How to Install Steam on Ubuntu

This tutorial will show you how to install Steam on the Ubuntu operating system.

Steam is the most popular video game storefront and distribution service for PC operating systems such as Ubuntu.

The Steam client provides the user with numerous benefits. One of the biggest is the ability to update your games automatically.

Steam runs well on Linux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu, thanks to Valve’s dedication to improving gaming on Linux.

One of these improvements that Valve brings to the table is Proton. Proton is a compatibility layer that makes running Windows-based games on Linux a more straightforward and better experience.

In the following sections, we will show you how to install Steam on your Ubuntu system.

Installing Steam on Ubuntu

You can easily install Steam on your Ubuntu device in a couple of different ways. The easiest methods are to utilize the terminal, as you can install the client in a few short steps.

The following two sections will cover installing Steam from the Ubuntu multiverse repository or by downloading it through the official website.

You can open the terminal on Ubuntu by pressing CTRL + ALT + T on your keyboard.

Installing Steam from the Ubuntu Multiverse Repository

Installing Steam straight from the Ubuntu repository is possible, but first, you will need to enable the multiverse.

The multiverse repository includes packages that are not included for various reasons, including licensing restrictions.

1. Adding the multiverse repository to Ubuntu is as straightforward as running the following command within the terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse

2. Before installing Steam, we will need to update the package list cache by using the command below.

Without an update, the apt package manager will be unaware that it can install Steam on our Ubuntu device.

sudo apt update

3. Once the update completes, all you need to do now to install Steam is run the command below.

sudo apt install steam

Installing Steam from the official Package

Installing Steam directly from their official package repositories is possible by downloading a package to your Ubuntu device.

1. We can download the Steam installer to our Ubuntu device directly from Steams CDN.

To download this package, we will utilize the wget utility as shown below.

wget https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/client/installer/steam.deb

2. With the Steam package downloaded, we need to install it now. Luckily for us, we can utilize the apt package manager.

Instead of typing in a package name, we point the package manager at the “steam.deb” file we downloaded in the previous step.

Run the command below in the terminal to install Steam on your Ubuntu device.

sudo apt install ./steam.deb

Running Steam on Ubuntu

Now that you have Steam installed on your Ubuntu device, running the client is straightforward. You can launch the client either from the Ubuntu desktop or the terminal.

Opening Steam using the Terminal

Opening the Steam client is super easy and fast when using the terminal. To start, you can open the terminal by pressing CTRL + ALT + T on the keyboard.

With the terminal open, you can launch the Steam client using the following command.

steam

Opening Steam on Ubuntu from the Desktop

1. To open Steam on Ubuntu, you will want first to open the activities screen.

You can open this screen by clicking the top or bottom right of the screen.

2. With the activities screen open, use the search box (1.) at the top of the screen to search for “steam“.

After typing in “steam“, you will see the Steam client icon (2.). You must click the icon to open the Steam client.

3. After running Steam for the first time on Ubuntu, it will automatically add the Steam icon to your desktop.

First Time Running Steam

4. When you first run Steam on Ubuntu, it will want to install additional packages.

These packages are required for Steam to work on your system. To proceed with the installation, press the ENTER key.

5. For Steam to install these packages, you must authenticate your user as a super user.

Type in the password for your account, then press the ENTER key to continue.

6. Steam will now begin to update itself to the latest available version for Ubuntu.

This process shouldn’t take too long but depends entirely on your connection speed.

7. Once Steam finishes updating itself, you will need to log in to your Steam account.

If you have the Steam Mobile App, you can log in by scanning the QR code.

8. You now have Steam up and running on your Ubuntu device.

You can put it to use and install any games you want to play on your system.

Conclusion

Within this guide, we have shown you how to install Steam on your Ubuntu system.

Steam is the premier game marketplace and client that offers fantastic support for Linux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu.

Please comment below if you have had any issues with getting Steam installed on your system.

Be sure to check out our many other Ubuntu guides. Additionally, we also have several guides on Linux in general.