Step‑by‑Step Guide: Install Steam on openSUSE Leap 16

If you're interested in a stable version of openSUSE for desktop users, such as openSUSE Leap 16.0, know that the upcoming Leap release uses sources from SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE). It features a stable LTS kernel 6.12 (from SLES 16.0).

There are drastic changes, including the removal of the YaST stack and the introduction of a brand new Agama installer.

It also comes with the latest version of Gnome, version 48, making it a good choice for laptop users and Gnome enthusiasts.

A release candidate for openSUSE Leap 16.0 is already available for download.

However, it is not ideal for gamers, especially those using Steam. Due to the limited set of 32-bit libraries in Leap 16 and the lack of support for 32-bit binary execution in its kernel, the team has decided to remove Steam from the Non-OSS repository.

This means you have to make a few changes to your openSUSE Leap 16 system to allow Steam gaming.

For now, Steam only works fine with Flatpak.

How to configure openSUSE Leap 16 for 32-bit x86 execution?

Here is the one-liner to install 32-bit x86 execution and SELinux policy changes to allow for a better gaming experience, as well as a package to provide device support for Steam-related hardware:

sudo zypper install grub2-compat-ia32 selinux-policy-targeted-gaming steam-devices

After installing the above packages, make the following changes to the grub file:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Edit the line therein from GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="" to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=“ia32_emulation=1”:

Once you are finished, simply update GRUB and reboot your system:

sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
sudo reboot

After the reboot, verify it with the following command:

~> cat /proc/cmdline | grep ia32
BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.12.0-160000.20-default root=UUID=xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx ia32_emulation=1 mitigations=auto quiet security=selinux selinux=1

If you see ia32_emulation=1 in the output, you are good to go!

How to install Steam on openSUSE Leap 16?

Until the issue with missing 32-bit libraries and dependencies is resolved, Flatpak is the way to go!

Install Flatpak to add Flathub repository:

sudo zypper install flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Install Steam using Flatpak:

flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam

Open the Steam desktop launcher to log in to your account and start enjoying your games!