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Fedora Linux devs discuss dropping 32-bit packages - potentially bad news for Steam gamers
(www.gamingonlinux.com)
Gamers will be fine, it's bad news for Fedora.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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Maybe Steam could just bundle the needed 32 bit libs for Fedora until they can get a 64 bit only version ready.
Does the Steam Flatpak already do that or would it need to be changed to do that?
Flatpaks don't use system libraries.
Meaning the libraries should already be included in the Flatpak right?
Sorry, I'm a noob trying to understand what the possible solutions are.
This would be a stunning own goal by Red Hat (and let's face it, they are the largest driving force behind Fedora, if not in complete and total control of the project). Steam and gaming have brought so many new users to Linux - maybe even doubled the entire userbase - that if anything, they should be doing all they can to support it even better if they really want to increase the size of the userbase.
Even if flatpak is still an option, it will still drive a lot of new and existing users to use non Fedora-based distros, which would be sad for the project. I myself have never been a Fedora user, but I'm really grateful to see a lot of the positive things they do for the Linux community, so this would be a very sad step in my opinion. On the other hand, it would make me even happier if we see more users switching to Debian-based distros instead.
Doesn't Steam run basically everything, including the client itself, inside the Steam Container Runtime now? No Steam games, native or not, use the system libraries anymore. I know I occasionally need to wait a couple of seconds after an update for it to update the Steam Container Runtime before even starting the client, which makes me think that they run the client in the container as well. I think the only real 32-bit dependency it has on the system is the user space graphics driver.
Doesn’t Steam run basically everything, including the client itself, inside the Steam Container Runtime now?
What makes you think that? I don't remember any announcements to that effect.
Last time I checked, Steam used pressure-vessel (the container) only for games, not for itself. But I haven't been following changes in that area lately.
Through some script sleuthing, I did discover that Steam ships several of its own 32-bit and 64-bit libraries, and that paths to both are added to LD_LIBRARY_PATH (search path for library files) when the client is launched by the Steam Runtime, but many files (specifically the Steam Runtime) are only present as 32-bit binaries in ~/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32.
Whether the Steam client uses those is a question someone else less sleep-deprived can answer.
I've been running Steam as a Flatpak for a long time, it works just fine regardless of the underlying distro. Don't panic.
Has flatpak/snap fixed the screen lease issue for vr yet? Had to install the version off steam for vr when I set it up
Sorry, I don't have VR gear.
As a VR user, some of my games work as well as the flat games do (my god did proton do a damn good job on the flat games to the point I keep forgetting what distro I am using until I look at the "start/task bar") but some VR games refuse to load, others the visuals are extremely weird or darker than on windows (sharp light lines from ray tracing I assume or maybe dlss stuff), and some don't have the 1080p crispness I am used to on the monitor/in video playback from windows. I am confident these issues will be addressed as soon as they are able, hopefully before 10 is killed in the back alley, til then it's a duel boot for me.
Yes, I spelled it the way I did ;)
https://lvra.gitlab.io/docs/fossvr/monado/
Highly recommend ditching SteamVR and using Monado on Linux. Envision makes it super easy.
I'll look into this tonight, ty
Just went and voted against. You should too.
Damnit I just installed Fedora and it’s the best experience I’ve had lately. Works better than Bazzite and Cachy. Sigh.
I strongly doubt that they'd render Steam not runnable on their distro.
🤞
It's a proposal, not a for sure thing yet.
Also, does anyone seriously think they'd do this without some sort of carve out for Steam to work? I can't imagine a worse idea at this time than for a desktop oriented distro to break the gaming use case that hard.
Bazzite is Fedora tho?...
It is a modified version of their immutable variant and it runs poorly on my hardware. 🤷♂️
I am curious to know how it “works better”?
Bazzite for example runs poorly on my hardware. Video playback in browsers is super laggy/choppy/stuttery. I use the same browser in Fedora proper and it’s smooth.
As for Cachy, I know it’s meant for gaming but my games ran significantly worse than in both Bazzite and Fedora proper.
For my hardware setup, Fedora proper is the best balance between usability and gaming performance.
Thanks for sharing! I honestly thought Bazzite was fedora with a few more packages on the top, but your issue sounds interesting
Bazzite is actually not even Fedora directly but instead it’s part of the UBlue distribution that uses Fedora immutable as its base.
I guess think how Linux Mint uses Ubuntu base but Ubuntu uses Debian as its base.
It is a variant of a variant basically. Also immutable distributions work differently than normal ones due to their nature. The system files never get modified and everything is installed in sort of containers. That’s overly simplifying it.
Anyway, end of the day I’m still using Bazzite on my handheld Legion Go but on my desktop it doesn’t fly and instead I’m using Fedora proper.
It's really unlikely this will become an issue. Especially not one without an easy solution. Fedora is a very popular distro.
big linux wants to keep you distrohopping.
Doesnt the steam runtime already exist for legacy 32 bit games.
But outside of Steam Games like Touhou 6 maybe it is a problem.
But we also have flatpak nowadays aswell so that's a option
Fedora wishes to push people who have x32 programs away from them. Check.
Edit: put a x in front of 32 for the ones who don't understand what it means without the x.
If you’re gonna be pedantic at least be correct. Either x32 or at least say “32-bit”.
The pedantic ones are the ones obsessed with correcting small errors. I only did it because someone tried to be snarky. Emphasis on tried. I for the most part overlook small errors unless they are funny. Which are the best kind of small errors.
They might even have 33.