Steam begins listing Linux system requirements on some game pages

Steam Linux

OMG! Ubuntu are reporting that Valve have started listing Linux system requirements on Steam's game pages, possibly hinting that the company is preparing for an official Steam Linux release.

While the listing's don't appear to be available on non-Linux operating systems, Techgage went rooting through the data for hints of what to expect. Unsurprisingly, the main requirement of many titles is Ubuntu. While the Linux community is spread over many distributions, Ubuntu is arguably the most user-friendly, thanks to its Unity desktop interface. But some games also offer support for other popular variants, with Amnesia: The Dark Descent working on both Mint and Fedora as well.

Linux compatibility is clearly becoming an increasingly important project for Valve, with the recently confirmed Steam Box likely to use it as its backbone. Still, the big sticking point remains the games. The current list of Linux's Steam titles shows 29 available, with the majority being indie games that already support the OS. Listings have also appeared for Valve's own first-party games, but the real test is surely going to be how easy for users to access other AAA releases through the client.

Thanks, Joystiq .

TOPICS
Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.

Latest in Linux
Valve Steam Deck OLED handheld PC
Valve continues to improve the gaming performance of Linux open source drivers for AMD GPUs, as part of the Mesa project
Asahi Linux on a mac book.
Developers finally get Linux running on an Apple M1-powered Mac
Three companies making DLSS possible on Linux OS
Nvidia DLSS is coming to boost frame rates for Linux gamers this month
https://pixabay.com/photos/linux-laptop-screen-wallpaper-wood-1962898/
Research scandal sees Linux Kernel ban 'all future contributions' from University of Minnesota
Cloud computing is making Linux a more tempting target for hackers
Watch this 90-year-old tech turned Linux terminal create ASCII art
Latest in News
Two brightly colored stormtroopers dressed like Run-DMC stand in front of PAX Australia's WELCOME HOME banner.
Tickets for PAX Australia 2025 are on sale now
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again