SteamOS is Valve's Linux-based operating system. It features a seamless user experience that's optimized for gaming, while retaining access to the power and flexibility of a PC.
SteamOS plays tens of thousands of games on Steam, and we are constantly testing the Steam catalog for SteamOS compatibility. It's an open Linux platform that leaves you in full control, and you can install new software or content as you wish.
SteamOS is an Arch Linux-based Linux distribution, and all of the base operating system components are open source. SteamOS ships with the Steam client, which is proprietary software, in addition to some proprietary third party drivers.
SteamOS can be installed on some unsupported PCs and handhelds, but Valve currently expects most users to get it preinstalled on a Steam Deck or another device that is officially supported. Right now, that list is limited to the Steam Deck and Legion Go S, though Valve is working to broaden support. If you want to experiment installing SteamOS on your PC (AMD-based only recommended), we have a guide for that here.
No, gamers can install other game launchers and software as they wish using the Linux-based OS. Go to desktop mode and go for it.
SteamOS provides access to the full Steam ecosystem: your Steam Library, Steam Cloud, Steam Chat, Steam Game Recording, and more. The user interface is optimized for controller use, and offers features like quick suspend / resume to get you quickly in and out of games. Best of all, you don't have to worry about driver updates and hardware tweaks – all of this is handled seamlessly through built in system updates.
SteamOS is Linux-based, and the vast majority of the Steam library runs on SteamOS, thanks to the Proton compatibility layer Valve ships (over 18,000 titles last we checked). This allows developers to ship games for Windows without worrying about porting to Linux, and games will seamlessly work on SteamOS. When a game doesn't run well on SteamOS, we call it out with our Verified program so customers know what will and won't work well.
SteamOS is no longer just for the Steam Deck, but installing it on a regular PC is still an experimental process. Valve's official support remains focused on its own hardware and approved SteamOS devices, so expect some trial and error depending on your motherboard, GPU, storage, and peripherals.
This guide is intended for AMD-based systems or compatible handheld PCs. Nvidia GPUs are not recommended for this setup. If you are using Nvidia hardware, Bazzite or Nobara will usually be a better option. Credit: This guide is based on a Reddit post by u/ProfessionHonest3193 on r/SteamOS, with additional notes and context for PC users.
For most users, start with the SteamOS image provided on TechSpot's SteamOS download page. Users with newer AMD GPUs, especially RDNA 4 hardware, should make sure they are using a recent SteamOS 3.8 or newer recovery image, also available in the mirror list here, as older images may lack the Mesa driver updates needed for newer graphics cards.
The image may look small when downloaded, but it expands when written to the USB drive, which is why a 16GB flash drive is recommended.
If the USB installer starts correctly, you should see Linux boot text before the system loads into a KDE desktop environment.
After rebooting, SteamOS should launch into its first-time setup flow. Connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, sign into Steam, and let the system apply any available updates.
Once SteamOS is installed, check for updates immediately.
Open Steam > Settings > System > Install any available SteamOS updates.
If you installed an older recovery image, updating is especially important because newer SteamOS builds include better support for recent AMD and Intel platforms, discrete GPUs, handheld controls, display rotation, VRR, HDR, and external displays.
