Troubleshooting¶

This page includes guidance on troubleshooting the Steam snap.

Submitting game reports

If you want to submit a report on a game for discussion with other users of the Steam snap, or create an issue for the project maintainers, read our contributing guide on using the game reports tool.

Generic workarounds¶

Give these a try before opening an issue.

If you can’t run a native game, try forcing Proton Experimental.
If you can’t run a game installed in another storage device, try installing the game on the default storage device instead.
If you can’t run a game with your dedicated GPU and have an integrated GPU, try using your integrated GPU.
Connect hardware-observe and system-observe: snap connect steam:hardware-observe, snap connect steam:system-observe.
Restart your computer (especially after updating packages or snaps relating to Steam or drivers)

You can still open an issue if one of these workarounds fixes a problem, but please include what you’ve tried in your issue.

Troubleshooting specific games¶

You may check the reports discussions for troubleshooting tips with a specific game, and expected results. Also check ProtonDB to see if your game should work based on other’s input. If our reports don’t contain the game you’re experiencing issues with, feel free to add it with the steam.report tool. Some games may also be listed on the known game workarounds page.

You can also check the PC Gaming Wiki for information on game compatibility, local and cloud game files, and system support.

Switch/update branch¶

To test whether the issue has to do with the version of your Steam snap, you can try a different version or branch.

To check your current version/branch:

snap info steam

To switch or update:

snap refresh steam --<branch>

View logs¶

Steam logs¶

When Steam is run via a command-line interface, Steam and game-related logs will be displayed in the same terminal window in real-time.

snap run steam

The most detailed logs can be gathered by compressing the logs found in ~/snap/steam/common/.local/share/Steam/logs and providing the archive.

Game logs¶

To create a file with the output of a specific game, add the following to a game’s Launch Options:

%command% > $HOME/game_log 2>&1

This will create a text file containing the game’s output in /home/$USER/snap/steam/common/game_log. (Credit to thatLeaflet.)

Alternatively, just copy/paste the logs from running Steam in the terminal starting from pressing the “Play” button in Steam.

Kernel logs¶

The dmesg command outputs kernel messages from the ring buffer. It includes information about hardware, drivers, and system errors:

sudo dmesg

Particularly, lines with apparmor="DENIED" and "snap.steam.steam" are most useful.

Enter snap shell¶

To enter the snap shell, run

snap run --shell steam

Then, run cd $SNAP as most directories you want will be here. Other useful directories may be listed in env.

Type exit or press Ctrl+ D to exit.

Launch options¶

You can modify the launch options for a specific game by right-clicking the game in your Library and clicking on Properties. The launch options are in the General tab.

Any options should end with %command%.

Steam run options¶

Steam UI frozen or not responding? Try running Steam with snap run steam -vgui to use the old Steam UI, or try snap run steam --reset.

Using a dedicated GPU¶

See: How to use a dedicated GPU.

HiDPI¶

Enable HiDPI support in the Steam client by going to Settings > Interface and check “Enlarge text and icons based on monitor size”.

Restart Steam for the changes to take effect.

With PR #34, Steam should correctly display cursors at their right size (and with the right icons!).

The Arch wiki also has some information regarding Steam and HiDPI issues.

Using unverified builds¶

Unverified builds are UNTESTED and may not be stable.

You probably shouldn’t be doing this unless recommended to, or if you are testing a specific fix.

Always revert to a verified branch afterwards.

Installing¶

Download the snap artifact you need from its Action. They usually can be found on the “Summary” tab of the Action corresponding to the commit/merge. All action runs can be found here, too.

Unzip the file you downloaded and open up a terminal. Run snap install /path/to/your/steam.snap --dangerous.

Now, run Steam as usual with snap run steam.

Revert to verified¶

After testing the change, you need to revert to a verified branch to get regular updates again.

Run snap refresh steam --amend to switch to a verified branch.