Learning

Linux for Starters: Your Guide to Linux – Gaming – Part 17

Last Updated on May 22, 2022

Steam Store

Steam is a large digital library of PC games. It’s not a Linux specific store but it’s home to thousands of games that run under this operating system.

There are a relatively small percentage of Linux games hosted on Steam that can be downloaded without a charge. Most of the games at this location will need input from your wallet/purse.

First make sure your system is up-to-date by opening a terminal and entering the command:

$ sudo apt update

Then install Steam with the command:

$ sudo apt install steam

You can then run Steam from a Search search or from the terminal with the command $ steam

Steam will update itself:

Steam Update

If you don’t have an existing account, you’ll need to create a new account.

Steam Account

Once you’ve logged in you have access to the Steam store.

Steam Library
Click image for full size

Bear in mind that some of the ‘free games’ hosted on Steam are considered to be ‘Pay to Win’. This has become an infamous term in the gaming world. Users and players willing to spend money to access features that are normally unlocked as the game progresses can give some serious advantage, especially in online games. This presents an unfair balancing issue within the online communities.

Page 3 – Emulators and more


Pages in this article:
Page 1 – Ubuntu Software App
Page 2 – Steam Store
Page 3 – Emulators and more


All articles in this series:

Linux For Starters: Your Guide to Linux
1What is Linux? Why use Linux? What do I need?
2Choose a Linux distribution meeting your specific needs and requirements.
3Make a bootable Ubuntu USB stick in Windows.
4We show you how to install Ubuntu 21.04 on your hard disk.
5Things to do after installing Ubuntu.
6Navigating your way around the Desktop.
7Updating the system, install new software.
8Open source replacements for proprietary Windows desktop software.
9Get started with the power and flexibility of the terminal.
10We cover the basics of files and permissions.
11Getting help from your system.
12Learn all about the file system.
13Manipulating files from the shell.
14Maintain your system with these simple tips.
15Managing users on your system.
16Explore different desktops to GNOME 3.
17Gaming on Linux.
18Protect your privacy with this guide.
19Access the Windows desktop from Linux using a remote desktop client.
20Set up a virtual machine running Ubuntu as the host and openSUSE as the guest.
21Wine lets you run Windows programs on Linux without emulation.
22Extend your GNOME desktop with extensions and themes.
XUseful Linux commands.

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5 Comments
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Leden
Leden
3 years ago

Gaming on linux? Are you serious?

Big Col
Big Col
3 years ago
Reply to  Leden

Well I am. Linux is vastly underrated as a gaming platform. Of course many big titles aren’t available but there’s still tons of great games out there.

Andrey
Andrey
2 years ago

A section about gaming distros would be nice. I’m using Drauger.

Nitro
Nitro
2 years ago

All these forks of Ubuntu are just a colossal waste of opportunity.

Winston
Winston
2 years ago
Reply to  Nitro

Are they really? It’s agreed there is often a lot of duplicated work when people fork distros and open source software in general. That also applies to proprietary software. In fact the implications are much worse with proprietary software.

When a proprietary product is abandoned, all the work is effectively lost. This happens so many times when a large multinational acquires a promising product and then just dumps it after 12-18 months.

With an open source project, when the original developer or team stops developing, there’s still a chance that someone else or a group will take the code and carry on with the program’s development. The code is not lost.