Steam is a popular game distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation. You can use Steam to buy and download games, chat with friends, join communities, and access various features and services. Steam also offers cloud storage, automatic updates, remote play, and more.
Steam is not only limited to selling games online, but it is also a community of gamers where you can socialize with other players. Steam is available on every platform, including Linux and its sub-distribution. You can easily install Steam on Arch Linux using the default pacman package manager tool. There are some other ways too.
Let’s explore each of these methods in detail.
How to Install Steam on Arch Linux
To install Steam on Arch Linux, you must enable the multilib repository in your /etc/pacman.conf file. After that, you can directly install Steam using the pacman package manager. Steam can also be installed using the flatpak and snap.
First, we start with the Steam installation using the pacman package manager.
Method 1: Through Pacman
Like every other distro, the pacman is the default package manager for Arch Linux, through which many applications can be installed. Steam on Arch Linux can be installed through its default package manager by activating the multi-library.
To set up Steam on Arch Linux, follow these steps:
Step 1: Edit pacman Configuration File
To activate the multi library for Steam, just open the pacman configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf
Next, find the below-given lines in the configuration file and uncomment them:
#[multilib]#Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
After uncommenting the two lines, save the configuration file using Ctrl + O key and hit the Enter key. Next, exit the nano file editor using the Ctrl + X key.
Step 2: Update pacman and Install Steam
Now first update the pacman as it will apply the changes done in the configuration file:
sudo pacman -Syu 
After updating the package manager just install the steam application by executing:
sudo pacman -S steam This will install Steam and its dependencies, such as lib32-* libraries.
Step 3: Reboot and Launch Steam
Once Steam is installed, reboot the system and launch the application. To launch Steam, you can either use the application menu or the terminal.
After launching Steam, it will download some important updates. Now, wait for the completion of these updates to download and install.
To use Steam, you have to either sign in with an existing account or create a new one after installing it successfully.
Remove Steam through pacman
If you have installed the Steam application on Arch Linux through its default package manager and want to remove it, then execute:
sudo pacman -R steam 
Method 2: Through Flatpak
Another way to install apps on Arch Linux is by using the Flatpak utility. Flatpak is not present by default on Arch Linux. You cannot install the applications until you have installed the flatpak first.
Follow these steps to install Steam using flatpak:
Step 1: Install flatpak
To install flatpak on Arch Linux, use the pacman with its -S flag by executing:
sudo pacman -S flatpak 
Once the package manager is installed, verify its installation by checking its version:
flatpak --version 
Step 2: Install Steam
Now install Steam through flatpak by executing:
flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam 
Step 3: Launch Steam
Once the steam is installed, launch it by executing:
flatpak run com.valvesoftware.Steam
After running the above command, steam will download the important updates. Next, log in with your account details to continue using Steam on your Arch Linux system.
Remove Steam through flatpak
If you have installed the Steam application on Arch Linux through its flatpak package manager and want to remove it, then execute:
flatpak remove flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam
Method 3: Through Snap
The snap package manager is another method for installing Steam on Arch Linux. But, first, you have to install the snap on Arch Linux, as it is by default not available on Arch. Unfortunately, a snap cannot be directly installed on Arch Linux through its default package manager. Instead, you can use the Arch user repository to download and install Snap on Arch Linux.
Let’s continue toward the installation of Snap-on Arch Linux. After that, we will continue with the Steam installation on Arch using the snap package manager.
Step 1: Install Git and snap
Git is a tool that manages the source code of various applications, moreover, it is an open-source tool that can be accessed by anyone. To install snap on Arch Linux, git is required to be installed, and for that run:
sudo pacman -S git
Now make a clone of the snap package manager in the Arch Linux User repository by executing:
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/snapd.git
Now navigate to the snap directory:
cd snapd
Next, install the snap package manager using:
makepkg -si
The makepkg command will build and install packages from source on Arch Linux. It requires a PKGBUILD file that has all the instructions that are needed to build the Steam package. The -s option tells makepkg to install the dependencies of the package using pacman, and the -i option tells makepkg to install the package after building it.
Once the snap package is installed and built successfully, enable it by executing:
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
Now, create a symbolic link for snap so that it can be accessed easily and for that execute:
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap
Step 2: Install Steam
Once you have installed the snap package manager on Arch Linux, install Steam on Arch Linux by executing:
sudo snap install steam
While installing, you may face the “system does not fully support snapd: cannot mount squashfs image” error. To resolve this error, restart the Arch Linux system and again run the steam install command using snap.
Step 3: Launch Steam
After the successful installation of Steam, launch the application either through the command line or through the application menu:
Remove Steam through snap
If you have installed the Steam application on Arch Linux through its snap package manager and want to remove it, then execute:
sudo snap remove steam
Method 4: Install Steam Using GUI Method
Lastly, one of the easiest methods to install Steam is using the GUI interface. This method is limited to users who use the desktop environment with their Arch Linux system.
If you are using any desktop environment like GNOME or KDE, it’s easier to install Steam directly from their software managers.
After opening the GNOME software manager, search for Steam. Here we are using the GNOME software manager for downloading Steam.
After that, click Install.
Steam is now installed on your system.
To remove the Steam installed using Snap, simply click over the delete icon.
Conclusion
Arch Linux is an independent and general-purpose Linux distribution that comes with only rolling releases and one doesn’t need to reinstall for the newer version. Gaming on Linux has now become far better than before due to the improved stability of the operating systems. Steam, which is a gaming platform, can be installed on Arch Linux in three ways: through Snap, Pacman, and Flatpak.
The simplest of all three ways of installing Steam on Arch Linux is using the pacman package manager. Steam is also available as flatpak and Snap, but unlike other Linux distros, you have to first install flatpak and Steam on your system.
