We all know that Steam is one of the most popular PC storefronts of all time. With over 132 million users active monthly, it is no surprise that it is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS. But the biggest question is, what is the difference between these operating system versions? Let’s find out.
Steam on Windows
Steam officially launched on Windows in 2003, specifically for Windows XP, which remains the most widely used version. Many major publishers have utilized this Steam version to release popular games such as Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. While it is often considered one of the best options for PC gamers, Windows can sometimes be bloated and may run slowly in certain instances. Despite these issues, over 100,000 games have been released on the Windows version of Steam at least once. Therefore, playing on Windows through Steam is highly recommended if you want to enjoy major AAA titles or indie games.
Windows on Mac
Steam on the Mac is very different from Steam. It was released to Mac in 2010. When it was released on Mac, over 275 games were released on the Steam Mac. There would be over 15,400 native Mac games on Steam. Most Big Triple AAA titles aren’t supported on the Mac without third-party support like Rosetta. Even when they are played, it is arguably the worst version of Steam because of bugs, and it doesn’t have native Arm support, making most games unplayable.
While there have been workarounds to solve the problem, minor game titles like Balatro, Big City, etc., are recommended for a very good Mac experience.
Steam on Linux
Steam on Linux is exciting compared to the ones before. Value endorses Linux somewhat because most of its projects involve Linux. Steam on Linux was released in 2013, and it had over 436 games, which is higher than the Mac version of Steam. Valve’s titles like Team Fortress 2, the Half-Life series, the Left 4 Dead series, and the Counter-Strike series were also ported to Linux when the first version of Linux was released. In total over 18,864 games from Steam are natively run on Linux.
On August 21, 2018, Valve announced ProtonDB, software that allows Windows games to run natively on Linux without any hardware tweaks. This was a big win for Linux users, and many people run Steam on Linux with Proton DB. While not all games can run on Protron, most popular games like Fallout, Final Fantasy, and Doom can run perfectly.
Linux on Steam is a better option because Linux uses fewer resources on your PC and allows customization.
Valve has also released Steam OS, which is Linux-affiliated. They used it for Steam machines and the Steam deck, which is arguably one of the better handheld PC consoles. And with Steam OS releasing with the Legion Go S version, it is easy to say that Steam on Linux is one of the best versions.
Steam on Chrome OS
We were done talking about the Steam version. Well, nope. There is one more version of Steam and that is Steam on Chromebooks. Yes, Steam is on Chromebooks. Who would’ve thought that? This is arguably the worst version of Steam of all time for several reasons. Steam on Chromebook was released in 2022 as a beta. It is still in development for the full version, which hasn’t come in over 3 years. Only a few Chromebooks can be used to run Steam on a Chromebook.
Chromebooks on Steam use the Linux version, which means Proton is supported so you can play Windows games. However, not all Chromebooks support Linux. You must install Linux in a Chromebook to run Steam, and even then, you must put how many hard drives to give up to run Linux, meaning you are using that storage to play games, unlike the Chromebook versions. Even then, there are problems like issues with external monitors, a lack of support for demanding games, and a very slow computer.
In the end, Steam for Windows and Linux are the best options, Mac is an okay option, and Chrome OS is the worst option for installing Steam.
