When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
Part of that is thanks to handhelds like theSteam Deck.
Part of it is down to the rise of cloud gaming.
Pretty wild but yes, you can play Steam games on a Chromebook these days.
In both cases, anyone can buy an affordable piece of hardware and play AAA games.
No need to rely on Apple puttingDeath Stranding on iOS.
You don’t have to buy a Windows PC at all if you don’t want to.
Pretty wild but yes, you can play Steam games on a Chromebook these days.
Naturally, Windows is still the absolute juggernaut of PC gaming, but there are alternatives.
One of which is Chrome OS found on Chromebooks.
There are now gaming Chromebooks.
Pretty wild but yes, you can play Steam games on a Chromebook these days.
Even with RGB keyboards, so you know it’s legit.
Even with Stadia, I used to play on my living room TV.
And perhaps more broadly, whether Microsoft has cause for concern.
To look at it, nothing really screams gaming.
This one is a fairly average-looking mid-tier laptop from the outside.
Not unattractive, but definitely not given the traditional gamer treatment with aggressive design choices.
But it does have an RGB keyboard and Google has built some rudimentary controls for it into Chrome OS.
It’s 16 inches in size, 2560 x 1600 in resolution, and 120Hz in refresh rate.
Not bad at all.
It isn’t horrible, but it’s hardly what you’d look for in a gaming laptop.
But the big play with these gaming Chromebooks is the cloud.
They actually arrived at an awkward time for Google.
Checking out the new Ghostrunner 2 demo using GeForce Now.
The initial launch would have included Stadia as a key part of the marketing push.
In the world of Chromebooks, though, it certainly stands out a bit.
The hardware is good, if unremarkable.
You even get RGB on Chromebooks now to show you’re a proper gamer.
But what’s it like to actually game on?
Installing it is as simple as going into thechrome://flagsmenu and checking the necessary box.
After that, you only have to launch the installer and Google does the rest.
How does it work though?
Our pals atAndroid Centralhave some more information onrunning Steam on Chromebooksif you’re interested.
As it’s Linux, there are limitations just as you would find on the Steam Deck.
Well, actually, a few more, but the idea is just the same.
But since it’s Linux there are straight-up games you just cannot play.
Looking at you Destiny 2.
Once set up, there’s absolutely no hint this is any form of container.
Wireless controllers have been fine.
This particular Chromebook isn’t too bad at actually playing some games, either.
Obviously, lighter titles like Hollow Knight and Brotato have been fast and flawless.
But some more intensive stuff is playable, too.
The point is it works, and it’s still not a finished product.
But without dedicated graphics on Chromebooks, it’ll still be limited.
Without a first-party product, obviously the focus shifted, and NVIDIA GeForce Now is the golden child.
And it works beautifully on Lenovo’s gaming Chromebook.
With the added benefit that it doesn’t drain the battery in an hour.
plant the web apps, and they’re just as good as native ones.
Except it isn’t.
And it costs a lot less.
Indeed, many may consider it just a cheap marketing gimmick.
Serious gamers still need to buy a Windows laptop, that much is certain.
Cloud gaming is the savior, but you don’t need a gaming Chromebook for that.
As much as we joke about it, you don’t need RGB to be a gamer, either.
The experience is good, though, if you’re in the market to buy a Chromebook anyway.
Text is sharper, animations smoother, and yes, gaming is better.
The advantage this laptop has is price, at least, if recent discounts are anything to go by.
Budget gamers, assuming they’re OK relying mostly on the cloud, well that’s a different story.
Maybe Microsoft should take note.
