SteamOS is finally getting closer to offering full support for NVIDIA GPUs

Valve is accelerating the development of SteamOS for NVIDIA graphics cards, and some GeForce models are already compatible with the system’s development builds.

Valve has just taken another step toward making SteamOS compatible with NVIDIA graphics cards. Pierre-Loup Griffais, an engineer at Valve, confirmed that NVIDIA drivers are now integrated into the main SteamOS development branch. As a result, certain generations of GeForce cards can now boot up and run on the operating system—a significant step forward for a platform that has, until now, been primarily associated with AMD hardware. However, this development does not mean that SteamOS is now ready to support all NVIDIA graphics cards under conditions comparable to those offered by Windows or the most advanced Linux distributions. Valve notes that significant work remains, particularly to ensure that the performance of the relevant GPUs is fully utilized.

Nevertheless, the company considers this compatibility a top priority, and the stakes extend far beyond the Steam Deck alone. As SteamOS expands to new device categories, improved hardware compatibility could enable the system to reach a much broader audience. In particular, machines equipped with an NVIDIA GPU could become viable candidates for SteamOS installation, an area where current compatibility remains a major obstacle. The integration of the NVIDIA driver into the main branch is primarily a technical milestone. Valve notes that certain generations of graphics cards can already be initialized and run on SteamOS.

Like the Steam Deck, devices capable of running SteamOS are primarily AMD-based. © Valve

However, the implementation is still far from being considered final, and the performance achieved does not yet meet expectations. This is precisely where Valve is now focusing its efforts. The company acknowledges that a gap remains between the driver’s current performance on SteamOS and the performance achievable with NVIDIA GPUs in other Linux environments. Developers are working to narrow this gap through ongoing improvements. Valve has already explained that certain similar efforts—particularly those related to compatibility with other hardware architectures—require several years of development. No specific timeline has been provided for NVIDIA support to be considered sufficiently mature to be offered to the general public.

This move could, however, gradually change SteamOS’s position within the PC ecosystem. Until now, devices officially running Valve’s system have relied primarily on AMD graphics solutions. The arrival of sufficiently robust NVIDIA support would reduce this dependence and significantly expand the range of configurations capable of running SteamOS.