Arm64 Linux users have never lacked web browsers. Chromium, Firefox, Vivaldi, Brave, and other options already run on devices ranging from Raspberry Pi boards to Snapdragon-powered laptops. What they have lacked, however, is an official version of Google Chrome.
That gap now appears to be closing. You see, Google has added native Arm64 Chrome packages to its official Linux repositories, complete with Google account synchronization and built-in Widevine DRM support.
Google has strangely not announced the release, and its website does not appear fully prepared for it, but the browser itself is available and working.
Credit goes to Joey Sneddon at OMG! Ubuntu for discovering the packages and testing the Debian version on a Raspberry Pi 5 running Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
This is more meaningful than simply placing another Chromium-based browser on Arm hardware. Chrome includes proprietary Google components that standard Chromium packages generally leave out.
For Chrome users, the most obvious benefit is account synchronization. Signing in can restore bookmarks, saved passwords, extensions, browser settings, and other data tied to a Google account.
That matters for people moving between a Windows PC, Chromebook, Android phone, and an Arm-based Linux system. Chromium can provide a similar browsing engine, but it does not deliver the complete Google Chrome experience.
Widevine DRM may be an even bigger reason to care, folks. Streaming protected video on Arm64 Linux has often required unofficial scripts, ChromeOS files, manual library extraction, or other workarounds. Those methods could break after browser updates or behave differently across Linux distributions.
The new Chrome build reportedly includes a native Linux Arm64 Widevine module inside the browser package. That means users should no longer need to borrow the required DRM component from ChromeOS just to access supported streaming services.
It does not eliminate every Linux streaming restriction. Widevine on Linux still generally relies on software-based protection, which can limit Netflix and other services to lower resolutions than they provide on platforms with hardware-backed DRM.
Users should not expect this package to suddenly unlock 4K Netflix or HDR playback on Linux. Intel and AMD Linux systems face many of the same restrictions, so this is not specifically an Arm problem.
Still, having a native and officially packaged Widevine component should make setup easier and may improve reliability compared with community workarounds.
Performance on the Raspberry Pi 5 also sounds respectable. OMG! Ubuntu found that 1080p and 2K YouTube videos played smoothly during testing. BBC iPlayer also reportedly performed well at its highest browser quality setting.
Playback at 4K was less successful, with dropped frames and stuttering. That is not particularly surprising on a Raspberry Pi 5. At that point, the small computer’s hardware becomes a more likely limitation than Chrome itself.
The browser is not only for Raspberry Pi owners, obviously. The same Arm64 package should be relevant to PineBook Pro users, Snapdragon X laptops running Linux, Arm workstations, Nvidia DGX Spark systems, and other machines built around the architecture.
Google previously said Chrome for Arm64 Linux would arrive during the second quarter of 2026. The company appears to have missed that target, but the arrival of packages in its own repositories suggests the project has moved beyond an early experiment.
The rollout is very much not polished yet. When OMG! Ubuntu visited the regular Chrome download page from an Arm64 system, Google still offered an AMD64 package. That version is designed for Intel and AMD processors and will not install correctly on an Arm device.
The correct Debian package can be downloaded directly by using Google’s Arm64 package address. Once installed, it adds the official Google Chrome repository, allowing future updates to arrive through the Linux system’s usual package manager.
Google has apparently also published an RPM package for distributions that use that format, although OMG! Ubuntu only confirmed the Debian package during its testing.
The lack of updated documentation creates some uncertainty. Google’s Chrome support pages do not currently list Arm64 Linux as a supported platform, and the company has not explained whether these packages are considered stable, experimental, or part of a gradual rollout.
That is worth keeping in mind before relying on the browser for critical work. A package can exist in an official repository without the surrounding support experience being complete.
Even with those caveats, this is good news for Linux users. Arm computers are becoming more common, but software support continues to trail the x86 world in several areas. Native Chrome will not solve every compatibility problem, but it removes one more obstacle for people who want to use Arm hardware without giving up their existing browser setup.
Google Chrome is effectively available for Arm64 Linux. Google now needs to fix the download page, update its documentation, and explain exactly how official this release is.
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