SteamOS 3.9.5 released with Plasma 6.7, Linux 7.2, Security Fixes, better Steam

24 Oct 2026 at 1:10 pm UTC | Last updated: 24 Oct 2026 at 1:39 pm UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand

Valve just released SteamOS 3.9.5 as stable for all users across all supported systems, bringing with it many exciting enhancements for Linux gaming.

You can expect to see an improved Desktop Mode thanks to an upgrade to Plasma 6.7.3, a newer Linux kernel to support more hardware, better support for the Steam Frame wireless adapter, there's some necessary security updates due to recent issues and much more. It's actually a reasonably big release for Valve's Linux distribution.

Key Features

General

• Updated Arch Linux base.
• Updated Desktop Mode from Plasma 6.4.3 to Plasma 6.7.3
  • For more information, see
    https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.7.0/
    https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.6.0/
    https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.0/
• Improved support for Steam Frame wireless adapter.
• Improved idle power consumption on Steam Deck when no audio is playing.
• Fixed a bug causing hidden WiFi networks to fail to connect on the first attempt.
• Fixed Steam Remote Play not working on Steam Machine when booting with no external display connected.
• Fixed "Disable Frame Limiter" toggle not working when VRR is enabled.
• Fixed the frame limiter incorrectly applying to VR titles when streaming from Steam Machine to Steam Frame.
• Fixed loss of input if a launcher window is accidentally dragged around in Game Mode.
• Fixed an issue causing frame limits to result in lower than intended FPS on certain external displays.
• Fixed issues with suspend/resume on systems with RDNA1 or RDNA2 based dedicated GPUs.
• Fixed audio issues on hotplug of certain monitors in a multi-monitor setup.
• Fixed an issue causing firmware updates to occasionally fail to apply on Steam Machine.
• Fixed a system crash when launching Forza Horizon 6 on Legion Go 2.
• Added preliminary support for Legion Go 2 brightness control.
• Fixed an issue causing certain games (incl. ELDEN RING and DARK SOULS™ III) to fail to run on recent Panther Lake Intel CPUs.
• Fixed performance issues in STAR WARS: Galactic Racer on resume from suspend on Steam Machine.
• Fixed an issue that could lead to GPU errors in The Crew Motorfest.
• Worked around a firmware issue on some ASUS devices causing excessive fan speed upon waking from sleep.
• Fixed boot screen corruption on Intel PTL+ devices.
• Fixed a bug wherein changing the timezone could prevent switching to Desktop Mode until a reboot.
• Security and stability updates
  • Revoked compromised eMudhra CA certificates.

Misc

• Updated the bootloader to improve compatibility with certain motherboards.
• The Desktop Mode lockscreen is no longer prevented from being explicitly enabled in settings (but remains off by default).
• Fixed logging in to Desktop Mode via RDP with system users when enabled.

Developer

• Switched WiFi backend to wpa_supplicant by default, improving compatibility with various WiFi networks
  • Enhanced wpa_supplicant to support fast WiFi reconnect on resume from sleep, previously only available in the iwd backend.
• Linux kernel rebased on Linux 7.2.
• Added preliminary support for hibernation, not yet exposed in Game Mode UI
  • Enhanced Linux kernel hibernation support to enable interrupting hibernate requests and fixed various driver issues.
  • Not yet enabled on Steam Deck due to an outstanding driver bug.
• Various scripts and packages have been renamed from `steamos-` to `holo-`, with aliases to the former names where appropriate.
• Improved support for running SteamOS as a VM guest with accelerated graphics (virtio-gpu, venus).
• Updated included renderdoc version.
• Reintroduced support for Android binder IPC.

Nice to see so many bug fixes too.

Right now, the biggest annoyance for me is sometimes the Steam Machine just sitting on starting a game after you click play. Seems to be related to game updates with downloads and file writing, but clicking play just doesn't seem to fully stop them sometimes so you end up sitting and waiting. I really hope Valve can make that experience a lot smoother.

🌐 External Sources: store.steampowered.com Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com. Tags: Steam Deck, Steam Frame, Steam Machine, SteamOS, Distro News, Misc, Open Source, Steam, Valve 21 Likes Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:Steam Frame CAD files released, plus an update on reservation waiting timesPick up more games in the Cozy After Dark Showcase Humble BundleSteamOS 0.4.1 Beta for Steam Frame fixes some nuisance bugsBazzite Linux has a fresh stable update for October All posts need to follow our rules. Please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Readers can also email us for any issues or concerns.