How to Install Steam on Ubuntu

Steam is Valve’s game store and launcher for Linux native titles and—through Proton—a large share of Windows games without dual-booting. On Ubuntu you can install it from Valve’s official .deb, apt install steam-installer in multiverse, the Snap, or Flatpak, but the packages are not interchangeable: pick one channel and stick with it. Valve’s .deb path parallels install Google Chrome on Ubuntu—download from the vendor, run sudo apt install ./package.deb, and let apt wire updates.

This guide shows how to install Steam on Ubuntu the way I set up gaming boxes: enable i386 multiarch, install a launcher package, let the first run bootstrap download the real client, then enable Proton and current GPU drivers. Commands below were run on Ubuntu 25.04; I include real apt output so you can diff your terminal.

Quick command summary

Prerequisites

• multiverse enabled (Software & Updates → Community-maintained software, or multiverse in your sources).
• i386 multiarch for 32-bit Steam/Proton dependencies.
• A working GPU driver (Mesa for AMD/Intel; proprietary NVIDIA for best RTX performance—see install NVIDIA drivers on Ubuntu).
• Disk space: launcher is small; games and Proton prefixes consume tens to hundreds of GB.
• Stable internet for the first-run client download and game installs.

If apt or sources.list edits depend on your codename, use check Ubuntu version before continuing.

Step 1: Enable i386 and update apt

Steam on 64-bit Ubuntu pulls i386 libraries. Enable multiarch once:

Enable extra architectures with dpkg --add-architecture; the dpkg command explains i386 multiarch for Steam and legacy .deb builds.

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

If multiverse was disabled, enable it and refresh:

sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y multiverse
sudo apt update

Method 1: Valve official .deb (recommended)

Valve’s Linux repo documents the supported path for Debian derivatives. I use this when I want steam-launcher directly from Valve and future updates through apt upgrade.

Download the current stable launcher (curl or wget):

The example below transfers data with curl over HTTP(S); the curl command is a quick reference for flags and syntax.

cd /tmp
curl -fsSLO "https://repo.steampowered.com/steam/archive/stable/steam_latest.deb"

Install with dependency resolution:

sudo apt install ./steam_latest.deb

On my host this removed Ubuntu’s steam-installer and installed steam-launcher 1:1.0.0.85, placing steam at /usr/bin/steam and adding Valve’s signed repo:

deb [arch=amd64,i386 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/steam.gpg] https://repo.steampowered.com/steam/ stable steam

Check:

dpkg -l steam-launcher
command -v steam

ii  steam-launcher  1:1.0.0.85  amd64  Launcher for the Steam software distribution service
/usr/bin/steam

Method 2: apt install steam-installer (Ubuntu multiverse)

This is what Ubuntu Software and must-have Ubuntu apps recommend when you want everything inside Ubuntu’s normal apt workflow without fetching the deb yourself.

Inspect the candidate:

apt-cache policy steam-installer steam

On Ubuntu 25.04 I saw:

steam:
  Candidate: (none)
steam-installer:
  Candidate: 1:1.0.0.82~ds-3
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu plucky/multiverse amd64 Packages

Install:

sudo apt install -y steam-installer

apt pulls steam-libs / steam-libs-i386 and many i386 GTK/audio dependencies—the tail of my install ended with:

Setting up steam-libs:i386 (1:1.0.0.82~ds-3) ...
Setting up steam-libs-i386:i386 (1:1.0.0.82~ds-3) ...
Setting up steam-installer (1:1.0.0.82~ds-3) ...

The launcher binary lands at /usr/games/steam (menu entry usually calls steam).

First launch bootstrap

When you open Steam the first time, a zenity dialog asks to install the full client into your home directory (for example ~/.steam/debian-installation). That is expected: steam-installer is not the entire Steam UI—it bootstraps the self-updating client Valve ships, similar to the Windows installer stub.

Choose Install, wait for the download, then sign in. Subsequent launches skip the bootstrap.

Method 3: Install Steam from Snap

Canonical publishes steam on Snapcraft—handy if you prefer automatic refreshes and integrated GameMode / MangoHud hooks:

sudo snap install steam

Check channels if you need a specific track:

snap info steam

On my system latest/stable showed 1.0.0.85 (build dates vary by channel).

Method 4: Install Steam from Flatpak (Flathub)

Flatpak isolates Steam with its own runtime—useful when you already manage desktop apps through Flathub:

sudo apt install -y flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam

Run with:

flatpak run com.valvesoftware.Steam

Flathub labels this build community-maintained and not officially supported by Valve. Extra game library paths on other drives need a flatpak override --filesystem=…—see Flathub Steam page.

First run: login, updates, and Proton

1. Launch Steam from the app menu or steam.
2. Let the client update itself on first start.
3. Sign in with your Steam account (two-factor if enabled).
4. Open Steam → Settings → Compatibility:
   • Enable Steam Play for supported titles.
   • For broader Windows coverage, enable Steam Play for all other titles and pick Proton Experimental or Proton Stable.
5. Install a native Linux game first to confirm drivers (glxinfo / in-game FPS). For Windows-only titles, check ProtonDB before you buy.

For store, library, and CLI workflows after setup, Valve’s Steam for Linux community and Gaming on Ubuntu curator collect Linux-friendly titles.

GPU drivers and performance basics

Reboot after driver changes. Steam’s Settings → System shows basic video info once the client is running.

Pick one install method

Do not install deb + Snap + Flatpak on the same profile unless you enjoy duplicate menu entries and confused saves.

Uninstall

Valve deb / steam-installer:

sudo apt purge -y steam-launcher steam-installer steam-devices steam-libs steam-libs-i386
sudo apt autoremove -y

Remove game data when you are sure:

rm -rf ~/.steam ~/.local/share/Steam ~/Steam

Snap:

sudo snap remove steam

Flatpak:

flatpak uninstall com.valvesoftware.Steam

See Ubuntu package removal guide for purge vs remove and leftover rc config rows.

Troubleshooting

When a first-run dialog fails, confirm free space with df -h on / and /home; the df and du covers quick disk checks.

References

• Steam for Linux — Valve repo — official steam_latest.deb and apt instructions
• Steam for Linux community
• Install Steam on Ubuntu 24.10 — Ubuntu Discourse
• Ask Ubuntu: How to install Steam on Ubuntu 20.04
• Install Steam Snap
• Steam on Flathub
• ProtonDB — Windows game compatibility reports
• , , ,

Summary

To install Steam on Ubuntu, enable i386 multiarch, then choose a single install path: Valve’s steam_latest.deb (steam-launcher 1.0.0.85 on my test) for the vendor-supported route, or sudo apt install steam-installer from multiverse if you want the Ubuntu-packaged bootstrap. Snap and Flatpak work when you already live in those ecosystems—know they are not Valve’s primary Linux packages.

After install, accept the first-run bootstrap, sign in, turn on Proton under Settings → Compatibility, and fix GPU drivers before you blame a game. Check ProtonDB for Windows titles; native Linux games are the fastest sanity check that your stack is sound.