Hey everyone! I’m getting back into gaming after a long break and I just set up Debian 12 with GNOME3 on my Intel NUC8, which has 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. I’m eager to play some Steam games and I’m wondering about the best way to install the Steam client on my system. I’ve seen there’s a Flatpak version made by Valve and a Debian package (.deb) from Steam. I’ve got limited space on my root disk (240GB), but I do have that spare 1TB SSD available. Will either installation method allow me to store games on that non-root SSD? Thanks!
3 Answers
Definitely use the package manager to install Steam; it’s super easy that way. You can install games anywhere on your filesystem as long as you have write permissions. Also, the .deb version is generally better practice than using loose .deb files, and it should be up to date since you’re on Debian.
Valve officially recommends using the Debian package since it’s maintained by your distro. The Flatpak version is community-created, but it does work too. Keep in mind, if you go with Flatpak, you’ll need to give it access to your second drive to install your Steam library there. The .deb version is pretty straightforward and shouldn’t require any extra setup.
I’ve been in a similar boat! I used the native version on Arch for a long time, but I switched to Flatpak to resolve issues with some games not launching. I did notice some problems with my gaming controls on Flatpak, which didn’t happen on my Steam Deck, but the performance was better for some titles. If Flatpak works for you, great! If you run into issues, just try the native package.
