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PayPalDoing something similar to what Valve will do for the Steam Frame, Canonical have announced a Steam gaming Snap package for Arm. Making use of the open source FEX emulator that Valve are funding, it all comes bundled together to allow you to play Steam games on Linux with Arm systems.
In a post on the Ubuntu Discourse forum they've called for testing. Since this is coming from Canonical, it is not supported by Valve directly.
They left some notes about testing and compatibility:
- Our primary focus so far has been developing and testing this on the NVIDIA DGX Spark with the 580.95.05 NVIDIA driver series.
- Early performance testing on DGX Spark is promising in several games in our libraries (both native, and via Proton). (Details below)
- We are currently investigating a known issue preventing proper client functionality on Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops
- This snap will not currently run on Apple Silicon Macs running Asahi Linux due to their 16k page size requirement
Some benchmarks they shared which they noted are "not intended to be comprehensive; rather, it is just a quick a look into the types of games we’ve had success with so far":
| Game | Native Platform | Performance | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Windows x86 (via Proton) | 200+ FPS w/ DLSS | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Counter-Strike 2 | Linux x86 | smooth, no notable performance issues (2+ hour session, mostly arms race) | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Marvel Cosmic Invasion | Linux x86 | no notable performance issues | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders | Windows x86 (via Proton) | smooth, no notable performance issues. (2+ hour session) | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| DOTA 2 | Linux x86 | smooth, no notable performance issues | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Outer Wilds | Windows x86 (via ProtonGE-10-17) | smooth, no notable performance issues (~20 minute test) | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Half-Life 2 | Linux x86 | smooth, no notable performance issues | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Portal 2 | Linux x86 | smooth, no notable performance issues | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Garry’s Mod | Linux x86 | smooth, no notable performance issues | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| Hollow Knight Silksong | Windows x86 (via Proton) | Very smooth (~10 minute test) | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ Ubuntu Questing |
| Clair Obscur Expedition 33 | Windows x86 (via Proton) | Playable (~10 minute test) | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ Ubuntu Questing |
| Golf with your Friends | Linux x86 | 100+ FPS, smooth, no notable performance issues | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
| PEAK | Windows x86 (via ProtonGE-10-17) | Was previously unstable, but is now stable across 3x ~10 minute tests after a recent game update when testing on 1/7/26. (but have not yet tested with multiple players). | NVIDIA DGX Spark w/ DGX OS (Ubuntu Noble) |
I unfortunately don't have any Arm hardware to test on, apart from an older Raspberry Pi 4.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
About the author - Liam Dawe
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
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Huh, I wonder how well will it run on my Android tablet
Xiaomi Pad 5, it will be an interesting test
Xiaomi Pad 5, it will be an interesting test
0 Likes
Quoting: dpanterSnap? Uh, no. No thanks.Cannonical is just annoying… What's more - it's not like they created something exceptionally new, they just want to ride the hype wave on something that mostly other created…
0 Likes
dziadulewicz 14 hours ago
What are you ppl up there talking about? Nothing needs to die, snap and flatpak are also very different. Both have their place and more. This is important. Everything is important to get to work correctly and well on Linux and we should support Canonical on this effort!
9 Likes
Quoting: _wojtekI agree; but at the same time, Ubuntu is still Linux. So regardless of how they package it, if they can win a few more users over from Windows and increase overall Linux marketshare, I won't complain :)Quoting: dpanterSnap? Uh, no. No thanks.Cannonical is just annoying… What's more - it's not like they created something exceptionally new, they just want to ride the hype wave on something that mostly other created…
4 Likes
dziadulewicz 13 hours ago
Quoting: scratchiregardless of how they package it, if they can win a few more users over from Windows and increase overall Linux marketshareExactly. Sometimes it feels like some of these ppl think more about themselves, their choices being keen to push others to what THEY prefer and not the good of Linux overall 🤔
4 Likes
Quoting: _wojtekThat's a weird argument. Building on the work of others is like the whole stick of open-source.Quoting: dpanterSnap? Uh, no. No thanks.Cannonical is just annoying… What's more - it's not like they created something exceptionally new, they just want to ride the hype wave on something that mostly other created…
7 Likes
my problem with Canonical is that they actively harm the Flatpak ecosystem. Kubuntu used to ship the flatpak backend, but Canonical got really angry at that and it got ripped out in favor of snaps. Requiring users to do an extra steps to install flatpaks is not user friendly at all
6 Likes
Quoting: Stellamy problem with Canonical is that they actively harm the Flatpak ecosystem. Kubuntu used to ship the flatpak backend, but Canonical got really angry at that and it got ripped out in favor of snaps. Requiring users to do an extra steps to install flatpaks is not user friendly at allKubuntu has never shipped with the flatpak backend already installed. It's trivial to install it if you want it, but it's never been installed by default.
You're thinking of Xubuntu, who also never shipped with flatpak enabled. When they floated plans to have a third install method by default - deb and snap already being necessary for the default distro packages - Canonical said no since that's gratuitously confusing for new users. Just like with Kubuntu and Ubuntu it's trivial to install flatpak support on Xubuntu for those that want it.
5 Likes
dziadulewicz 13 hours ago
Quoting: Stellamy problem with Canonical is that they actively harm the Flatpak ecosystem. Kubuntu used to ship the flatpak backend, but Canonical got really angry at that and it got ripped out in favor of snaps. Requiring users to do an extra steps to install flatpaks is not user friendly at allThey didn't get angry LOL. Oh please. Ubuntu is concentrating on one packaging officially, their own, that they can audit and control. It's only wise. It's also a wish for their corporate customers.
Flatpak can be installed on Ubuntu in a whiff and they are not angry about that 😂
4 Likes
Using Snap so any time I launch a program, it hang for 5 seconds as if it is on a 5200 rpm spinning HDD. No thanks.
2 Likes
Steam snap works greatt including all the goodies inside fo gamer by default too but the flatpak of Steam is still a mess cos of access restrictions etc and cant be recommended just sayin
2 Likes
I think this is great news.
Canonical might unnecessarily cling to snap, but at least they're doing research in a known and reported problem.
Steam's compatibility with containerized package formats and repo policies.
Last edited by LoudTechie on 10 Jan 2026 at 4:40 pm UTC
Canonical might unnecessarily cling to snap, but at least they're doing research in a known and reported problem.
Steam's compatibility with containerized package formats and repo policies.
Last edited by LoudTechie on 10 Jan 2026 at 4:40 pm UTC
3 Likes
Quoting: LinuxerSteam snap works greatt including all the goodies inside fo gamer by default too but the flatpak of Steam is still a mess cos of access restrictions etc and cant be recommended just sayinMy distro packages Steam, so it's kind of a non-issue. IMO Flatpak is for things the distro isn't already packaging and for commercial things the distro can't package. And Snap is, um, for if you're using Ubuntu I guess.
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Quoting: _wojtekI strongly disagree with that statement, but whatever... 😅Quoting: dpanterSnap? Uh, no. No thanks.Cannonical is just annoying… What's more - it's not like they created something exceptionally new, they just want to ride the hype wave on something that mostly other created…
From the enduser perspective, I'm very satisfied with snaps and with the 3rd party content it brings.
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Quoting: Purple Library GuySnap is for if you really, really want vendor support and/or if you're using Ubuntu.Quoting: LinuxerSteam snap works greatt including all the goodies inside fo gamer by default too but the flatpak of Steam is still a mess cos of access restrictions etc and cant be recommended just sayinMy distro packages Steam, so it's kind of a non-issue. IMO Flatpak is for things the distro isn't already packaging and for commercial things the distro can't package. And Snap is, um, for if you're using Ubuntu I guess.
Last edited by LoudTechie on 10 Jan 2026 at 7:35 pm UTC
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Quoting: rea987Using Snap so any time I launch a program, it hang for 5 seconds as if it is on a 5200 rpm spinning HDD. No thanks.Sounds like your PC has a problem. Or are you referring to the long-fixed Firefox start up delay?
Snap might not still be the absolute fastest at startup, because it unpacks some libraries on first launch, but it's quick enough that you'd likely not notice unless you already knew.
As for getting "annoyed" about snaps, it's like using Debian and being annoyed that Fedora uses RPMs. If you're not on Ubuntu, it doesn't affect you. Move on.
Jesus. People love to hate Canonical for weird-ass "reasons".
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Quoting: scaineSounds like your PC has a problem. Or are you referring to the long-fixed Firefox start up delay?Yup, Firefox gargled by snap issue is what forced me to quit Ubuntu and migrate to Debian couple months ago. The issue might be fixed for the latest versions of Ubuntu but it still was there for 24.04 LTS release.
Snap might not still be the absolute fastest at startup, because it unpacks some libraries on first launch, but it's quick enough that you'd likely not notice unless you already knew.
The only scenario that I find such containerised solutions useful is the legacy software whose dependencies cannot be satisfied another way. Modern software, especially the libre software offers source code access (Firefox) shouldn't require snap, flatpak, appimage, etc unless there is a specific security and/or privacy reason demanding it.
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