Google ends Steam support on Chromebooks
Google and Valve’s joint attempt to bring native PC gaming to Chromebooks is set to close in early 2026. The companies have confirmed that the Steam for Chromebook Beta will end on 1 January 2026, marking the conclusion of a nearly four-year trial to make ChromeOS laptops viable gaming machines.
A notice now shown to users opening Steam on ChromeOS reads:
“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.”
The message confirms that all games installed via the beta will be removed after the shutdown date, with “no way around it.” Reports from 9to5Google indicate that the notice acts as a deprecation warning, giving users roughly four months before the platform becomes unusable on ChromeOS devices.
Steam for Chromebooks first appeared in early 2022 as an alpha release, restricted to newer Intel-powered Chromebooks with higher specifications. By late that year, it entered beta with expanded hardware support, including AMD CPUs and GPUs, reduced system requirements, and wider device compatibility.
This initiative formed part of Google’s 2022–2023 ‘Gaming Chromebook’ push, which also introduced laptops with high-refresh-rate displays, improved cooling, and partnerships with GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Behind the scenes, Steam integration for ChromeOS had been in development since at least 2020.
Why the project faltered
Despite early interest, Steam on Chromebooks faced persistent challenges:
Hardware limitations: Most Chromebooks use low-power processors with integrated graphics far less capable than even Valve’s handheld Steam Deck. Many 3D games ran poorly or failed to launch, even with Proton, Valve’s Linux compatibility layer for Windows games.
Limited library: The official “verified playable” list during beta included just 99 titles, mainly older or less demanding 2D games.
Abandoned GPU plans: Prototypes with Nvidia GeForce GPUs appeared in ChromeOS development builds but were later scrapped without explanation.
Possible Reasons for the Shutdown
Several factors may have influenced Google’s decision:
- Low adoption rates among Chromebook users.
- Hardware bottlenecks preventing modern PC games from running effectively.
Strategic priorities, including hints of a deeper integration between ChromeOS and Android. - Focus on cloud gaming, where services like GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Amazon Luna bypass local hardware limits.
What’s next for Chromebook gaming
While native Steam support will disappear, ChromeOS users can still install the Linux version of Steam within the system’s built-in Linux environment. However, this runs in a virtualised container without GPU acceleration, relying on CPU-based software rendering (llvmpipe), which severely limits performance for graphics-intensive titles.
Cloud gaming, meanwhile, remains a viable and growing alternative. For many users, streaming services offer better performance than local play on Chromebook hardware, access to AAA games without downloads, and cross-platform progress syncing.
Google says feedback from the Steam beta “will inform the future of Chromebook gaming.” Potential directions include renewed native gaming if more powerful GPUs or advanced ARM-based chips become standard, a hybrid local/cloud approach, or a complete focus on streaming platforms.
For now, the conclusion is clear: after January 2026, Chromebook owners looking for a Steam experience will have to turn to Linux setups or cloud services to keep gaming.
