[How To] Install Steam On Debian 10/11 Desktop

This tutorial is subjected with how to install Steam on Debian Linux platform and is suitable for Debian 10 or 11. Steam is widely known as an application allowing users to play games easily. It runs as a desktop client and features to download, install and play new favorite games.

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Install Steam On Debian Linux- Easy Steps

1: Adding “non-free” component in default repository

In order to install Steam app on Debian 10 or 11 platform, we needn’t to add any new repository to system. The default repository will require just to be extended and nothing else. To do so, add “contrib non-free” option in the /etc/apt/sources.list file.

To open the aforementioned file, run the command below:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

For Debian 10 (Buster)

Default values:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ buster main
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ buster main
deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main
deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main


Modified to:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ buster main non-free contrib
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ buster main non-free contrib
deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main contrib non-free

For Debian 11 (Bullseye)

Default values

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main
deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye/updates main
deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye/updates main


Modified to

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main non-free contrib
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main non-free contrib
deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye/updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye/updates main contrib non-free

Once the default repository file is appended, you can save (ctrl+s) and exit (ctrl+x) the file, and proceed with next step.

2: Enabling 32-bit support (Multi-Arch)

Multi-Arch is an option in Debian Linux which is essential to install packages and dependencies for 32 bit and 64 bit architecture. Since most of the games supports 32-bit architecture, it’s necessary to enable 32-bit support on your desktop. This can easily be done by running below commands:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

3: Running system update

As a rule, it’s often suggested to rebuild system cache to recognize recently made changes in system configuration files. Just run the command here:

sudo apt update

4: Installing Steam app on Debian

Now, you just need to install Steam app on your Debian operating system, and it needs a single command to run in terminal:

sudo apt install steam

5: Launching Steam app on Debian

After the installation is successfully processed, you can navigate to All Applications in Debian 10 or 11 and search for Steam app. Click on its icon to launch the app.

Alternatively, you can also launch Steam through terminal as well by running the command below:

steam

Conclusion

That’s all, you can not enjoy Steam on Debian Linux now. We hope this tutorial regarding how to install Steam on Debian Linux might helped you. If you liked this article, do share it with your friends. Click here to suggest an edit or share your views in comment section below.