Steam is popular among Linux users because of its extensive game library and features. It is considered one of the largest gaming forums on Linux-based distributions, including Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and others. Linux users can install and play games on their system same as the Windows OS.
We will walk through the below-provided outline for installing Steam on the Linux Mint system:
- How to Install Steam on Linux Mint?
- How to Launch and Use Steam on Linux Mint?
- How to Uninstall\Remove Steam From Linux Mint?
How to Install Steam on Linux Mint?
The below-provided approaches are used to install Steam on the Linux Mint system:
- Approach 1: Install Steam Using the APT Package
- Approach 2: Install Steam From Official Steam Repository
- Approach 3: Install Steam Using Flatpak
Approach 1: Install Steam Using the APT Package
The efficient approach for installing Steam on your Linux Mint system is through “APT”. It is a default package manager on Linux Mint that manages the packages. You can install Steam through CLI or APT’s graphical package management tool, “Synaptic Package Manager”.
For practical implementation, let’s move ahead!
Install Steam through the “apt” Command Line Utility
Step 1: Update System Repository
Execute the provided command to update the Linux system repository:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 2: Install Steam Using APT Package
To install “Steam” on your Linux Mint system, use the provided command:
sudo apt install steam
Step 3: Verification
Run the provided command to verify the successful installation of Steam:
apt list --installed | grep steam
Install Steam through “Synaptic Package Manager”
Synaptic is an APT’s graphical package management tool that is used to install, update, and remove\delete packages from the Linux Mint system in a friendly way. To install Steam using this utility, follow the given steps.
Step 1: Open “Synaptic Package Manager”
Open the Linux Mint menu, search, and launch the Synaptic Package Manager“ application:
It will ask you to enter the password for authentication and click on the “Authenticate” button:
Step 2: Search and Mark “Steam” Package for Installation
After doing so, first refresh the package management tool by clicking on the “Reload” button:
Hit the “Search” button, type “Steam” in the dialog box, and search it:
Locate and click on the steam’s package “steam-installer” check box. Then, choose the “Mark for Installation” option:
Press the “Mark” button:
Step 3: Install Steam
To install Steam on your Linux Mint system, hit the “Apply” button:
Click on the “Apply” button for confirmation to apply the particular changes to the system:
Wait for a while to complete the installation process:
The “Changes applied” window will appear after the successful installation process:
Approach 2: Install Steam From Steam’s Official Repository
Another way to install Steam on your Linux Mint system is from Steam’s official repository. You can get the up-to-date version of Steam from it. To do so, you need to add and integrate its official repository. This can be done through the given procedure.
Step 1: Update and Upgrade System
Update and upgrade the system repositories by using the given command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Step 2: Add GPG Key
Now, verify the authenticity of the Steam package by adding the GPG key. This can be done by executing the provided command:
wget -O- http://repo.steampowered.com/steam/archive/stable/steam.gpg | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/steam.gpg
Step 3: Add Steam’s Official Repository
Execute the provided command for adding the Steam repository to your Linux Mint system:
echo deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/steam.gpg] http://repo.steampowered.com/steam/ stable steam | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/steam.list
Step 4: Update System Package Database
Run the given command to update your system package database to recognize the newly added Steam repository:
sudo apt update
Step 5: Install Steam
Now, install Steam on your system by using the regular APT package manager. Here, this package manager will fetch the install packages from the previously added Steam’s official repository rather than from the Linux Mint system’s default repository:
sudo apt install steam
Approach 3: Install Steam Using Flatpak
The “flatpak” package manager fetches and installs the applications from “Flathub” repositories. This package manager is pre-installed and its source repository is added by default on Linux Mint. You can fetch and install packages from them through CLI or by using the GUI application “Source Manager”. Let’s check them out one by one to install Steam on Linux Mint.
Through Command Line Interface(CLI)
Note: If the “flatpak” package manager is not installed and the “flathub” repository is not added, then use the provided command:
sudo apt install flatpak # to install flatpak
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo # to add flathubStep 1: Install Steam
To install the Steam from the remote repository(flathub) using “flatpak” on your Linux Mint system:
sudo flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam
Step 2: Verification
List the Flatpak’s installed applications by running the given command to check whether Steam has been installed on your system or not:
flatpak list
Through Graphical User Interface(GUI)
You can also install Steam from the Flathub repository through the “Software Manager” application on Linux Mint. This can be done by following the given steps.
Step 1: Launch “Software Manager”
To access the “Software Manager” app, open the Linux Mint menu, search, and launch it:
Then, type “steam” in the search box and search it. As follows:
Step 2: Install Steam
Click on the below highlighted “Install” button:
Hit the “Continue” button to proceed further:
Provide a password for authentication before starting the installation process:
Now, can open it by clicking on the given “Launch” button:
How to Launch and Use Steam on Linux Mint?
Once the installation is done, run the given command to directly launch the Steam from the terminal. This way is helpful if you are already working on the command line interface:
steam
Alternatively, you can access Steam through Desktop. For that purpose:
- Open Linux Mint Menu > Search “Steam” > Launch it:
When you open Steam the first time after installation, it will automatically start updating its components. This process will take a few seconds:
Once the updating process is completed, then the Steam launcher login window will appear. Here, you can log in by providing your Steam account name and password or sign in by scanning the QR code:
Note: If you don’t have an account on Steam then you can create a new account by clicking on the “Create a Free Account” option inside the login window.
You have successfully logged in to Steam and now you can access Steam’s game’s library and features:
How to Uninstall\Remove Steam From Linux Mint?
If you want to remove\uninstall Steam from your Linux Mint system, then execute the given command:
sudo apt remove --autoremove steam
Note: The above-given command is applicable if you have installed Steam from the Linux Mint’s default package manager named “apt”.
For Flatpak Users
Those users who have installed Steam from the “Flathub” repository using the “Flatpak” package manager, then they can uninstall it by executing the provided command:
flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.valvesoftware.Steam
Delete\Remove Steam through GUI
Alternatively, you can Remove Steam from your system manually by accessing the “Software Manager” application. For that purpose:
- Open the “Software Manager” application from the Linux Mint menu > Search “Steam” > Click on the “Remove” button:
Press the “Continue” button to move ahead:
Type password and hit the “Authenticate” button:
That was all about installing Steam on your Linux Mint system.
Final Thoughts
Steam is most frequently used among the gaming community who are using the Linux Mint or other Linux distributions. By using Steam, they can get the new games on a Linux OS. To use Steam, you need to install it on your Linux Mint system. For that purpose, several methods are used, such as the “APT” package manager that installs it from the Linux Mint default repo, Steam’s official repository and the “Flatpak” package manager installs Steam from “flathub”(remote repository).
This tutorial illustrated different approaches for installing the Steam on Linux Mint system.