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Here's how to install Steam on your Chromebook, with a first look at gaming performance
Our early impressions
After years of rumors and early previews, Steam on Chromebooks is finally here. Over the last day, we've had the chance to play with some of the games that Steam has brought to the platform, and I spent all night digging deep into the system. Overall, the experience has been surprisingly good, as long as you enter into the idea with certain expectations. And, if you want to give it a try yourself, it's not that hard to install — though don't do it on your "daily driver."
Chromebooks with Intel dGPUs might be on the horizon
Chromebooks for hardcore gamers may soon be a reality
Every day we inch closer to an official release of Steam on Chromebooks. But as intriguing as that sounds, Chromebooks have a reputation for being mainly productivity laptops — are they even built to handle the demands of hardcore gamers? Well, with modern AMD and Intel integrated graphics, lower-end gaming is already a reality. For newer and more intensive games like Forza Horizon 5, though, there’s still a lot left to be desired. Luckily Intel has a solution up its sleeves that sounds like it might be just the trick — Intel Arc Alchemist dGPUs could be coming to Chromebooks near you.
Chromebook code names: The funniest and most creative names you'll definitely recognize
Your Chromebook may have a very interesting name and story tied to it
Whether we're talking about Android desserts or Pixel fish, product code names are often the first way we're introduced to some of our favorite things. That's just as true with Chromebooks, and every new model's assigned some internal labels by the company building it, covering everything from baseboards and overlays, to full device models. Giving each one of these layers a unique code name helps developers keep track of things and — as we're seeing from the wild assortment being used here — have a little fun while doing so.
Official Steam for Chromebooks support could launch this month
Finally, it might nearly be time for Steam gaming on your Chromebook
Steam support for Chrome OS devices has been in development for a few years now. Code-named “Borealis," the system is intended to bring a fast, easy, and integrated gaming experience to Chromebooks. We've already looked into work on enabling the Vulkan graphics library in Crostini, unlocking gaming capabilities that will be required for Borealis. Now we've uncovered another important piece of the puzzle, as the first system flags arrive for the Borealis beta.