End of Steam for Chromebooks: What's Next for ChromeOS Gaming?

Chromebooks users who enjoy gaming received disappointing news from Google and Valve. The companies are set to terminate support for Steam on ChromeOS on January 1, 2026. This initiative, still in beta, will see its end as the year begins, meaning games installed as part of the program will no longer be playable.

The Steam for Chromebooks program began gaining attraction around early 2022. Initially available as an alpha version for newer, high-specced devices with Intel processors, it soon evolved into a beta version that included support for AMD CPUs and required slightly reduced system specifications. This effort was part of a broader push for "gaming Chromebooks" during 2022 and 2023, which also included devices with better hardware and optimized cloud gaming services.

However, compatibility remained limited. The Proton compatibility layer attempted to make Windows games available, but the hardware constraints of many Chromebooks — relying on low-end chips with slow integrated graphics — hindered their ability to run more demanding games effectively. Google only officially recognized 99 games as compatible, mainly older or less-demanding ones.

Google had also been seen exploring Nvidia GeForce GPU support, with development boards once created and assigned codenames within the developer community. Still, these endeavors were ultimately abandoned quietly.

The decision to wind down the Steam project may come from its low usage rates or as part of Google's overarching plans to streamline ChromeOS projects, especially amidst moves to merge Android and ChromeOS. As Steam's presence on Chromebooks diminishes, cloud-based gaming looks poised to occupy the spotlight in the immediate future of ChromeOS gaming.