Chromebooks and gaming: Steam is ending, what’s next?

Since March 2022, it had been possible to install Steam on ChromeOS. In August 2025, Google and Valve announced the upcoming end of Steam support on Chromebooks.

An on‑screen warning now appears when installing Steam on ChromeOS, stating that on January 1, 2026 the beta program will end and that “games installed as part of the beta will no longer be playable.” In plain terms: as of January 1, 2026, you will no longer be able to install or launch Steam on a Chromebook, nor play Steam games on ChromeOS.

This curtain call closes a project launched three years earlier with Valve (code name Borealis). It aimed to let Chromebook users install the Steam client and run PC games natively on ChromeOS; even though ChromeOS was originally designed for productivity and the web, not gaming.

Several reasons explain the reversal. First and foremost, typical Chromebook hardware turned out to be a major barrier to gaming with Steam. Steam on ChromeOS required at minimum an Intel Core i3 (or AMD Ryzen 3), 8 GB of RAM (16 GB strongly recommended), and a dedicated GPU to run games.
However, most Chromebooks are built for productivity and the web: mid‑range CPUs, limited RAM, and, most importantly, usually no dedicated GPU. In practice, only a handful of high‑end, “gaming”‑branded Chromebooks could run a few Steam titles acceptably.

Another issue: the number of Steam games compatible with ChromeOS remained very limited. Officially, Google listed about a hundred light‑weight titles that could run on better‑equipped Chromebooks (for example Stardew Valley, Cuphead, or Hades). Given that Steam hosts well over 100,000 titles, ChromeOS‑compatible games represented roughly 0.1% of the catalog.

The arrival of Proton (Valve’s compatibility layer that lets Windows games run on Linux and Steam Deck) was expected to help, increasing the number of playable games on Chromebooks… But Chromebook hardware was so modest that most Steam titles remained unplayable on the vast majority of models.

Finally, the landscape has changed. Other solutions; first and foremost cloud gaming; have taken off and reshaped how people play. Cloud gaming removes the need for compatibility layers required to run Windows games on other systems (macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.) and, crucially, works around Chromebooks’ low performance. As a result, native development became far less relevant for this niche platform. Google and Valve are now turning the page on Steam for ChromeOS.

That said, Steam’s end on ChromeOS does not mean the end of gaming on Chromebooks. Practically speaking, ChromeOS will continue to lean on two paths envisioned from the start: Android games and game streaming. In 2025, plenty of alternatives remain available for gaming on a Chromebook.

Here’s a tour of the current options to keep playing on a Chromebook despite Steam’s sunset.

Android games via the Google Play Store

As you’d expect from Google, ChromeOS and Android have been converging for years, allowing most recent Chromebooks to install the Google Play Store and access many of the thousands of mobile games it offers.

A key advantage is sheer breadth. From casual puzzle games to MMOs, plus shooters, racers, and sports sims, hundreds of thousands of Android games cover every genre. Designed for smartphone chips, they run well on modest Chromebook hardware. At first glance, this can be an ideal way to play casually on ChromeOS.

However, these games are built for touch screens; something many Chromebooks lack. Even when touch is available, controls are designed for a device held with two hands at arm’s length, which doesn’t map well to a laptop. Some titles support a controller and a few work with keyboard/trackpad, but controls remain a major hurdle.

Installing Linux games on a Chromebook (Crostini)

Less known to the general public and more technical to use, Crostini is another option. Crostini is ChromeOS’s Linux (Debian) environment. It enables the “Linux (Beta)” feature on supported Chromebooks, giving you access to a full Linux terminal.

Power users can install and run Linux applications, including compatible games. You can install the Linux Steam client on supported Chromebooks and then install and launch Linux‑compatible games. Crostini isn’t just for games; it unlocks many Linux apps.

This approach opens the door to many Linux titles (and, via Proton, some Windows games). However, it does not solve the key Chromebook limitation: low compute power. Being able to install a game does not guarantee the hardware can run it smoothly.

It’s also best suited to advanced users, as it requires some familiarity with GNU/Linux environments and the command line; Crostini mainly provides a terminal, not a full graphical desktop.

Cloud gaming on Chromebooks: GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Luna, and more

Cloud gaming is booming and is arguably the best‑known way to play on a Chromebook, even with Steam support ending on ChromeOS. Many services exist, each with its strengths and limits.

In cloud gaming, your games run on powerful remote servers and a video stream is sent to your device. Instead of rendering a resource‑hungry game locally, the Chromebook simply plays a video stream. For modest hardware, it’s an ideal solution.

As of 2025, several Chromebook‑friendly cloud gaming services stand out; such as GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Luna. They share a similar concept: via a subscription, you get access to a catalog of compatible titles (often for games you’ve already purchased elsewhere). The game runs on the cloud provider’s servers; all you do is stream the video.

Traditional catalog‑based cloud gaming is therefore an attractive alternative to Steam for Chromebook owners, sidestepping compatibility, performance, and limited on‑device storage.

However, there are trade‑offs. The biggest is the catalog constraint: if a game you want isn’t available, you can’t play it. Most AAA titles are on one service or another, but exclusivity deals may force you to juggle multiple subscriptions. Also, new games are added over time while others can rotate out as licensing changes.
Beyond the catalog, most services don’t allow mod installs, which is a hard stop for some players. If those limits don’t matter to you, catalog‑based cloud gaming remains an excellent option to play on a Chromebook in 2025 and 2026, even without Steam.

The trend is strong enough that another kind of service has gained traction; one that keeps cloud gaming’s benefits while removing its constraints. Shadow, in particular, now stands out as one of the best solutions for gaming on Chromebooks.

Shadow: turning a Chromebook into a gaming PC

Alongside catalog‑based cloud gaming, Shadow offers a different and more complete approach designed to overcome those services’ limitations.

Shadow isn’t just cloud gaming; it’s a full PC in the cloud. Rather than streaming a pre‑selected catalog game, you access a full Windows gaming PC in the cloud via the Shadow app or directly in your browser.

Your Chromebook becomes a thin client controlling a real remote Windows desktop. You see the Windows desktop on your screen and can use it as if the PC were on your desk; with all computation done remotely and streamed to you over the internet.

Because Shadow is a full Windows PC, you can install and run any Windows game or app, just like on a local machine. On a Chromebook, launch Chrome and sign in to your Shadow PC to access Windows in seconds, right inside the browser. The Chromebook simply streams the Shadow PC and does no heavy lifting; its limited power is no longer a problem.

For gaming, the benefits are huge: there’s no catalog restriction. You can install any platform (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Battle.net, and more) and any game, without worrying about Android availability or whether a title appears in a cloud‑gaming catalog.

And it goes well beyond Steam. You can install any Windows software: use Microsoft Word or Excel on a Chromebook, run Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro, or 3D tools like Blender; smoothly and seamlessly.

You keep everything people love about Chromebooks; compactness, light weight, battery life, affordable price; while covering their main weaknesses (limited performance and software compatibility) with Shadow PC.

In short, Shadow lets you turn any Chromebook into a gaming and media PC, and also brings the full Windows software ecosystem to ChromeOS. For those invested in ChromeOS who don’t want to give up PC games and apps, it’s a compelling choice whose benefits go far beyond installing Steam on ChromeOS.

Steam ending on ChromeOS doesn’t spell the end of gaming on Chromebooks. While losing native Steam may feel like a break, Steam’s presence never guaranteed a good experience: Chromebooks’ limited performance and the tiny list of compatible games kept expectations in check.

Chromebook gaming will evolve along two paths. First, ongoing ChromeOS‑Android convergence will support native Android gaming with a vast; mostly casual; catalog suited to Chromebooks’ modest hardware. Controls will remain an open question, but that convergence could encourage developers to add better keyboard and trackpad support over time.

In parallel, the rapid growth of cloud gaming and full cloud PCs (like Shadow) lets Chromebooks shine where they already excel (price, battery life, lightness, simplicity) while becoming far more versatile. Because the cloud is already central to the Chromebook experience, the rise of cloud‑based gaming on ChromeOS is a natural way to meet gamers’ needs.

Bottom line: Steam’s sunset on Chromebooks doesn’t mean players should give up. In fact, the ecosystem has never looked better in 2025. Between Android games, cloud‑gaming services, and full Windows apps via a cloud PC, playing on a Chromebook will remain very much possible in 2026 and beyond; thanks to the cloud, a foundational piece of the ChromeOS experience.