Steam is coming to some Chromebooks

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Hey, game fans. Google just announced that Steam is now on Chromebooks. The feature is still in alpha, with Google keeping availability details under wraps for now.

Google announced the feature briefly during its keynote of the 2022 Google for Games Developer Summit. A promised post on the Chromebook community forums followed shortly with some additional details.

Before you get too excited, there are limits to who is getting the ability to play Steam games. Google says it will come to “a small set of Chromebooks,” which also have to be running the Dev channel for Chrome OS.

“Steam Alpha just launched, making this longtime PC game store available on select Chromebooks for users to try” – Google at its 2022 Google for Games Developer Summit keynote

9to5Google figured out which Chromebooks will get Steam games last month. Their list is short, with six already released Chromebooks from Acer, ASUS, and HP. And one unannounced device from Lenovo.

READ MORE: Steam is now on Chrome OS – can your Chromebook run it?

The reason the list is on the short end is that Steam needs more powerful hardware than the majority of Chromebooks run on.

When available, you’ll need an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, and at least 7GB of RAM to play Steam games. That puts most Chromebooks out of the running.

Chrome OS is also getting a new gaming feature for “select” Android titles. This will be an overlay that makes them playable with a mouse and keyboard, instead of needing a touchscreen. This will come later this year, as a public beta.

READ MORE: You’ll soon be able to use your Chromebook as a 5G hotspot

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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• Chromebooks have an expiration date – here’s how to check
• Steam Deck just launched but Valve is already thinking about a Steam Deck 2
• Chrome OS Flex can turn any computer into a Chromebook

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.