Looks like we may see Steam properly on Chrome OS by the end of 2021

In a move that might help boost Linux gaming numbers, it seems Google are still moving forward with their plan to get Steam running properly native on Chrome OS during 2021. This is something we've talked about before, and again and now it appears to be moving a bit quicker.

The new report comes from Chrome Unboxed, who noticed some interesting commits landing talking about project Borealis, which appears to be the code name for this huge project which includes running Steam. I should note though, that Borealis isn't just about Steam but appears to be some wider Linux push for Chrome OS to get more working on it. Last we heard, Borealis itself was based on Ubuntu too. From the new info uncovered, what's been found even mentions a "Soft Launch":

I'd bump these a bit; we'll want them in place for at least a few months into Soft Launch, which is currently slated for no earlier than Q2/Q3 2021. I set Borealis.Stability to 2021-10-01 for this reason.

With more Chromebooks coming out through 2021 that will feature more powerful processors both from Intel and AMD (not ARM), backed up by more powerful graphics - this will open them up to some more gaming.

The question is: why is that relevant to Linux and Linux gaming overall? Well, Chromebooks run Chrome OS which is…Linux under the Google branded hood. The version of Steam they will get is the Linux version, so they will be adding directly to the numbers of Linux users already on Steam. Don't underestimate what that could do.

Once we hear any more on it we will let you know.