Are Chromebooks Really Good for Gaming Now?

Chromebooks were designed to beryllium inexpensive acquisition machines, oregon lightweight and affordable portable enactment laptops. They were ne'er meant to regenerate general-purpose laptops, oregon idiosyncratic computers successful general, which includes the amusement functions of astir devices.

However, amusement maine a computer, and I'll amusement you idiosyncratic who wants to play video games connected it. So it should beryllium nary astonishment that students successful peculiar would similar to stroke disconnected immoderate steam (ha!) betwixt mathematics lessons, truthful tin gaming beryllium bully connected a Chromebook?

Steam connected Chromebooks Is a Revelation

If you person a Chromebook Plus, past you should person entree to Steam, which mightiness dependable similar a silly idea. However, I recovered utilizing my $329.99 basal exemplary Chromebook Plus, adjacent utmost fund hardware is amazingly capable. Combine that with Valve's tireless efforts implicit the years to marque Windows games play bully successful Linux, and astir of my older PC games connected Steam conscionable enactment connected this Chromebook Plus.

Pretty overmuch thing from the Xbox 360 epoch oregon earlier is fine, and immoderate newer titles are playable astatine debased settings. Not a atrocious acquisition astatine each if you request immoderate diversion, oregon the Chromebook is your lone device.

My ChromeBook Plus Really Surprised Me

Chromebooks person traditionally been highly low-spec, but since the operating strategy is truthful airy and it's truly conscionable moving a browser astir of the time, determination was immoderate compensation for this. The Chromebook Plus standard, connected the different hand, ensures you person a modern multi-core CPU, a decent chunk of RAM, and a modern if humble integrated GPU. For example, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 I'm utilizing has an eight-core Intel i3-N505, 8GB of RAM and a 1080p 14-inch monitor.

Honestly, gaming connected this instrumentality doesn't consciousness immoderate antithetic from gaming connected immoderate laptop. Other than it being quiet. If you negociate your expectations astir framework complaint and item settings, determination are hundreds of not thousands of games connected Steam that volition enactment large connected a Chromebook Plus.

Of course, if you don't person a Chromebook Plus, nary of this is wrong reach, but honestly, fixed the pricing, there's precise small crushed to bargain thing different than a Chromebook Plus the adjacent clip you acquisition one. The benefits of raising the show level applies to everything you bash connected these machines, not conscionable playing video games.

There Are Some Sad Limitations

As large arsenic the Steam Beta acquisition connected a Chromebook Plus is close now, determination are superior limitations. For 1 thing, conscionable arsenic with Steam deck, astir of these games tally utilizing the Proton compatibility layer, and that tin beryllium hit-and-miss. Even erstwhile immoderate games look to tally perfectly, determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate benignant of game-breaking bug astatine immoderate constituent that ruins the experience. Then again, I person personally not tally into this arsenic yet, and it's not similar bugs similar these can't impact immoderate platform.

The different large regulation is that these games tin lone beryllium played utilizing Steam. So if you person a postulation of games connected different storefront, similar GOG, for example, well, you're not going to tally them connected your Chromebook Plus. At slightest not with the aforesaid easiness oregon compatibility.

It's besides not large that Steam connected ChromeOS won't fto you instal games connected an SD paper astatine present, and I anticipation Valve fixes this contented someway erstwhile the work leaves beta.

Gaming From the Play Store Remains Disappointing

Before Steam came to Chromebook Plus systems, determination were truly lone 2 ways to play games connected a standard, unmodified Chromebook. Well, three if you number unreality streaming, which I don't. Apart from that, you could play browser-based games, oregon you could play games from the Google Play Store.

It's been a portion since I tried playing games from the Play Store connected a laptop, but I signed up for the Google Play crippled subscription, and was sorely disappointed that determination inactive aren't truly immoderate decent games connected there, and astir of them necessitate touch. So, my Chromebook Plus has a touchscreen, which means technically I tin play them conscionable fine, but it's not a convertible, which means I inactive person a full laptop assemblage hanging disconnected the screen.

Honestly, if mobile games were inactive the lone option, the question I posed successful the rubric would "no" arsenic the answer, but luckily it's not.

Give Your Steam Library a Try On ChromeOS

So if you person a Chromebook Plus that meets the requirements for the Steam Beta, past I'd perfectly accidental that gaming connected a Chromebook is beauteous great. My Xbox controller worked perfectly, astir games that were listed arsenic compatible ran conscionable fine, and the strategy was quiescent with a decent magnitude of artillery beingness to boot.

If you don't person a Chromebook Plus, good you'll person to bounds yourself to basal 2D mobile and browser games, which is good but not "good" by immoderate agelong of the imagination. Also, the higher-spec the Chromebook you buy, the amended and much games you tin run. However, I inactive consciousness similar erstwhile you commencement moving into premium Chromebook territory, you're amended disconnected buying an entry-level Apple Silicon MacBook, since gaming connected Mac is besides successful a beauteous comparable spot to Chromebooks.