How to Play Steam Games on Android Phone.
Steam is the largest computer games store in the world. It is such a market leader that many people consider it a gaming platform for PC. However, games go beyond PCs or even consoles. Many gamers don’t want to be tied to a chair in front of a computer or TV. This is why mobile games are becoming so popular.
However, Triple-A games are not possible on mobile, so can the convenience of gaming on an Android mobile phone be combined with the power of Steam games on a PC? Yes you can! Harnessing the magic of game streaming.
How Steam Streaming Works
The concept of game streaming is pretty simple. The video game is still running on your PC, but the image and sound are compressed into a video stream and sent over the network to another device. In this case, it’s your Android phone or tablet.
In turn, the device you are playing on sends control commands back to the computer. All information passes through the network. However, if you have a good network connection, you will forget that the game runs remotely at all.
Enable Stream Streaming on Your PC
To play Steam games on your Android phone, the first thing you need to do is prepare the computer side of the equation. Don’t worry, it’s very easy!
- First open the Steam client on your computer. Then select Steam and then Steam Settings.
- Under Steam Settings, find the Remote Play section.
- Make sure the Enable Remote Play check box is selected. Then press OK to confirm.
Don’t worry about the other settings you see here. The default settings are fine for most people. You can return to this screen if you need to manage your paired Steam Link devices.
You can also select Change desktop resolution according to streaming client in Advanced Host options. This will ensure that games are displayed correctly according to the aspect ratio and screen resolution of your Android phone.
Connect Your Controller
While you can use the touchscreen on your Android device to control Steam games, most games won’t play well without some form of physical control. The good news is that almost all gamepads are compatible with Android and the Steam Link app.
Keep in mind, however, that almost all PC games on Steam that support gamepads have built-in support for Xbox controllers only. So if you, for example, use a Playstation 4 controller on a remote device, its buttons will not match what you see on the screen. For experienced gamers, this is a minor change, but should be kept in mind.
If you need specific instructions on how to connect your controller to your Android device, see How to connect your PS4 controller to Android.
Install and Connect the Steam Link App
The next thing you need to do to play Steam games on Android is find and install the Steam Link app on your Android device. Once you have installed the Steam Link, you will need to log in with your Steam account details.
After logging in for the first time, you will need to run some tests to make sure your network speed, quality settings, and controller connectivity are in order. If it’s all green, you can start playing.
The Steam Link app will automatically detect any computers that allow remote play on your local network. The first time you connect, you will need to enter a PIN in the Steam PC client, which will appear on your mobile device the first time you pair the two devices.
Launch Your Steam Games via Steam Link
When you’re ready to go, all you have to do is select the Steam game from your library that you want to play. It will launch on the host computer and you should see it on the screen of your mobile device. From now on, you can play your game as if you were sitting at your computer.
Stream Steam Games Over the Internet
Originally, remote Steam play only worked on a local area network (LAN). In other words, you had to keep your Android device and computer on the same local network. Steam has now introduced a new feature known as Steam Link Anywhere. This allows you to stream games from your PC over the Internet to your phone. Before trying this, there are a few important things to consider:
- The speed and latency of your home Internet are the most important factors.
- Mobile or Wi-Fi Internet The connection used by an Android device requires a fast, low latency connection.
You should also consider your mobile data charges. If you don’t have an unlimited data plan, try lowering the quality of the stream using the settings in the app to save on data transfer.
To activate this feature, in the Steam desktop app:
Once your application and computer are connected, you can play through any connection. Assuming a connection is established.
Playing Steam Games on Android Without a PC
What if you don’t have a powerful gaming PC from which to stream Steam games to your Android phone? The only answer here is to rent gaming equipment in the cloud. Game streaming services like Google Stadia, Playstation Now, and Xcloud allow you to play the latest games on your Android phone without using anything other than an internet connection. Yes, and a monthly subscription.
At the time of writing, there was no official Steam gaming service that could match it. The only streaming service that provides access to the Steam library is Geforce Now. This is a service provided by Nvidia that allows you to install Steam games you already own and play them using one of their cloud computers.
However, there is a catch. Due to licensing issues, not all games in your Steam library will be playable. Only games for which Nvidia has an explicit agreement with the developer will install and work. Otherwise, you will receive an error message when trying to install and play the game.
Using GeForce Now works exactly like Steam on your PC. Just open your Steam client, log in and install the game you want to play. Then launch it as soon as it is installed.
Be aware that other game streaming services may offer the games you want to play as part of their subscription fee. So, if your favorite Steam game isn’t licensed for GeForce Now, consider checking if it’s available on a streaming service other than Steam.
Get Your Game on Anywhere (With WiFi)
Streaming Steam games to your Android device will never be as flawless as playing directly on the computer running the games. However, under the right conditions, you can get pretty close.
Add to that the convenience of sitting comfortably on the couch or taking a lunch break at work, playing computer games at arm’s length, and it’s a great solution. In the future, game streaming services such as Google Stadia and PlayStation Now may become the standard way people play video games. Steam streaming is a small slice of what you can experience today.
- go to Settings> Account.
- Find the Beta Participation option and select Modify.
- Select Steam Beta Update from the drop-down list. Then restart Steam.
- In the Steam Link app, select the gear, select Computer, then select Other Computer and follow the pairing instructions.
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How to Play Steam Games on Android Phone
How to Play Steam Games on Android Phone
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