Steam can be installed from Ubuntu’s multiverse repo, or by manually sourcing the deb package and performing a local install. On older systems, you may need to manually enable multiverse first for the first method. It’s just one extra step though, nothing to worry about.
Install from Ubuntu Store
You can install Steam using the Ubuntu Software app if you want a GUI-based method.
- Search and open ‘Ubuntu Software’ from the Activities overview.
- Locate the Steam Installer and click on Install.
- Enter your password for authentication.
- After installing Steam, you can launch it from the Applications window.
Install Using Apt
The fastest way to install Steam is with apt. But this won’t work if the multiverse repo isn’t already enabled.
Step 1: Enable the Multiverse Repository
First, ensure the multiverse repo is already enabled. If it isn’t, the following command will automatically add it.
sudo add-apt-repository multiverseStep 2: Update Your Package List
After enabling the new repo, update your package index so you can install the latest Steam version.
sudo apt updateStep 3: Install Steam
Use apt to install Steam from the Ubuntu multiverse repo.
sudo apt install -y steamStep 4: Launch Steam
After installing Steam, you can launch it from the Applications menu as done earlier. Or, you can launch it from the terminal by entering
steamLocal Deb Install
As the multiverse repo contains software that isn’t free or open-source, some users don’t like enabling it. In that case, you can download the deb package and install Steam manually.
Go to the Steam store and download the Steam deb package. Then, enter the downloaded file’s path and install Steam.
sudo apt install ~/Downloads/steam_packageOnce again, you can launch it from the terminal by entering
steamHow to Update or Remove Steam
Steam auto-updates at launch, so you don’t need to worry about the package being old or manually upgrading it. And if you need to uninstall Steam, you can remove it and the orphaned dependencies with
sudo apt remove steamsudo apt autoremoveThe Steam package is gone, but the user files such as your downloaded games will still be on the drive. You can delete those by removing the user Steam directory with
rm -r ~/.local/share/Steam