Valve: 13 Years of 32-Bit Steam for Linux Ends in One Beta

Image: Steam for Linux 64-bit client beta. Credit: Videocardz/Valve.

Steam for Linux finally ships a 64-bit client

The Steam used to launch games on Linux has been a legacy relic hiding in plain sight. Per videocardz, the October 15 Steam Client Beta moved the main Linux client executable to 64-bit architecture. Until that build, the main Steam executable on Linux ran as a 32-bit application even though 64-bit Linux distributions have been the standard for years.

The detail confuses people for a good reason: games have been running 64-bit code through Steam on Linux for ages. Per the videocardz report, the game architecture was always independent of the Steam client itself. Some client components such as Steam WebHelper already ran as 64-bit processes, so only the core executable was stuck on 32-bit. The Linux client has been shipping since Steam for Linux first launched in early 2013 [NEEDS VERIFICATION], which means the 32-bit core ran for well over a decade of 64-bit distributions.

The same beta did something structural along with the bitness swap. The client now runs inside a Steam Runtime container, the same technology Valve uses to give Linux games a consistent runtime environment across distributions. Per videocardz, Valve began testing this approach earlier in 2026 through the experimental SteamRT3 client, which previously required a separate opt-in. Combining it with the beta channel removes that hurdle.

One caveat matters more than the headline for distribution packagers. Valve has not confirmed when the 64-bit client leaves beta and reaches the stable Linux release, so users on the regular Steam client keep running the existing 32-bit build for now.

Why 32-bit libraries are still required

The tempting conclusion after the announcement is that multilib setups can finally die. Per videocardz, Valve's updated requirements say otherwise. 64-bit-only installations are explicitly not supported. Systems must still provide both 32-bit and 64-bit libraries and graphics drivers, including multilib support.

That is a predictable outcome of Steam's own ecosystem. Games purchased through the client still come in 32-bit flavors, and those binaries still need the 32-bit side of each graphics driver stack. The client changing architecture does not change what the games it launches require, so the i386 package firms have maintained on Debian-family distributions stay installed.

The floor for running the new client is modern but not extreme. The requirements are summarized in the table below, per videocardz coverage of the official Steam announcement.

Achievement Sets stop DLC from breaking 100% completion

The second fix in the week is the one completionists will pin on the wall. The long-standing hole: when developers added new achievements through DLC or game updates, the additions could strip a player's 100% completion status from a game they had already perfected. Per videocardz, Valve addressed that in the same Steam Client Beta with a feature called Steam Achievement Sets.

The mechanic splits achievements into separate named groups for a base game, DLC, multiplayer modes, or seasonal content. Each set gets its own progress bar and its own completion trophy. Crucially, achievements tied to DLC do not count toward overall game completion unless the player actually owns that content. Per the report, base game achievements display in blue and DLC achievements in purple, so ownership questions are visible at a glance.

The retroactive protection is the part that fixes the actual grievance. Players who finished an achievement set keep their completion trophy even when developers add more achievements or add new sets later. Previously earned completion stays recognized, and newly purchased DLC can still add to the overall achievement count once the player opts in by buying it.

Seasonal achievements get their own softer handling. Per videocardz, developers can now archive individual achievements or entire sets once they become impossible to unlock. Players who earned them keep their records, while players who missed the window no longer have those achievements counted against their completion progress. That closes the door on a second classic frustration: an expired event achievement pinning a favorite game below 100% forever.

The redesigned achievements page and 17 launch games

Feature needs plumbing, and the beta reshapes the page that shows it all. Per the videocardz report, the achievements page is redesigned with separate progress tracking for each set, additional search filters, and integrated global achievement statistics. Players can compare progress with up to three friends, including DLC completion and rare achievement hunting.

Profile consequences shift too. The Perfect Games section is renamed Completed, and the Completionist Showcase now supports displaying individual completed achievement sets, not just fully perfected games. That matters for games where a player owns some DLC sets but deliberately skips others.

The feature requires developer support, so its usefulness depends on adoption. Per videocardz, Valve already confirmed 17 compatible games, with the table below listing the named ones from the report.

Valve has not specified when Achievement Sets or the redesigned page reach the stable client. Everything described in this section is gated behind the Steam Client Beta at the time of writing.

Startup speed: Valve's October 13 fix versus Epic's benchmarks

The third fix arrived first and carries a marketing collision story. Per videocardz, Valve shipped a Steam Client update on October 13 including a change Valve described in the changelog as "Improved Steam Client startup performance." The changelog provided no figures and no explanation of what was optimized. The same update also stops the Steam window from stealing focus when a user switches to another application during startup.

The timing prompt for the change is Epic. Per the report, Epic Games introduced its new Epic Games Launcher Preview for Windows, macOS and Linux on October 14, and published a startup comparison sourced from Keywords Studios, an independent testing company commissioned by Epic. In that testing, the new Epic launcher opened in 5.47 seconds against 10.07 seconds for Steam, and Epic advertised the result as its new client being 1.8 times faster to launch than Steam. Per videocardz, the Keywords Studios figures came from five tests per machine, with the three lowest-end systems excluded from the final averages.

Then Valve's October 13 fix met the benchmark. Per videocardz, a startup test posted by X user girlglock on October 15 showed Steam opening in 5.23 seconds after the update. That is 4.84 seconds faster than the 10.07-second Steam figure in Epic's published comparison, and slightly below the 5.47 seconds Epic advertises for its own launcher. Videocardz directly cautions that these are different tests with no confirmation they used identical hardware, startup conditions, or measurement methods, so treat the comparison as a data point rather than a controlled head-to-head.

The practical takeaway is sober rather than triumphant. Epic's numbers were advertising material from a paid tester; the 5.23-second result is one user's measurement that videocardz itself declines to crown as a controlled comparison. What is documented without dispute is the changelog line: Valve improved Steam Client startup performance on October 13, one day before Epic promoted a launcher on the strength of Steam's slowness.

Our take

None of these three items would headline a keynote, and that is exactly the point. A 13-year-old 32-bit leftover, an achievement bookkeeping hole that quietly punished DLC buyers, and a startup regression are infrastructure problems, and Valve spent real engineering weeks clearing them across Windows, macOS, and Linux in the same October users found Epic rebranding its launcher around speed claims. Platforms are won in the changelog. A store that ships a 64-bit Linux client while its rival advertises 1.8x launch claims is betting its answer is in the product rather than in the comparison graphic.

FAQ

Is Steam for Linux actually 64-bit now?
Yes, but only in the Steam Client Beta released October 15, 2026, per videocardz coverage of the official announcement. The main executable is 64-bit and runs in a Steam Runtime container, while the stable channel still serves the previous 32-bit build.

Can I delete my 32-bit Linux libraries after the update?
No. Valve's requirements state 64-bit-only installations are not supported, so 32-bit libraries, graphics drivers, and multilib support must stay installed even with the 64-bit client.

Do DLC achievements still break 100% completion?
In the beta, no. With Steam Achievement Sets, DLC achievements do not count toward overall completion unless you own the DLC, and completed sets keep their trophies when developers add more achievements later.

Which games support Steam Achievement Sets?
Seventeen games support the feature so far, per videocardz, including Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Forza Horizon 5, Crusader Kings III, Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. It requires developer support, so more come by patch.

Does Steam really launch faster than Epic's new launcher now?
One community test relayed by videocardz measured Steam at 5.23 seconds after Valve's October 13 update, just under the 5.47 seconds Epic advertised from its own Keywords Studios testing. The two tests are not verified to share hardware or methodology, so it is a data point, not a controlled win.

When do these features reach the stable Steam client?
Valve has not confirmed dates for any of the three, per videocardz. The 64-bit Linux client, Achievement Sets, and the redesigned achievements page are beta only, while the October 13 startup fix already shipped to the regular client.

Bottom Line

The week of October 13 to 16, 2026, Valve shipped three platform fixes with dates you can cite: an October 13 startup performance improvement, an October 14 Epic launcher benchmark it quietly undercut, and an October 15 beta carrying both the first 64-bit Steam Linux client and the Achievement Sets system ending DLC-driven 100% completion wipes. All remain beta for Linux and achievements, the startup fix is live everywhere, and none of the dates guarantee when stable users see the rest. The verified pattern holds regardless: Valve keeps spending engineering time on Steam's cross-platform plumbing, even in a week dominated by a rival's marketing numbers.

Sources

• videocardz: Steam for Linux finally goes 64-bit (October 16, 2026)
• videocardz: Steam finally fixes DLC achievements breaking 100% game completion (October 16, 2026)
• videocardz: Steam Client now launches faster than Epic's new launcher (October 15, 2026)