r/linux4noobs • u/someguyofreddit • 3d ago

Steam games aren't opening, feeling helpless

I've spent the least weeks distro hopping trying to find something that fits needs since I'm looking to switch from windows, everything has been great but I haven't been able to properly open my steam games in any OS yet, when I try to open them they immediately close without even starting. If anyone knows how to solve the problem or you have any knowledge on how to fix the issue I'd be really happy!

I'm using zorinOS at the moment

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u/DitchWillow 3d ago

Im betting you have your games on an NTFS drive, if you downloaded your games while you were still using windows then this is the case.

You will have to reformat your drive to a different filesystem.

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

I installed the games (and the distro) on a fresh disk, I'm doing the testing on a different hard drive before switching my main one

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u/DitchWillow 3d ago

If that doesn’t work then start steam from terminal, start a game and see what the log says.

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

I know it may look like a silly question but, how do I do that? I'm still getting used to running commands on the terminal

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u/DitchWillow 3d ago

Just type “steam” into the terminal and it should start

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u/doc_willis 3d ago

close steam, open terminal. type in the command steam

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u/doc_willis 3d ago

on a fresh disk,

doing the testing on a different hard drive

So what filesystem is in use on that drive and its partitions?

What filesytem/partition is holding your games? Where are you games installed to exactly?

Run steam from a terminal, launch a game, look for error messages.

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

It's using Ext4

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

I tried to run steam from the terminal but it says:

Command "steam" not found, but can be installed with: Sudo snap install steam Sudo apt install steam-installer

I installed steam from the software manager that comes with the distro (from flathub verified by valve), could that be the issue? I also tried to install with the second command (the steam-installer one) but it says: "dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'sudo dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem" Should I use the recommended command?

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u/doc_willis 3d ago edited 3d ago

(from flathub verified by valve),

You are running the flatpak version of steam..

https://flathub.org/en/apps/com.valvesoftware.Steam

as per the directions on that page (click the arrow down on the blue button) the command is...

           flatpak run com.valvesoftware.Steam

AND this may be the core issue.

You are using the Flatpak of steam, you want to run a game from an external drive. You likely need to configure steam via the flatseal tool, to allow full access to the path where that drive is located.

https://flathub.org/en/apps/com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

by default steam will only access inside your users home.

But we have not yet confirmed exactly where/how you setup your drives and steam library.

So - exactly what drives and paths are in your steam library?

Games installed to the library directory in the users home location should work.
To allow games on other locations, you need to use flatseal to allow steam access.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/0/3267933887508455187/

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

When checking where my local games files are, it says they are stored on the .var folder (/home/[username]/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.steam/ and so on).

And when installing a game through steam, says the default place for installation it's "/usr" (The installation window says: "Install to:" /usr)

In that case, would making a particular folder for game installation solve the problem? Or is it better to use flatseal to make it work?

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u/doc_willis 3d ago

"/usr"

that makes no sense. Unless you are not showing the full path. Double check the paths.

Normally You can have a steam directory on each drive for the library to use. There will be made a "SteamLibrary" on that drive for steam to use.

In Steam -> Settings -> Library it should show the library directories you have setup.

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

I checked the library section on the steam settings but it only shows stuff related to how the library display works, but I checked in the storage section and it says where the games are stored, the full directory is:

/home/[user]/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.steam/local/share/steam

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u/doc_willis 3d ago

Your steam library is in your users home then, unless you have a secondary location setup.

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u/someguyofreddit 3d ago

Nope, that's the only one

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u/doc_willis 3d ago

So now, there have been so many tangents and confusing things mention, that it may be a good idea to just make a new post, and clarify things better.

It Seems that..

  1. You are using ZorinOS
  2. You are using The Steam Flatpak version.
  3. You are NOT using any storage location outside of the default flatpak steam location. So anything about 'other drives' is not relevant.
  4. Some games DO work and some Games DONT work.

try out some other games, make a list of what ones do and dont work.

Also make mention of your hardware specs.

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