By Hester / Last Updated March 17, 2023

Can I play Steam games on Android without PC?

 

I've been trying to figure out how to play games from steam on my Android phone. Not having any luck at all. Can anybody tell me how to play Steam games on Android without PC?”

- Question from Steam Forum

steam games on android

How to play Steam games on Android without PC

Can you play Steam games on mobile without PC? You may have questioned how to play Steam games on your Android phone if you've ever desired to. Fortunately, there is a solution. Android users can stream PC games to their phones using the Steam Link app. This section will explain how to play Steam games without PC on an Android phone.

Preparation work: The hardware requirement

Let's look at the necessary hardware requirements before we begin the tutorial.

A host computer running one of the following operating systems is required: Windows 7 or newer, SteamOS, MacOS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or newer, and Linux Ubuntu 12.04 or newer. Dual-core CPU with hyper-threading and 8GB of RAM.
A reliable network. If at all possible, the network configuration should be on 5GHz, but not below 15Mbps. You will have a more steady connection if your network is faster.
A controller. The controller improves the Steam gaming experience when using an Android phone. Your gaming experience can be streamlined by pairing a Bluetooth controller or by connecting a keyboard and mouse.
An Android device. The final hardware requirement is an Android device. Any Android tablet or phone with Android 5.0 or newer is available.

Part 1. Enable Steam Streaming on your PC

Steam Link configuration begins on the host computer. You need to enable streaming over your network.

Step 1. Open Steam on your host computer. In the top left corner, click Steam > Settings.

steam settings

Step 2. Click In-Home Streaming in the left menu, then check Enable streaming. Click ADVANCED HOST OPTIONS after that.

steam enable streaming

Step 3. Check Use NVFBC capture on NVIDIA GPU if your host PC has an Nvidia graphics card. Select Prioritize network traffic if desired, then click OK.

steam advanced host options

In the In-Home Streaming interface, you can also configure client preferences. Choose from Fast, Balanced, or Beautiful for the Android device's performance.

Additionally, from ADVANCED CLIENT OPTIONS, you can customize the speakers, enable hardware decoding, set a bandwidth or resolution limit, and display performance data. (These options can later be modified in the Steam Link app as well.)

steam client options

Part 2. How to play Steam games without PC via Steam Link

How to play Steam games on Android without PC? We'll explain how to configure it on your Android phone. Before operations, connect your Android device to the same network as your host computer.

Step 1. Install Steam Link app from Google Play to your Android device, and make sure your host PC is on and running Steam.

android steam link

Step 2. Open the software and click Get Started.

steam link get started

Step 3. Select whether you want to pair a Steam Controller or a different controller. You can Skip it if your controller is already paired or you want to use touch control.

steam link pair controller

Step 4. Then your host computer should be visible on the list. If it isn’t, check the PC’s firewall settings and verify that both the devices are on the same network, and then tap Rescan.

steam link available computers

Step 5. Tap the target computer, then you will see a four-digit PIN. Enter this number in the Steam prompt on the host computer and then click OK.

steam link enter pin

Step 6. Once successfully paired, Steam Link will test the network connection between your devices. Tap OK when the test completes.

steam link network test

Step 7. On the main interface, tap Start Playing to get started. (The host computer will then start Steam Big Picture Mode. Your Android phone will be in charge of your computer until you disconnect from the Steam Link connection.)

steam link start playing

Step 8. Select your Library, and then you can launch the Steam games installed on your host computer.

steam-link-library

Bonus tip: How to play PC games on Android without PC

Only Steam games can be accessed through Steam Link. What should you do if you want to remotely play other PC games on an Android phone? In this situation, we advise using the remote access software AnyViewer to complete this task.

It supports Windows, iOS, and Android devices.
 It allows remote access to an unattended computer in different networks.
 It performs a variety of functions. In addition to playing PC games, you may use your computer to accomplish other activities as if you were sitting in front of it.
 It offers several considerable features, for example, gestures, a virtual mouse and keyboard, etc.
 It is created by a competent technological team, guaranteeing you an uninterrupted, quick, and stable remote connection.
 You can manually change the image quality due to your network condition.

┇Part 1. Preparation work on remote computer ┇

Step 1. Download AnyViewer on your Windows computer, install, and open it after that.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7
Secure Download

Step 2. Go to Log in and click Sign up. (Log in directly if you have already signed up.)

log in anyviewer

Step 3. Fill in the information and click Sign up.

sign up for anyviewer

Step 4. After you log in to AnyViewer successfully, you can see the assigned devices.

free editions

┇Part 2. Control computer from Android phone┇

Step 1. On your Android phone, download, install, and open AnyViewer for Android.

Tips: Since AnyViewer is also available for iOS devices, you can play PC games on iPad or iPhone with the similar steps below.

Step 2. Sign in with the same AnyViewer account that you used on the computer.

log in

Step 3. Go to the Device interface and tap the target computer you want to control.

my devices

Step 4. Tap One-click control option to achieve an unattended remote connection.

operations

Step 5. Then you run Windows PC games, including Steam Games from Android.

horizontal

Conclusion

This post introduces how to play Steam games on Android without PC. There is a software called Steam Link that is designed for screaming Steam games, which allows you to play Steam games on mobile devices without a PC.

The limitations are that both your devices should be connected to the same network and it requires strong Internet. Therefore, to remotely play PC games everywhere you want, try AnyViewer. Upgrade AnyViewer to Professional or Enterprise plan, and you can get more benefits, including high-quality image, privacy mode, fast file transfer, and assign more devices for convenient one-click remote access.