Handheld devices like the Steam Deck may be on the rise, but if you already own a gaming PC and use a smartphone, you have the necessary hardware to stream your favorite games, all thanks to Valve's Steam Link app. Here, we'll show you how to use it.

What Do You Need to Play Steam Games on Your Phone?

To play Steam games on your phone, you'll need to meet the following requirements:

  • A computer with the Steam desktop app installed
  • At least one Steam game on the host device.
  • A reliable Wi-Fi network.
  • An iPhone or Android device with Steam Link installed.

We've covered the instructions for an Android device, but they're also applicable for streaming Steam games to your iPhone.

How to Play Steam Games on Your Phone

If you haven't done already, install the Steam client on your PC. Then, find and install the games you want to stream to your phone. And lastly, you'll need to install the Steam Link app on your iPhone or Android device. Feel free to use the links below.

Download: Steam Link for Android | iOS (Free)

Ensure both your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. In the Steam desktop client, click Steam > Settings > Remote Play. Now, toggle on the Enable Remote Play option if it's disabled.

Enabling Remote Play in Steam desktop app

Open the Steam Link app and tap Allow > Get Started. The app will scan for computers running Steam on your Wi-Fi network.

Scanning for computers in the Steam Link app

Once the Steam Link app finds the computer you want to stream from, tap it. A PIN will appear in the app. Now, on the Steam desktop client, click Steam > Settings > Remote Play > Pair Steam Link and input the PIN in the Steam Link app. Click Confirm and wait for the network test to complete.

Testing network on the Steam Link app

As long as your mobile device is in proximity to the router, or you have a strong signal regardless, you should get a window stating that the bandwidth test was successful. If you have connection issues, make sure you've connected your phone to the 5GHz band on your router so that you notice the difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands.

Now that the Steam Link app is paired to your computer, you're ready to play Steam games on your phone! In the Steam Link app, you'll see the computer you're connected to, the controller in use, and the connection quality.

Status of the device, controller, and connection quality in the Steam Link app

If no controller is detected, the Steam Link app will use the Touch Controller by default.

If everything looks good, tap Start Playing. The app will establish a connection with your computer, and you can navigate it in real-time. Steam Link will immediately display your Steam library in Big Picture Mode. Select a game, then tap Play to begin streaming your Steam game from your computer to your phone.

If you want to connect to another computer, go to the Steam Link app's home screen and tap Settings (gear icon). Then, select Computer to scan for another computer. If your computer doesn't appear, tap Rescan.

Choosing other computers to stream from in the Steam Link app

If Steam Link still doesn't detect your computer, but you know it's there, you can tap Other Computer to add it manually. Selecting this option will reveal a PIN on your phone. Open the Steam client on your computer, go to Steam > Settings > Remote Play > Pair Steam Link, and input the PIN that appears on your phone.

Pairing to a new computer in the Steam Link app

While you're playing, you may notice some performance issues. First, adjust the streaming settings of the Steam Link app itself. In the Steam Link app, tap Settings (gear icon) > Streaming, then choose either Default, Enhanced 1080p, or Enhanced 4K.

Streaming settings in the Steam Link app

Additionally, you can adjust the streaming options on your computer. In the Steam desktop client, click Steam > Settings > Remote Play. Under the Advanced Streaming Options section, enable the toggle next to Enabled Advanced Host Options. You'll see options to prioritize network traffic, enable hardware encoding, and more.

Enabling Remote Play in Steam desktop app

When you want to play your favorite controller-friendly Steam games in a more mobile environment, streaming Steam games on your phone using the Steam Link app is the answer.

If you have an old phone sitting around, don't throw it away in the garbage. Instead, repurpose it as a dedicated handheld device for streaming PC games.