Steam for Linux beta open for all

The Steam for Linux beta is now available to all Ubuntu users

Valve has announced that the company is opening up the beta programme for the Steam gaming platform client for Linux. The beta was launched in November for a selected group of Ubuntu users. Valve is now providing a download link for the Ubuntu package of the client and is allowing anyone with a Steam account to use it. While users of other distributions have had some success creating installers for their distributions from the Ubuntu packages, this is not officially supported by Valve.

The Steam Store currently lists 51 games as being available on Linux, including titles such as Team Fortress 2, Serious Sam 3: BFE, Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 and a number of indie developer games from previous Humble Bundles. Valve has opened an, as yet empty, repository on GitHub and is asking participants to use the associated bug tracker to submit issues they find with games or the client on Linux.

A .deb package�  for the Steam for Linux beta client can be downloaded from the Valve site. Valve is providing a repository that Ubuntu users can add to get automatic updates of the client and has also set up a mailing list to announces new versions of the client.

(fab)