Valve Opens SteamOS 3.8 to All PC Hardware

Valve has released SteamOS 3.8, allowing users to install the Linux-based operating system on custom PC hardware and build their own Steam Machine.

Valve greenlights custom Steam Machines. The company stated that starting with the SteamOS 3.8 release, users can put together their own Steam Machine using whatever PC parts they want. SteamOS 3.8.10 launched last week with updates including improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms.

Valve is giving gamers the green light to install SteamOS on their own desktops. The move follows the team's ongoing work to expand hardware support beyond its original limitations.

Improvements target broader desktop compatibility. In an interview, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais said the team has been rolling out improvements to SteamOS for better desktop hardware compatibility, including eventual Nvidia graphics support. Griffais noted a growing team working on Nvidia driver support and close collaboration with Nvidia, though support may not arrive this year.

Previously, running SteamOS on custom hardware was mostly limited to AMD systems and required using a Steam Deck recovery image. The current release removes that barrier for AMD graphics card users.

Experience mirrors docked Steam Deck on TV setups. Griffais indicated that SteamOS in its current state offers a good experience on console-like PC setups plugged into a TV with a single hard drive, providing an experience similar to a docked Steam Deck or Steam Machine. Caveats remain, such as lack of HDMI-CEC support.

The core elements like the SteamOS graphics driver and shader precompilation are available. Installation is intended for fresh setups on new PCs rather than easy dual-booting.

SteamOS 3.8 arrives after recent announcement. The release comes after Valve announced the release date for the Steam Machine earlier this week. SteamOS 3.8 is out now, meaning users can download the official operating system image and try it out for themselves.