Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Steam for Linux officially enters beta testing

Earnest Cavalli
By
Steam Linux
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When Valve first announced Steam, a service that allows gamers (and, recently, creative professionals) the ability to download software at high speeds from Valve’s servers, many people were skeptical. Especially when the company launched Half-Life 2 and both Steam and the game were rendered unusable for a number of days. Of course, Valve has turned things around since then, and over the past few years Steam has become the de facto face of digital downloads, offering both PC users and those who prefer Apple’s devices a solid reason to never physically visit a video game store ever again.

Now, that awesome opportunity for wanton laziness has been expanded to Linux users. Well, sort of. As of this morning, Valve has announced that Steam has entered a closed Linux beta test. The current beta version of Steam lacks many of the features you’d find in its PC and Mac iterations, but Valve certainly didn’t want to test its game distribution system without offering players actual games. Thus, beta testers are now able to download and play a special Linux version of Team Fortress 2. Further, the Linux Steam client also includes support for the Big Picture mode seen in the PC version of Steam that allows the software (and any games running through it) to expand its viewing area to properly fit on modern HDTVs.

Recommended Videos

Oddly, Valve’s announcement also claims that there are an additional “two dozen” games available for play on the Linux version of Steam, though all links the company has offered to an official list of said games seem to be defunct. Seeing this, we attempted to manually search Steam for any Linux-compatible games, and while we came up with this list of 25 titles (26 if you include Team Fortress 2) by searching specifically for Linux compatibility, none of them happen to mention Linux in their respective Steam store descriptions. We just sent off a message to Valve to see if we could get a bit of clarification on which games Linux users can expect to play, so hopefully we’ll have more info to offer soon.

Related

Now, before you Linux users get too excited, know that there are caveats involved with this beta test. First, this is not a public beta. To be eligible for the test, you would have had to already receive an invite from Valve. According to the company, it received over 60,000 applications to take part in this test in the first week following its call for such people, and while no official figures have been released on how many gamers are involved in this beta, we expect the number to be quite large

Assuming you are one of these lucky invitees, the only hurdle left is making sure that your operating system is up to snuff. According to Valve, the Linux beta test is specifically for those running Ubuntu 12.04. Steam’s availability will expand to include other popular Linux flavors over time, but for now its Ubuntu or nothing. “An overwhelming majority of beta applicants have reported they’re running the Ubuntu distro of Linux,” said Frank Crockett, a member of the Steam for Linux development team. “We intend to support additional popular distros in the future; we’ll prioritize development for these based on user feedback.”

There is currently no word on how long Valve intends to keep this test running, nor how quickly we’ll see other popular titles appear on Steam’s Linux iteration, but we’ll keep you updated as new information rolls in. In the mean time, you Linux users are given permission to smugly boast about the new gaming capabilities of your favorite, less-than-mainstream operating system. Your friends who swear by Windows have had it coming for years.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Earnest Cavalli
Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
VR headset deals: Meta Quest 2 and VIVE XR
htc vive vs pro headphones

While VR may not be as big as was predicted back in the early 2000s when the original Oculus Go was released, there is still a considerable market these days, and some great VR games like Half-Life: Alyx that you can have fun with. Of course, VR headsets remain expensive, and while options like the Meta Quest don't necessarily require a high-end gaming PC, they can still be a bit pricey for those who just want to put a foot in the hobby. Luckily, there are some good deals you can take advantage of, even on some of the best VR headsets, so be sure to check out all your options below.
Meta Quest 2 -- $199, was $200

Even though the Meta Quest 3 came out quite recently, the Meta Quest 2 is still a pretty powerful contender, especially since it has a wider library and app support than the Quest 3 currently has. Even more so, the Quest 2 is a lot cheaper than the Quest 3, and with the latest permanent discount down to just $200, that's a whole $300 or so difference from the Quest 3. Of course, the Quest 3 does have more advanced AR and slightly better performance with software and Wi-Fi, but that may not be worth the extra cost for some. Either way, be sure to check out the breakdown between Quest 2 and Quest 3 to get a better sense of what you should pick up.

Read more
BlizzCon 2024 is not happening despite Blizzard’s strong 2024 lineup
A still from World of Warcraft The Worldsoul Saga's reveal tralier.

World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch maker Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that BlizzCon 2024 will not be happening.

BlizzCon was a convention that Blizzard Entertainment held almost every year between 2005 and 2019 to celebrate its games and make new announcements. The pandemic and hostile workplace allegations against Blizzard meant that no shows were held in 2020 or 2022 (2021 was digital-only), but BlizzCon made its grand return in 2023. We attended it last November and had the opportunity to speak with developers and learn more about Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's first visit to Blizzard, upcoming plans for franchises like Diablo and Warcraft, and more. Although Blizzard never outright confirmed that it would hold BlizzCon in 2024, the event was expected to continue after its return last year.

Read more
How to unlock fast travel in Another Crab’s Treasure
Kril with a coconut shell

Another Crab's Treasure is a fantastical soulslike set deep under the ocean where danger lurks around every corner. And like other games in the genre, it's often brutally difficult to overcome the various challenges you'll encounter. As such, you may find yourself wanting to backtrack for level grinding, to uncover new secrets, or to buy additional items in the game's main hub. However, you may notice early in the game that you haven't yet unlocked the ability to fast travel between the multitude of Moon Snail Shells (aka "bonfires") you've found. Here's how and when you'll unlock fast travel.
How to unlock fast travel
In the opening hours of the game, you may notice that you can access your skill tree, which will show a skill called Shelleportation. But you may be discouraged to see that you aren't able to apply any points to it yet. That's because the game doesn't open up this feature until you've advanced a few hours into the story.

To unlock fast travel, you'll need to work your way through the first few main areas of the game until you reach a boss called the Polluted Platoon Pathfinder. After beating this baddie, you'll soon find yourself teleporting to the Moon Snail's Domain. Here, you'll learn about the power of Umami, as well as unlock access to your skill tree.

Read more