How To Install SteamOS On a Gaming PC

If you're envying the Steam Deck acquisition oregon looking for an alternate to Windows 11, you're successful luck. You tin instal the Steam Deck’s operating system, SteamOS, connected your gaming PC for escaped utilizing Valve's authoritative SteamOS betterment image.

While Valve doesn't warrant enactment for each PC yet, SteamOS tin tally connected astir AMD-powered systems. It lone took an hr to get it up and moving connected my PC and you tin bash the same.

Before You Get Started

There are a mates things you'll request to instal SteamOS connected your PC, and a fewer things you should cognize earlier trying this.

For starters, SteamOS hasn't had a afloat PC merchandise yet, truthful it's lone officially supported connected a fistful of devices. You tin inactive effort to instal it connected PCs that don't person authoritative support, but arsenic a wide rule, SteamOS works champion with all-AMD systems. If you person an Nvidia GPU oregon an Intel processor, you're much apt to tally into issues. For this guide, I installed SteamOS connected a PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G CPU and Radeon integrated graphics.

It's besides important to enactment that SteamOS is simply a organisation of Linux, which means apps that are lone disposable connected Windows won't tally connected it. Most games that necessitate kernel-level anti-cheat aren't compatible, either.

To get SteamOS installed connected your PC, you'll request an bare USB thrust with astatine slightest 8GB of space. I besides urge having a 2nd retention instrumentality connected hand, whether it's an outer hard thrust oregon a USB thumb drive, to backmost up your PC beforehand.

How to Install SteamOS

1. Backup your PC

Installing SteamOS requires wiping your PC's drive, truthful I urge backing up everything connected your PC first. I usage an outer hard thrust to backmost up each my files, but you tin usage immoderate thrust you like, including unreality storage. The important happening is to prevention your files connected a antithetic thrust than the 1 you're readying to instal SteamOS connected (don't usage the USB thrust you're going to enactment your SteamOS betterment representation on, either).

If you person aggregate drives connected your gaming PC and privation to marque definite information connected your different drives isn't wiped portion installing SteamOS, it's a bully thought to physically region those drives from your PC.

2. Download the SteamOS betterment image

After backing up your PC, download the authoritative SteamOS betterment image. This contains the default mentation of SteamOS that ships with the Steam Deck. It's designed for restoring a Steam Deck (or different compatible handheld gaming PC, similar the Lenovo Legion Go S) if thing happens to your archetypal installation, but you tin besides usage this betterment representation for a caller installation of SteamOS. After downloading the zip file, extract it.

3. Flash the SteamOS betterment representation to a USB thumb drive

The adjacent measurement is creating bootable media with the SteamOS betterment representation and an bare USB drive. Make definite the thrust you usage has astatine slightest 8GB of retention connected it and doesn't person immoderate different files (the thrust volition get wiped successful the process of creating your bootable media).

To bash this, you request a disk representation penning instrumentality similar BalenaEtcher oregon Rufus. I utilized BalenaEtcher. With the bare USB thumb thrust plugged in, I selected "Flash from file" and chose the SteamOS betterment representation extracted from the zip file, past selected the USB thumb thrust arsenic the destination. It whitethorn instrumentality respective minutes to flash the SteamOS betterment representation onto your drive. Once it's done, unopen down your PC.

4. Boot into the BIOS connected your PC and update your footwear priority

Next, crook your PC backmost on, but marque definite you footwear into your BIOS (not your operating system). If you don't cognize the BIOS cardinal for your PC, you tin find it by checking the manual for your motherboard (or laptop). Delete and flight are communal BIOS keys. As your PC is starting backmost up, repeatedly property your BIOS key.

The BIOS looks antithetic depending connected your PC, but the mounting you request to update is your footwear priority. This determines which thrust your PC boots into first. Make definite you person your USB thrust with the SteamOS betterment representation plugged successful and acceptable it arsenic the archetypal enactment successful your footwear priority. Save the changes and exit your BIOS (which volition commencement the regular booting process).

5. Boot into SteamOS betterment image

After exiting the BIOS, your PC should effort to footwear into the thrust with the SteamOS betterment image. It tin instrumentality a fewer minutes for SteamOS to commencement up. At first, each you'll spot is scrolling lines of substance connected a achromatic surface – that's Linux going done the SteamOS startup checklist. Once it's complete, your surface volition spell black, perchance for respective minutes, portion SteamOS is launching.

Eventually, the SteamOS desktop situation volition amusement up, but this tin besides instrumentality a fewer minutes, truthful permission your PC unsocial portion it gets everything up and running. When it's ready, your rodent and toolbar volition look connected screen, on with 4 icons on the apical of your screen.

To instal SteamOS, treble click the icon labeled "Wipe Device & Install SteamOS." You'll get a popular up informing you that this process volition permanently delete everything connected your device. If you're definite you privation to spell up with the installation, prime "Proceed."

6. Allow SteamOS to instal connected your PC

After allowing the SteamOS installation to begin, a terminal volition look connected your screen. Don't adjacent it oregon effort to alteration thing successful it – this terminal is moving the SteamOS installation. Don't effort to bash thing other successful the desktop situation portion this is running, either.

When the process is complete, you'll spot a popular up asking if you privation to proceed with a reboot. Select "Proceed" and fto your PC restart. This tin besides instrumentality a fewer minutes, truthful don't deed your powerfulness fastener oregon unplug your system.

7. Reboot and setup SteamOS

After rebooting, you should spot the SteamOS invited screen. Go done the steps connected surface to get your PC acceptable up. When you're done, SteamOS volition hunt for updates, download them, and restart again. After that, you should spot the Steam sign-in page. Log successful and you'll beryllium bully to go!

SteamOS volition motorboat successful Steam's Big Picture Mode since it's designed for handheld gaming PCs, but you tin navigate it with a rodent and keyboard if you privation (or a controller). It besides has a mean desktop situation extracurricular of Steam wherever you tin instal different apps, similar Discord, and usage your PC for immoderate different mean tasks similar web browsing. To determination from Steam to your regular desktop environment, prime the Menu fastener successful the bottommost left, past "Power" past "Switch to Desktop."

Tip: Epic Games and GOG don't person Linux apps, but you tin play compatible games from those apps connected your SteamOS PC utilizing the Heroic Games launcher.

Can't Install SteamOS? Try These Alternative Linux Distributions

SteamOS doesn't person a afloat PC merchandise yet, truthful it won't enactment connected each system. If you can't get it moving with your hardware, your champion stake is to instal a antithetic Linux organisation until SteamOS gets a afloat release.

The archetypal alternate I urge is Bazzite. This is 1 of the champion Linux distributions for gaming, particularly if you're caller to Linux. Bazzite adjacent works connected handheld gaming PCs, if you're looking to regenerate Windows 11 connected your handheld.

If Bazzite isn't your cupful of tea, beginner-friendly distributions similar Fedora, Ubuntu, and Mint are besides bully options. Due to their popularity, it's casual to find troubleshooting assistance for these distributions and each tin beryllium configured to lucifer Windows oregon macOS if you privation a much acquainted desktop environment.

Stevie Bonifield is simply a freelance tech writer who has written for IGN, PC Gamer, Tom's Guide, and Laptop Mag, covering everything from customized keyboards to gaming connected Linux.