SteamOS

3.5.7

SteamOS is a public release of our Linux-based operating system. The base system draws from Debian 8, code named Debian Jessie.

Overview

Specs

Our work builds on top of the solid Debian core and optimizes it for a living room experience. Most of all, it is an open Linux platform that leaves you in full control. You can take charge of your system and install new software or content that you want. We've been hard at work to deliver on our promise of a new kind of living room entertainment environment - one that is accessible, powerful and open.

In making SteamOS available to you, we're excited to take the next major step towards that goal. But before you dive in, please take a few minutes to understand what SteamOS is and what it is not.

So, what is SteamOS?

SteamOS is a public release of our Linux-based operating system. The base system draws from Debian 8, code named Debian Jessie. Our work builds on top of the solid Debian core and optimizes it for a living room experience. Most of all, it is an open Linux platform that leaves you in full control. You can take charge of your system and install new software or content as you want.

So, what is it not?

We expect most SteamOS users to get SteamOS preinstalled on a Steam Machine. Although we have made SteamOS freely available for anybody to install, the installation experience is not intended for a non-technical user. Most importantly, SteamOS only supports a certain set of hardware (you can read more in our FAQ). We will add support for newer hardware over time, but we have no plans to add more support for older hardware. Users should not consider SteamOS as a replacement for their desktop operating system. SteamOS is being designed and optimized for the living room experience.

Is all of SteamOS open source software?

No. SteamOS ships with our Steam Client program, which is proprietary software, in addition to proprietary 3rd party drivers. In the SteamOS standard configuration, the Steam Client program serves as a user interface and provides connectivity to our Steam online services. That being said, you can still access the standard Linux desktop.

How do I install SteamOS?

There are two different installation methods for SteamOS. The recommended method is the Automated Installation method, which installs the default disk configuration. The Expert method uses Debian Installer, which allows for some customization after an automated install step. Please choose one of those methods below.

Automated Installation

Download the SteamOS Automated installation
Unzip the SteamOS.zip file to a blank, FAT32-formatted USB stick. Make sure to use an MBR partition.
Put the USB stick in your target machine. Boot your machine and tell the BIOS to boot off the stick. (usually something like F8, F11, or F12 will bring up the BIOS boot menu).
Make sure you select the UEFI entry, it may look something like "UEFI: Patriot Memory PMAP". If there is no UEFI entry, you may need to enable UEFI support in your BIOS setup.
Selected "Automated install (WILL ERASE DISK!)" from the menu.
The rest of the installation is unattended and will repartition the drive and install SteamOS.
After installation is complete, the system will reboot and automatically log on and install Steam. At this point an internet connection is required. If you have an internet connection, Steam will automatically install itself. If you do not have an internet connection (for instance, if you need to connect to a WiFi access point) you will get a popup telling you this. Close the popup and you will get the network configuration UI where you can set up your network. Once you are connected to the internet, close this UI and Steam will install itself.
After Steam finishes installing, your system will automatically reboot and create a backup of the system partition.
When the backup completes, select "reboot" to boot into your freshly installed SteamOS

Expert Installation

Download the SteamOS Expert installation
Unzip the SteamOS.zip file to a blank, FAT32-formatted USB stick. Make sure to use an MBR partition.
Put the USB stick in your target machine. Boot your machine and tell the BIOS to boot off the stick. (usually something like F8, F11, or F12 will bring up the BIOS boot menu).
Make sure you select the UEFI entry, it may look something like "UEFI: Patriot Memory PMAP". If there is no UEFI entry, you may need to enable UEFI support in your BIOS setup.
Selected "Expert install" from the menu.
Selected your preferred language, location, and keyboard layout.
You will have the option to change the default disk partitioning.
The rest of the installation is unattended and will install SteamOS.
After installation is complete, the system will reboot and automatically log on and install Steam. At this point an internet connection is required. If you have an internet connection, Steam will automatically install itself. If you do not have an internet connection (for instance, if you need to connect to a WiFi access point) you will get a popup telling you this. Close the popup and you will get the network configuration UI where you can set up your network. Once you are connected to the internet, close this UI and Steam will install itself.
After Steam finishes installing, your system will automatically reboot and create a backup of the system partition.
When the backup completes, select "reboot" to boot into your freshly installed SteamOS