During last week’s 2022 Google for Games Developer Summit, Chrome OS was lauded for a substantial rise in the number of Android games being played on the platform. Another low-key announcement perhaps unintentionally claimed that Steam for Chrome OS had launched in alpha. While this news turned out to be premature, it is becoming true today. After more than two years since Google revealed its collaboration with Valve, the first publicly available version of Steam for Chrome OS is now launching to eager guinea pigs users so they can try out their favorite games.

There are currently 7 supported Chromebook models, all with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 11th gen Core i5 or i7 processors, and at least 8GB of RAM. However, these aren’t the final requirements, nor is it certain that these are the existing Chromebooks that will be supported. Rather, the dev team chose these specs as a baseline for testing since they should be able to handle the largest number of games during early testing. Here are the currently supported models:

• 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

Note that some of these models are available with an i3 CPU and 4GB of RAM. Those variants are not currently supported.

This first release of Steam on Chrome OS is described as “alpha-quality” and it’s only available on the generally not-super-stable Dev channel (version 14583.0.0), so it’s not fit for use on a computer that needs to be stable for school or work.

If you have one of the supported models and want to give this a shot, head over to g.co/SteamonChromeOS for the latest instructions to install Steam for Chrome OS. The steps are simple enough, but they’re clearly intended to keep casual users from stepping into something they’re not ready for. First, you’ll have to switch your Chromebook over to the Dev channel, then enable the chrome://flags#borealis-enabled flag and restart the computer. Next, open a crosh terminal with ctrl+alt+t, then type the command "insert_coin volteer-JOlkth573FBLGa" and hit enter to launch the Steam installer. Some games may also require Steam Play to resolve some compatibility issues. This can be enabled for individual games or a broad selection, and the Proton Experimental version is currently recommended.

John Maletis, Vice President of Chrome OS, emphasized the value of expanding Steam's catalog to Chromebooks, but also cautioned gamers to keep reasonable expectations given the unpolished state of current development:

Today, we’re thrilled to start expanding the types of experiences available to gamers on Chrome OS by partnering with Valve to roll out an alpha-quality version of Steam for compatible devices on the dev channel. Valve’s deep investment in the Linux ecosystem and Steam’s huge catalog of AAA and indie titles made them a natural partner for bringing local gaming to Chromebooks, and we’re looking forward to working with them to bring Steam to our users.

It’s early days, but we’re hoping the optimization that comes from gathering user feedback helps us build a more polished experience at launch further down the line.

Google lists 48 games that have been identified as generally working, albeit some of them have some footnotes about the ideal graphics settings and compatible versions. This is far from a complete list, but these games have at least been tested to some extent. Users are encouraged to try out any of the other games they have from Steam, and Google is seeking feedback about both working and non-working games. Here are the titles that have been listed as compatible so far: