Can You Get Steam on a Chromebook? How To Do That?

This article explores the possibilities and limitations of running Steam on a Chromebook, providing insights into potential solutions.

By Irene / Published on December 17, 2024

By Irene / Updated on May 17, 2024

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Can you get Steam on a Chromebook?

Chromebooks are known for being flexible, but when it comes to gaming, they aren't known for being the best. Chromebooks can now play games, though, thanks to big improvements in how well they work with Linux games. Users can now play many desktop games right on their Chromebooks since ChromeOS now works with Steam. This change was made possible by a partnership between Valve and Google. They worked together to make it possible for Chromebooks to run Steam's Proton layer through the Linux environment. Proton Layer is a technology that makes it possible for Windows games to run smoothly on Linux computers. If you want to play AAA games on your Chromebook, just follow these easy steps to install and play Steam games.

How to get Steam on a Chromebook?

Since you have a Chromebook that works with Steam, all you have to do is switch to the Beta channel, install an update, and then start setting up Steam. This is how you do it. To install Windows on Steam, you can try to burn ISO to USB drive and make the USB bootable. But for this feature to work, you also need a USB drive that is bigger than 32GB and approved by Microsoft. If you don't have one of these, you won't be able to make a bootable USB from ISO. To make a bootable USB that is more flexible, you might want to use a more powerful tool. We suggest that you use AOMEI Partition Assistant here.

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

This is better than Microsoft's "Windows To Go" because it lets you make a bootable USB drive for all versions of Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 (32 bit and 64 bit). Besides, it not need a required USB drive bigger than 32GB. It even allows you to make a bootable USB drive from an ISO or system disc and a bootable Windows USB drive with the current system.

In this section, we will take how to make a bootable USB from ISO with AOMEI Partition Assistant as an example.

Preparation work:

① Prepare an empty USB drive. To speed up the process, a USB 3.0 drive and computer with a USB3.0 port are recommended.

② Download the Windows ISO files from the Microsoft official site.

③ Download the AOMEI Partition Assistant first.

Step 1. Plug the prepared USB drive in your Windows 10 computer and verify it is detected successfully. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Click “Tools” in the top toolbar, and choose “Windows To Go Creator”.

Step 2. Here we choose the first option "Create Windows ToGo for personal computer".

Step 3. Choose "Create Windows ToGo with system disc/ISO" and select the prepared ISO files, then hit on "Next".

Step 4. In the subsequent window, choose the USB you plan to use. Then click the "Proceed" option to start making a bootable USB from ISO.

If you have don’t have prepared Windows ISO files, you can choose the second method in "Step 3" to create Windows bootable USB with current system.

If your OS won't start up normally, you can use "Make Bootable Media" function to make a bootable USB drive on a computer that is already up and running.

Then you boot your computer with a boot failure from the bootable drive, To repair the startup problems, you can try to rebuild MBR on the system drive, or check bad sectors on the main hard drive.

This multifunctional also supports these functions:

  1. Partition Management: AOMEI Partition Assistant enables you to resize, move, merge, and delete partitions with ease. You can also convert partition types, align partitions like 4K Alignment for SSD to enhance system performance, and create new partitions without losing data.

  1. Disk Partitioning: The software allows you to create, delete, and format partitions, as well as convert between MBR and GPT partition styles, which is particularly useful for newer UEFI-based systems.

  2. Disk Cloning: If you are planning to upgrade to a better disk, you can also use it to clone your entire disk or a designated partition. With it, you can quickly transfer the data to the new disk without reinstalling Windows or applications.

  3. Disk Cleanup and Drive Space Expansion: The software can even help you clean up accumulated and hidden junk files, including temporary files, cache, and system restoration points, freeing up storage space on your computer.

Conclusion

To sum up, Chromebooks have come a long way. Thanks to Linux compatibility and the Proton layer, users can now enjoy gaming on Steam. To get Steam to work on a Chromebook, you have to update the system and switch to the Beta channel. Tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant can also make the process better by giving you a lot of options for making bootable USB drives. This makes it easier to install Windows and other operating systems. These changes have made it easier and more flexible to play games on a Chromebook than ever before.

FAQs

  1. Can you get Steam on a Chromebook? Yes, you can get Steam on a Chromebook by switching to the Beta channel and installing Steam through the Linux environment.

  2. What is Proton Layer? Proton Layer is a technology that allows Windows games to run smoothly on Linux computers, enabling Steam to function on Chromebooks.

  3. Do I need a special USB drive to create a bootable Windows USB? While a USB drive larger than 32GB is often recommended, tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant can create bootable USB drives without this restriction.

  4. What is AOMEI Partition Assistant? AOMEI Partition Assistant is a versatile disk management tool that helps create bootable USB drives, manage partitions, clone disks, and more.

  5. Can I run AAA games on a Chromebook? Yes, with the proper setup and tools, you can run AAA games on a Chromebook using Steam and the Proton compatibility layer.

Irene · Staff Editor
Irene is an Editor of AOMEI Technology. She devotes herself in giving insightful thoughts on common computer problems with simple and clear guidance. Irene loves to help people solve problems and explore more solutions on relevant issues. She loves reading, singing and travelling.