How To Fix Missing 32-bit Libraries Error for Steam on Ubuntu

In this article, we will discuss how to fix the missing 32-bit libraries error for Steam on Ubuntu. This is a common issue faced by many users trying to run Steam on Ubuntu, particularly when the error message mentions a specific library, such as libc.so.6.

Understanding the Issue

Before we dive into the solutions, it’s important to understand what the error message means. The libc.so.6 file is a part of the GNU C Library, which provides the essential routines for allocating memory, searching directories, opening and closing files, reading and writing files, string handling, pattern matching, arithmetic, and so on.

When you’re trying to run Steam (which is a 32-bit application) on a 64-bit version of Ubuntu, it requires certain 32-bit libraries to function. If these libraries are missing, you’ll encounter the error message.

Solution 1: Installing libc6-i386

The first solution involves installing the libc6-i386 package. This package contains the 32-bit version of the GNU C Library which is necessary for running 32-bit applications on 64-bit systems.

To install this package, open a terminal and run the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libc6-i386

The sudo command allows you to run commands with administrative privileges, apt-get update updates your package lists, and apt-get install libc6-i386 installs the libc6-i386 package.

Solution 2: Installing Steam from Ubuntu Repositories

If the first solution does not resolve the issue, you can try installing Steam directly from the Ubuntu repositories. This should install Steam along with any necessary dependencies, including the missing libraries.

Open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get install steam

Solution 3: Creating a Symlink and Reinstalling Steam

If neither of the above solutions work, you can try creating a symlink (symbolic link) to libc.so.6 and reinstalling Steam using SteamCMD.

Step 1: Find the location of libc.so.6

Open a terminal and run the following command:

find /lib -name libc.so.6

This command searches the /lib directory for the libc.so.6 file. Note down the path returned by this command.

Step 2: Create a symlink to libc.so.6

Run the following command in the terminal:

ln -s /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 /lib/libc.so.6

The ln -s command creates a symbolic link. In this case, it creates a symlink to libc.so.6 in the /lib directory.

Step 3: Install Steam using SteamCMD

First, create a directory for SteamCMD and navigate to it:

mkdir ~/steamcmd2
cd ~/steamcmd2

Then, download SteamCMD:

wget http://media.steampowered.com/client/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Extract the downloaded archive:

tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Run SteamCMD:

./steamcmd.sh

Finally, run Steam:

./steam.sh

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed three solutions to fix the missing 32-bit libraries error for Steam on Ubuntu. Remember to carefully follow the instructions and be cautious while making any changes to your system. If you encounter any issues, don’t hesitate to seek help from the Ubuntu community or the Steam forums.