival on the Google platform has been a boon for gamers, since until then playing games from the Steam library on a Chromebook was only possible through a streaming service such as Nvidia GeForce Now. or via the Steam Link app for Android on compatible Chromebooks.

Steam ported its platform and Google helped with the new version of the ChromeOS 108 operating system, which has advanced performance with DirectX 12 and Vulkan 1.3 support, improved the user experience with a new game installer, and increased compatibility across titles, supported processors and laptops.

What Chromebooks are supported?

Not all Chromebooks are compatible with Steam on ChromeOS, and at least an Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 processor along with 8GB of RAM is recommended. The official list of supported devices is:

• Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1W)
• Acer Chromebook 515 (CB515-1W)
• Acer Chromebook 516 GE
• Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-3H, CP514-3HH, CP514-3WH)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-1WN)
• Acer Chromebook Vero 514
• ASUS Chromebook CX9 (CX9400)
• ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5500)
• ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601)
• ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip
• Framework for the Chromebook Edition laptop
• 14-inch Chromebook G3 HP Elite c640
• HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook
• HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook
• HP Chromebook Pro c640 G2
• IdeaPad 16 gaming Chromebook
• Lenovo 5i-14 Chromebook
• Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook 14
• Lenovo ThinkPad C14

The list will be expanded as more compatible devices arrive.

How to enable Steam in ChromeOS

Activating the service is very simple and is done in a few steps:

• Open the beta channel from Settings > About ChromeOS > More details and select Change channel.
• After the update, go to chrome://flags and enable Set #borealis-enabled.

• Reboot again, open the ChromeOS launcher, search for Steam and select the first result in the list.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to install Steam.

After the installation is complete, you can sign in with your Steam account and install and play supported games from a list that – without being a Windows list – has not stopped growing.

Finally, be clear that all Chromebooks, even the most advanced ones, use integrated graphics, which limits their level in games. We don’t believe it will be too long before one of Google’s partners mounts a dedicated chart, which will mark another level jump.