steam

Launch Steam

$ steam

$ steam steam://rungameid/[app_id]

$ steam -bigpicture

$ steam -offline

$ steam steam://flushconfig

$ steam steam://store/[app_id]

$ steam steam://validate/[app_id]

steam [options] [steam://url]

Steam is Valve's gaming platform client. It manages game libraries, updates, and social features.
Game launching uses app IDs. Find IDs in store URLs or library.
Big Picture mode provides controller-friendly interface. Designed for TV and Steam Deck.
Offline mode plays games without internet. Some games require online.
Proton enables Windows games on Linux. Compatibility layer built into Steam.

-bigpicture

Big Picture mode.

Offline mode.

Start minimized.

Auto login.

Enable console.

Developer mode.

Skip verification.

Force TCP.

steam://rungameid/ID - Launch game
steam://store/ID - Store page
steam://validate/ID - Verify files
steam://install/ID - Install game
steam://flushconfig - Clear cache

Proprietary software. Some games don't support Linux. Large disk usage.

Steam was created by Valve Corporation in 2003. Linux support was added in 2013, significantly expanding gaming on the platform.

steamcmd(1), proton(1), wine(1)