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.
Is SteamOS open source?
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.
Can you install SteamOS on any device?
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.
Can SteamOS only play Steam games?
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.
Features
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.
How to install SteamOS on a PC
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.
Before you begin - a few important warnings:
- The installer will wipe the target drive. Back up anything important before continuing.
- Secure Boot must be disabled in your BIOS.
- Install SteamOS to an NVMe drive.
- Official dual-boot support is not available. Advanced users may be able to multi-boot from separate drives, but the cleanest method is to install SteamOS on its own drive.
- You will need a USB flash drive, keyboard, mouse, and an internet connection.
- Use a USB drive with at least 16GB of capacity.
What you need
- A compatible AMD PC or handheld
- An NVMe SSD dedicated to SteamOS
- A 16GB or larger USB flash drive
- The latest SteamOS recovery image
- A flashing tool such as Balena Etcher or Rufus
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.
Create the SteamOS installer
- Download the SteamOS recovery image.
- Insert your USB flash drive.
- Open Balena Etcher or Rufus, select the extracted SteamOS .img file.
- Choose your USB drive as the target and flash the image and wait for the process to finish.
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.
Prepare your PC
- Shut down the PC.
- Enter the BIOS or UEFI setup. This is usually done by pressing Delete, F2, F10, F11, or F12 during startup, depending on the motherboard.
- Disable Secure Boot.
- Make sure the NVMe drive you want to use for SteamOS is installed. If possible, disconnect other internal drives to avoid wiping the wrong one.
- Save your BIOS changes.
- Boot from the SteamOS USB drive.
If the USB installer starts correctly, you should see Linux boot text before the system loads into a KDE desktop environment.
Install SteamOS
Once the SteamOS recovery environment loads:
- Select the option to wipe the drive and install SteamOS.
- Confirm that you want to erase the target drive.
- Wait for the installer to finish.
- When prompted, reboot the system.
- Remove the USB drive before the system restarts.
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.
After installation
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.
Troubleshooting tips
- If the installer does not boot, recheck that Secure Boot is disabled and try another USB port. Some systems are picky about front-panel USB ports, hubs, or USB-C adapters.
- If SteamOS installs but does not boot, check your BIOS boot order and make sure the NVMe drive is selected. On some systems, recent SteamOS builds include fixes for UEFI chainloader issues, so using a newer recovery image can help.
- If you want to keep Windows, the safest approach is to install Windows and SteamOS on separate drives, with only the target drive connected during each OS installation. Then use your motherboard's boot menu to choose which drive to start from. This is not the same as officially supported dual-boot, but it avoids some of the partitioning risks.
How to install SteamOS on Steam Deck
The following instructions are for how to recover, repair, or re-image your Steam Deck or other SteamOS device using the SteamOS image. This method will clear all data on the device and then install SteamOS.
- Download the recovery image on this page.
- Prepare a USB key (8GB minimum) with the recovery image:
- On Windows we recommend using the Rufus utility. Select the recovery file and write it to your USB drive (this will format the contents of your USB drive). When it's done, select 'Close' and eject the drive.
- On MacOS you can use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive.
- On Linux you can also use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive – or if you prefer you can do this directly from the command line:
bzcat steamdeck-recovery-4.img.bz2 | sudo dd if=/dev/stdin of=/dev/sdX oflag=sync status=progress bs=128M(set /dev/sdX to the USB device you inserted)
- Shut down your Steam Deck or other SteamOS device if it isn't already off. On a Steam Deck, hold 'Volume Up' and click the Power Button – when you hear the chime, let go of the Volume Up button, and you'll be booted into the Boot Menu. Use the dpad and A button to select the Boot Manager. On other SteamOS devices, follow the instructions for your specific device to get to the Boot menu.
- Use a USB-C adapter or hub to plug the boot disk in.
- In the Boot Manager, boot from the 'EFI USB Device' (your USB key).
- The screen will go dark while it's booting – give it a minute.
- Once booted you will be in a desktop environment, you can navigate using trackpad and trigger, touchscreen, or mouse.
Recovery options via Image
In the recovery environment, there are four different options to choose from.
- Re-image Device - This performs a full factory reset - all user info, installed games, applications, or operating systems will be wiped and replaced with stock SteamOS.
- Repair SteamOS - This will reinstall SteamOS on the Steam Deck or other device, while attempting to preserve your games and personal content.
- Recovery tools - This opens a prompt with the ability to make changes to the device's boot partition.
Legion Go / Legion Go S (Windows) - Secure Boot Settings
- Power down completely
- Hold volume + button, press power button – keep holding volume button
- In the 'Novo Button Menu' pick bios setup (may have to use touch screen)
- Tap More settings
- Tap Security
- Under Secure boot > pick disabled
- Tap Exit
- Tap Exit saving changes
- Follow instructions to install SteamOS on your device
ROG Ally - Secure Boot Settings
- While powered on, hit restart
- Once restarting, hold down volume + button to get to bios utility
- Hit 'Y' for advanced mode
- Hit dpad-right to the security tab
- Dpad down to secure boot, A to select
- Secure Boot Control to 'disabled'
- B to go back
- Right arrow to save and exit
- Follow instructions to install SteamOS on your device
What's New
SteamOS 3.8.10 has just been released for all users with the following changes:
These notes contain all changes since the previous SteamOS 3.7 stable release. See here for changes since the previous SteamOS 3.8.9 beta release.
General
- Updated Arch system base
- Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
- Added support for waking from sleep via connected Steam Controller
- Substantially improved speed of future OS updates on high-speed connections
- Improved support for screen casting in Game Mode (e.g. OBS/Discord)
- Fixed dropdown menus not appearing in some games
- Fixed excessive trackpad sensitivity on certain early Steam Deck LCD models
- Improved support for games that attempt to open PDF files in external viewers
- Fixed an issue where video output could become frozen while using Remote Play
- Fixed a possible session crash when using Game Recording with certain "Maximum video height" settings
- Fixed an issue affecting certain titles (such as "SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide") where the game window could have an incorrect position
- Fixed closing certain titles (such as "STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™" and Starfield) resulting in a session crash
- Improved support for certain USB racing wheels and USB devices that boot in a non-standard mode
- Frequently these are devices that appear as USB storage devices with a driver installer, and must be switched to their normal mode by the OS
- Steam Deck controller firmware updates now display update progress on the splash screen
- Fixes issue on specific Steam Deck revisions where firmware updates could render the left controller inoperative for that session
- Numerous stability and security updates
Display / Performance
- Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes
- Added preliminary support for HDMI VRR for devices with native HDMI output
- Fixed an issue where "Allow Tearing" wouldn't have the intended effect in certain configurations
- Improved VRR frame pacing
- Fixed FSR badge remaining off in the performance overlay, even if it was actually active
- Fixed a case where per-app performance settings would intermittently fail to apply when launching a game
- Added missing graphics features needed for titles such as "Crimson Desert"
- Fixed an issue on certain TCL TVs where the display may remain blank using the Steam Deck Dock when VRR is enabled (requires a Dock firmware update)
Bluetooth / WiFi
- Fixed a case where WiFi performance could become degraded until the device was put to sleep or manually reconnected
- Re-re-enable Bluetooth Wake for Steam Deck LCD
- Fix for more spurious wake issues that were present in earlier attempts
Audio
- Detect HDMI channel count and expose surround configuration if available
- Add a setting to allow using Bluetooth headset mics (Bluetooth playback quality will be worse while capture is active)
- Restore internal audio device on reboot if set to "Off" in desktop mode
- Increase suspend timeout for HDMI devices so initial audio isn't cut off after a few seconds of inactivity
- Fixed a bug with switching input devices when a wired headset is plugged in
- Fixed an issue where audio underruns could be experienced after sleep/resume
- Fixed a bug on Steam Deck OLED where rebooting would occasionally cause a loss of speaker output until rebooted again
- Fixed a case where FPS limits would fail to apply when downscaling games from a higher resolution
Accessibility
- Added an option to force mono audio output
Desktop Mode
- KDE Plasma updated to version 6.4.3 from 6.2.5, and now uses wayland by default
- Fixes several cases of reduced performance in Desktop Mode compared to Game Mode
- Improved support for rotated displays
- Better scale factor out of the box on TVs
- Adds support for external HDR displays
- Adds support for VRR displays
- Adds support per-display scale factor
- For more information, see Plasma release announcements
- https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.3.0/
- https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.4.0/
- Keyboard layout and language are now obeying Game Mode settings
- Improved windowing behavior for games running in Proton
- Fixed a bug in Desktop Mode causing previously open applications to not be remembered when using the 'Return to Gaming Mode' shortcut to logout
- Fixes for experimental nested desktop mode
- Fixed Desktop Mode night color settings inappropriately remaining active when switching back to Game Mode
System Firmware
- Includes Steam Deck LCD BIOS v133
Security updates
- Added "Memory Power Down" setup option
- Preliminary support for hibernation
- Includes Steam Deck OLED BIOS v114
Security updates
- Charging LED now changes color when charge limit is reached, rather than only at 100%
Non-Deck
- Improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms
- Greatly improved video memory management on discrete GPU platforms
- Fixed a compatibility issue with the SteamOS chainloader that could cause a boot failure on some desktop systems with recent UEFI firmware
- Power button short and long presses now supported across a wide variety of devices
- Improved controller support for OneXPlayer F1 series, GPD Win 5, GPD Win Mini, Anbernic Win600, OrangePi NEO, and Lenovo Legion Go
- Added controller support for OneXPlayer X1 series and Lenovo Legion Go 2
- Added system and controller firmware update support for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
- Added preliminary charge limiting support for Legion Go, Legion Go S, and Legion Go 2 - currently only accessible in Desktop Mode
- Added controller RGB LED color settings for the Lenovo Legion Go 2
- Added controller, TDP control, and speaker audio support for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally series
- Reduced handheld controller input latency from 5-8ms to 100-500us
- Night mode, color vibrance, and color temperature sliders in Steam now work on Z2E and later AMD APUs
- Seamless boot fixes for Z2E and later AMD APUs
- Automatically handle internally rotated display for some third-party handhelds
- Improved motion control support for handhelds with BMI260 IMUs
- SD card reliability improvements for some third-party handhelds, including ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Legion Go 1, Legion Go S, Legion Go 2, and MSI Claw
- Fixed washed out colors for Zotac and OneXPlayer handhelds with OLED
- Fixed some GPU hangs on Phoenix APU devices (Tales of Arise, Octopath Traveler II)
- Fixed ASUS ROG Ally power consumption from fingerprint reader while shut down
- Fixed trackpad losing functionality after sleep/resume on the Legion Go
- Fixed spurious wake-ups when using a Logitech Bolt receiver
- Add controller support for MSI Claw devices (A1M, 7 AI+ A2VM, 8 AI+ A2VM, A8 BZ2EM)
- Add controller support for OneXPlayer APEX and X1 series.
- Improved gyro response for devices that use AccelGyro3D (Legion Go 1, Claw A1M)
- Fixed a system crash on international Asus ROG Xbox Ally models
- Fix Bluetooth not working on some Intel handhelds
- Add initial firmware for upcoming Intel handhelds
Developer
- Desktop Mode now uses Wayland by default
- X11 support may still be selected via Steam developer settings, or via 'steamosctl'
- Updated Linux kernel to 6.16
- Steam now uses steamos-manager to query available desktop sessions and trigger desktop session switching
- Added support for setting the desktop password in developer settings
- Initial support for running as a Virtual Machine guest (virtio guest drivers)
- Added support for third-party devices to trigger the SteamOS boot menu via EFI variable
- Added 'custom-update' verb to 'atomupd-manager' for easier testing of specific builds
- System reports now include more audio debug information
- Initial support for LAVD CPU scheduler via 'steamosctl set-cpu-scheduler lavd'
