Introduction

Ubuntu is a popular open-source operating system used by millions of computer users around the world. It’s a great choice for those who prefer free and open-source software. Steam, on the other hand, is a digital gaming platform that offers a vast collection of games for Windows, Mac, and Linux. In this article, we’ll teach you how to install Steam on your Ubuntu laptop in just five minutes!

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Steam, you must update your system to the latest version. To do this, open your terminal and type in the following command:

sudo apt-get update

Once the update is complete, you can proceed to install Steam.

Step 2: Download The Steam Installer

Next, you’ll need to download the Steam installer from the official Steam website. Open your web browser and go to the Steam website. On the homepage, you should see a “Install Steam” button. Click on it, and the download will start automatically.

Step 3: Install Steam

After the download is complete, navigate to the directory where you saved the Steam installer file. Right-click on the file and select “Open with Software Install.” The Ubuntu Software Center will launch with the Steam installer loaded.

Click on the “Install” button, and Ubuntu will prompt you for your system password. Once you’ve entered the password, the installation process will begin.

Step 4: Launch Steam

Once the installation is complete, you can launch Steam by clicking on the “Activities” button in the top left corner of your screen. You should see the Steam icon in the search bar. Click on the icon to launch Steam.

Step 5: Sign In To Steam

Once Steam is launched, you’ll need to sign in to your account or create a new one. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free from the Steam website.

Once you’ve signed in, you’ll have access to thousands of games on the Steam platform.

Conclusion

Installing Steam on your Ubuntu laptop is a straightforward process that only takes five minutes. With Steam installed, you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite games on your Ubuntu system. The best part is that Steam offers many games that are compatible with Ubuntu, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility issues. So go ahead and unleash the full potential of your Ubuntu laptop!

Steam is easily the most popular online gaming platform for the PC. Linux is very popular as well. There are over 2000 games available for Linux alone on Steam. Even though Steam is available through the official Ubuntu repositories, many new Linux users get tripped up by the installation process. It’s not like it is on Windows, at least not exactly.

Before you even attempt to install Steam, you need to make sure that you have the latest drivers for your graphics card installed and configured properly. Part of that involves enabling 32-bit support on your system.

Drivers aren’t available through the same channels as they are on Windows, either. On a more positive note, once they’re installed, they’ll stay updated through the regular system updates. That means you only ever have to set this all up once, and both Steam and your drivers will keep on rolling with the rest of Ubuntu.

Drivers

Before you can install and use Steam on Ubuntu, you need to make sure that you have the latest drivers configured properly on your system.

The methods for installing the AMD and NVIDIA drivers are different, but there are a couple of things you should do first universally.

You need to make sure that 32-bit support is enabled. Steam only works on 32-bit, and you’ll need to enable 32-bit support to get driver support automatically when you install the drives.

Update Apt to apply the change.

From here on, it’s all specific to your graphics card.

NVIDIA

You aren’t going to be able to game on the open-source NVIDIA drivers. NVIDIA continues to impede progress on them, so they are severely underdeveloped. As a result, you’re going to need the proprietary NVIDIA drivers. Thankfully, they’re actually quite good, and they tend to work flawlessly once you get them installed.

Ubuntu’s NVIDIA drivers are kept in a well-maintained and current PPA. Enable it on your system and update Apt.

Then, install the latest drivers.

After the drivers are intalled, run the Nvidia configuration utility.

Restart your system for the changes to take effect.

AMD

AMD’s open-source drivers are maturing rapidly, but if you’re on an older version of Ubuntu, you won’t see the benefits of that growth.

There are two major components to making the AMD drivers work, Mesa and the Linux kernel itself. Short of building your own kernels, you’re going to have a hard time keeping the kernel on the most bleeding edge version. Mesa is another story. There’s an excellent PPA for that.

Add the Mesa PPA to your system.

Upgrade your packages to the new versions. Then, make sure that you have xserver-xorg-video-amdgpu installed.

You may need to restart for the changes to take effect.

Steam

Steam is already available in the Ubuntu repositories. You can install it easily with Apt.

Launch Steam and sign in. You’ll have to go through the usual procedure of adding the new install to your account. After you do, you’ll be able to open and access your Steam library.

That’s all you need! Steam is now running on your system, and you have the latest drivers backing it up. Notice that your library only shows your Linux games by default. You can see the Windows ones too, but you’re not going to be able to launch them from there.

Since Steam is unified, you can buy a game once for one platform and keep that game across them all. Make sure to run regular updates on your system to keep everything running smoothly!

Nick is a freelance tech. journalist, Linux enthusiast, and a long time PC gamer.

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