In 2022, Google launched a major push for gaming Chromebooks, including a version of Steam for ChromeOS. Steam for ChromeOS remained in Google’s nebulous “beta” state ever since, however, and today Google is doing a Google by killing Steam for ChromeOS altogether.
Entering “Steam” into the ChromeOS Launcher starts the install process like before, but there’s now an intermediary message: “The Steam for Chromebook Beta program will conclude on January 1st, 2026. After this date, games installed as part of the Beta will no longer be available to play on your device. We appreciate your participation in and contribution to learnings from the beta program, which will inform the future of Chromebook gaming.”
↫ Abner Li at 9To5Google
Chromebooks are cheap devices for students, and while there are expensive, powerful Chromebooks, I doubt they sell in any meaningful numbers to justify spending any time on maintaining Steam for ChromeOS. Of course, Steam for ChromeOS is just the Linux version of Steam, but Google did maintain a list of “compatible” games, so the company was at least doing something. The list consists of 99 games, by the way.
It’s just another example of Google seemingly having no idea what it wants to do with its operating systems, made worse in this case because Google actually had OEMs make and sell Chromebooks with gaming features. Sure, Android games still exist and can be run on ChromeOS, but I doubt that’s what the six people who bought a gaming Chromebook for actual gaming had in mind when they bought one.
Sad. I`ve bought used ChromeOS notebook many years ago, I think that it was something like 10 years. But after 2 nights with searching for ways to run apps I`ve just returned it and bought classic Thinkpad and just installed Debian with it. Chromebooks were like searching solutions for problems that Google made itself.
While it seems that ChromeOS could with time get many marketshare (it`s still more and more) they just don`t have patient to do that. Or maybe they`ll just invest time in Steam for Android, if they really are going to merge ChromeOS with Android? Why spending money on ChromeOS, if they are going to drop it anyway?
Marshal Jim Raynor,
I did not have a negative opinion of chromebooks until I got my hands on one. It’s just too restrictive. Simply enabling developer mode sets off blaring alarms on boot and then hitting space and enter on boot wipes all data without a password. Frankly this total lack of security for power users on chromebooks is idiotic. I found it unfit for purpose as a laptop so I gave it to my dad but he was quickly disappointed that it couldn’t run any of his normal desktop software.
After Darin Fisher killed any chance of ChromeOS having “real” apps besides Android apps ChromeOS was doomed. It’s a wonder it took so long to actually abandon it.
As for “blaring alarms” and “lack of security for power users”… that’s the mode directed at developers, not power users. It works fine for that, but yes, ChromeOS devices are designed to run ChromeOS like MacOS devices are designed to run MacOS and Android devices are designed to run Android… what’s wrong with that?
zde,
Maybe it would have been beneficial to appeal to more devs.
But it does NOT work fine for that. I’m going to disagree with you about the needs of power users and developers being all that different. Nevertheless, developers are people too. When it comes to security, it doesn’t even meet the bare minimum expectation. A child or evil maid being able to wipe my chromebook without so much as entering a password is objectively stupid. Maybe you’d like to accuse me of anti-google bias, but honestly microsoft, apple, redhat, etc would not be let off the hook if developer security on their respective platforms were equally incompetent.
Everyone’s free to use what works best for them, more power to those who’s needs are served. But I’ve also seen enough family members struggle with chromebooks to see a pattern. It wasn’t just my dad recently, My uncle in law replaced an old computer with a chromebook he was sold at the store without doing much research first. Not only did he loose his software, he couldn’t even print directly from the chromebook to the new printer he bought even though his android phone could. I confess that made me ignorant too because I honestly expected that “android” capable printers would also work with chromebooks, which turns out to be wrong. Maybe consumers deserve to be faulted over ignorance of chromebook product limitations, myself included. But at the end of the day it doesn’t give me any more respect for chromebooks and I suspect it’s more than just power users who end up regretting it.
Marshal Jim Raynor,
I have had many positive experiences with Chrome OS, especially with higher end devices.
But I see where you are coming from. Google’s mistake (which was a positive thing back then) was… flooding the market with lots of cheap, disposable hardware.
That $200 device gets a desk at school, and grants Google a stronghold for the future generation.
But it also hinders Chrome OS entirely. It is not possible to launch major features which will not run on 90% of your target devices. (Or at least launch it successfully).
I have used Linux on Chrome (Crostini not Crouton). It was great. When you have a — then — top of the line i7 machine with 16GB of RAM and 4K display, it is an awesome experience.
But try running that on a 4GB ARM version… and.. I would expect the results to be negative (or would it work at all?)
Ah, the joys of DRM, where your purchased content becomes “no longer available” when the DRM is sunset.
And yet, too many gamers call Gaben’s DRM “home”, which is something I find disturbing.