Over the past two years, a Google employee stated that Chrome OS will be able to run Steam games. According to some sources, the first Chromebooks to enable Steam gaming have been discovered.
All indicators led to Chromebooks with Intel’s 10th Gen Core processors when we first studied Google’s efforts to play Steam games on Chrome OS, codenamed Borealis. Of course, it’s been almost a year and a half since then, and there’s still no word on when Chromebooks will be able to run Steam.
However, preparations may be nearing completion. Steam for Chrome OS is expected to release around the end of the year, according to a developer statement from January. If Google’s partners like Lenovo and HP are working on Chromebooks with RGB keyboards aimed towards gamers, then this may be a direct result.
Google has released an early list of Chromebook models that are supported, as well as a few more minimum specifications that they’ll need to meet. Chromebooks from Acer and ASUS dominate the list for the time being.
In the code, we see that not all of these Chromebooks are compatible since there are a few more needs. Your Chromebook must have at least 7 GB of RAM and an (11th generation) Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 CPU. All except the most expensive and high-end Chromebooks are no longer an option.
However, there is still time for this list to grow over the following weeks and months. There is presently no information on compatibility for any of the aforementioned Chromebooks that include RGB keyboards, for example, We’ve also heard evidence that Google has been testing Steam on older 10th Generation Intel Core CPUs as well as AMD chips as late as October.
In addition, Nvidia looks to be actively involved in the development of Chrome OS support for Steam, with various code modifications being generated and submitted by Nvidia staff. Nvidia’s relationship with MediaTek has already put it up for a larger presence in Chrome OS.
The discrete graphics card (or “GPU”), which is only utilized for intense use, is now being aggressively developed by Nvidia for Chromebooks, so that it may be exclusively used by the virtual machine that will be used by Steam. A GPU is currently not available in any Chromebooks listed on the current list, but definitely more models will be added in the future.
When it’s all said and done, it’s apparent that Google has ambitious plans for gaming on Chrome OS, including a new line of gaming Chromebooks that will better support Steam in the future. In terms of Google’s gaming strategy, it will be intriguing to watch how it incorporates Steam on Chrome OS into the likes of Stadia and Google Play Games on PC.
