In this config you will learn how to install a digital distribution platform Steam on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus Linux. This guide assumes that your system already have appropriate VGA driver installed.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://linuxconfig.org/how-to-install-steam-on-ubuntu-16-04-xenial-xerus
COMMENTS TRANSFERRED FROM DISQUS.
Svetlana Belkin:
It’s apt now not apt-get. And it still doesn’t want to start for me on 64 bit verson of Ubuntu 16.04.
kgbme -> Svetlana Belkin
Forgot to add, in my previous reply, which I’m not sure that it’ll get passed; because it contains an address in it, URL (whether it gets reviewed, or not, IDK. :))
^^ Anyway, what had happened with me: had to log-out and launch Steam twice (for some reason, did not look at the logs :)); & afterwards, it runs -just- fine!! =)
Edit: Sorz., AGAIN, forgot to add: whether you’ve checked Additional Drivers & switched from the “Nouveau” drivers, to the “NVIDIA binary driver”; its proprietary driver(s). 
William de Leeuw:
Didn’t work for me either.
william@HP-xw4600-Ubuntu:~$ steam
Running Steam on ubuntu 16.04 64-bit
STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(0)
libGL error: unable to load driver: nouveau_dri.so
libGL error: driver pointer missing
libGL error: failed to load driver: nouveau
libGL error: unable to load driver: swrast_dri.so
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast.
If you feel like it. some advise.
clean ubuntu install.
Only 5 lines of commands used so far xD
Blake Levine:
Got it working with this command:
LD_PRELOAD='/usr/$LIB/libstdc++.so.6' DISPLAY=:0 steam
Jack The Ripper:
I tried this : LD_PRELOAD='/usr/$LIB/libstdc++.so.6' DISPLAY=:0 steam and it did not work
Caleb.Harrison:
steam wont work for me “Couldn’t set up Steam data - please contact technical support”
Federico Giani:
tried… but terminal says:
E: Impossibile to find package libgli-mesa-dri:i386
E: Impossibile to find package libgli-mesa-glx:i386
E: Impossibile to find package libc:i386
tried to go on anyway and:
Connection to media.steampowered.com (media.steampowered.com)|151.21.208.51|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, 404 Not Found
2016-07-10 01:02:20 ERRORE 404: Not Found.
…so?
Lubos Rendek -> Federico Giani:
try add multi-arch:
$ sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
Michael Ellis:
when i go to run steam, i get a message with a bunch of errors
michael@theman:~$ steam
Running Steam on ubuntu 16.04 64-bit
STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(0)
libGL error: unable to load driver: radeonsi_dri.so
libGL error: driver pointer missing
libGL error: failed to load driver: radeonsi
libGL error: unable to load driver: swrast_dri.so
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrastLubos Rendek -> Michael Ellis:
Did you install your VGA driver properly? Otherwise steam would not start.
Michael Ellis -> Lubos Rendek:
I looked at some of the other comments, and lo and behold, a solution was there. However when I click on the Icon to start steam again it does not open steam
Dalle:
When i press the steam app it opens the icon and blinks in the menu bar and then after 5 seconds it closes without any errors. How comes?
Pinkfish -> Dalle:
do you have Nvidia drivers installed?
Shadow:
I have a question … Is it a hindrance to have an AMD processor card? I always have to force Steam per terminal to open and when I’m actually in Steam, there’s no ‘Play’ button to my game. Can somebody help? Is it simply not possible to play this game (Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY) on an AMD card?
Matthew:
When i try to run steam, it says:
Command 'steam' is available in '/usr/games/steam'
The command could not be located because '/usr/games' is not included in the PATH environment variable.
steam: command not found
Is it possible to add ‘/usr/games’ into PATH?
Vash Stampede -> Matthew:
Try steam.real from command
nimb:
ILocalize::AddFile() failed to load file “public/steambootstrapper_english.txt”.
[2016-09-01 23:03:59] Startup - updater built Jun 16 2014 11:16:02
[2016-09-01 23:03:59] uninstalled manifest found in /home/poom/.local/share/Steam/package/steam_client_ubuntu12 (1).
[2016-09-01 23:03:59] Found pending update
[2016-09-01 23:03:59] Shutdown
what to do?
TigerClaws:
Running Steam on ubuntu 16.04 64-bit
STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(0)
libGL error: unable to load driver: vmwgfx_dri.so
libGL error: driver pointer missing
libGL error: failed to load driver: vmwgfx
libGL error: unable to load driver: swrast_dri.so
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
Udimberto Silvestre Junior:
Thanks!
The ‘Manual install’ method it’s work for me.
Installing in a notebook without offboard GPU.
Previously, in another notebook with offboard GPU, i’ve tryed to install just downloading the installation file in steam website, but without success.