How to Install Steam on Ubuntu

Steam (developed by Valve Corporation) is a digital distribution service for video games. It allows you to buy, install, and play games on your system. Steam is a cross-platform solution that is available for Windows Linux and MacOS. It offers you a store with plenty of games, video streaming, and other social networking services. In order to use Steam, you will need to install its client application on your system. In this article, we will explain how to install Steam on the Ubuntu system.

We will explain the installation of the Steam application through the following ways:

• Through dpkg (Command Line)
• Through Ubuntu Software Center (GUI)

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04 or Ubuntu 20.04 system
• User with sudo privileges
• Curl and gdebi-core packages

Note:

• We have run the procedure and commands on Ubuntu 20.04 LST OS. More or less the same procedure can be followed in the Debian and previous Ubuntu releases.

Install Steam through dpkg (Command Line)

In the following method, we will download the Steam deb package and install it using dpkg command. We will be using the command line Terminal application for the installation process. To open the command line Terminal, you can use the Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut.

Follow the below steps in order to install Steam in Ubuntu:

Step 1: Install prerequisites

First, you will need to install the prerequisite packages (Curl and gdebi-core) that are required for the installation of Steam. Issue the following command in Terminal to do so:

$ sudo apt install curl gdebi-core

When prompted for the password, provide sudo password.

Step 2: Download Steam from official website

The next step is to download the Steam deb package from the official website. You can use the following command in Terminal to do so:

$ wget https://repo.steampowered.com/steam/archive/precise/steam_latest.deb

Step 3: Install Steam

Now install the downloaded file using the following command in Terminal:

$ sudo dpkg -i steam_latest.deb

The installation of Steam will be started and once completed, move on to the next step.

Now, issue the following command in the Terminal to start the Steam launcher.

$ steam

When you run this command for the first time, it will install some necessary packages required for the proper running of the Steam package. When prompted for the password, type sudo password and press Enter.

Wait for a while until the process is completed.

Step 4: Launch Steam

Now, you are ready to launch and use the Steam application. Type the following command in Terminal to launch Steam application:

$ steam

The following window will appear. If you already have an account, then click the LOGIN TO AN EXISTING ACCOUNT button and provide the username and password to sign in to your Steam account.

However, if you do not have a Steam account, you can click the CREATE NEW ACCOUNT button to sign up for a new account.

After signing in to your Steam account, you will see the Steam window with the similar view:

Remove Steam

In case you want to remove Steam application from your system, you can do so with the following command in Terminal:

$ sudo apt remove steam-launcher

Then issue the following command to remove the packages that were automatically installed as dependencies:

$ sudo apt autoremove

Install Steam through Ubuntu Software Center

If you are not comfortable with the command line, you can use the GUI method for installing the Steam application in your system. Follow the below steps to do so:

Step 1: Download Steam

Download Steam deb package from the following link:

https://repo.steampowered.com/steam/archive/precise/steam_latest.deb

Step 2: Install Steam

Open File manager and locate the downloaded package. Then right-click the Steam deb package and select Open With Software Install.

The package will open in Software Center window and you will see the following view Click the Install button in order to install the package.

Then you will prompted for the authentication. Enter password for authentication and click the Authenticate button.

Now the installation will start and once finished, you will see the following view:

Now, hit super key on your keyboard and type steam in the search bar. When the search result appears, click on the Steam application icon to launch the installer. When you run the Steam for the first time, it will install some necessary packages required for proper running of the Steam package. When prompted for the password, type sudo password and press Enter.

Wait for a while until the process is completed.

Step 3:Launch Steam

Now, you are ready to launch and use the Steam application. Hit super key on your keyboard and type steam in the search bar. When the search result appears, click on the Steam application icon to launch it.

The following window will appear. If you already have an account, then click the LOGIN TO AN EXISTING ACCOUNT and provide the username and password to sign in to your Steam account.

However, if you do not have a Steam account, you can click the CREATE NEW ACCOUNT button to sign up for a new account.

After signing in to your Steam account, you will see the Steam window with the similar view:

Remove Steam

In case, you want to remove the Steam application from your system, you can do so through the Ubuntu Software Center.

First, launch Ubuntu Software Center in your system. Go to the Installed tab. Here you will see a list of installed applications. Click the Remove button in front of the Steam-launcher application.

When you are asked for confirmation, click the Remove button.

Then the following authentication dialog will appear. Provide the authentication password and click the Authenticate button, after which the Steam application will be removed from your system.

That is all there is to it! In this article, you have learned how to install Steam in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. We have discussed the installation of the Steam application in two ways including the command line and the GUI. You can use either of the methods based on your convenience and ease of installation.