Steam Remote Play Together: How It Works, Who Needs the Game and How to Fix It

Steam Remote Play Together lets you stream a local co-op game to friends over the internet, and only the host needs to own and install it. Launch a supported game, press Shift+Tab to open the Steam overlay, right-click a friend and choose Remote Play Together. Once they accept, they are in your game. If it stutters or their controls do nothing, the fix is usually the host's upload speed, a wired connection, or the input permissions in the overlay.

Couch co-op has an obvious weakness: your friends have to be on your couch. Remote Play Together removes that requirement by treating a friend across the country as if they had plugged a controller into your PC. It costs nothing extra, and it can turn one $15 party game into an evening for a whole group. It also has real limits that are worth understanding before you promise anybody a game night. This guide covers what you need, how to start a session, how to choose a suitable game, how to get the smoothest stream, and what to do about the problems that come up most often.

Key facts

• Only the host has to own and install the game. Valve describes friends joining local co-op sessions remotely without having to own or launch it themselves.
• The feature only works with games that list Remote Play Together on their store page.
• To invite someone, open the overlay with Shift+Tab, right-click your friend and select Remote Play Together.
• Valve recommends at least a quad-core CPU on the computer running the game and a wired network for the best streaming.
• Valve's announcement says up to four players can join, or even more under ideal conditions.
• Steam's documented streaming ports are UDP 27031 and 27036, and TCP 27036 and 27037.
• Streaming non-Steam games added to your library may work but is not officially supported.

How Remote Play Together works

The important thing to understand is that your friends are not running the game at all. The game runs only on the host's computer. Steam captures the video and sound, sends it to each guest as a live stream, and returns each guest's button presses to the host's machine. The game itself has no idea anyone is remote and simply believes several controllers are connected locally.

That design explains nearly everything about how the feature behaves:

• Guests do not need a powerful PC. Valve says the receiving device has more modest requirements, and any recent laptop or PC should be fine, as long as it supports hardware H264 decoding.
• The host carries the load. The host's computer has to run the game and encode a video stream at the same time.
• Upload speed matters more than download speed. The stream goes out from the host's connection, and each additional guest adds to the demand.
• Lag is inevitable for guests. Their input has to travel to the host and the picture has to travel back. Turn-based and party games forgive this. Precise fighting games and rhythm games are less forgiving.

It also differs from Steam's other streaming feature. Remote Play Anywhere is for streaming your own games to your own devices, signed in to the same account. Remote Play Together is for inviting other people into a local multiplayer session.

What you need before you start

A supported game. All Steam games can be streamed between your own computers, but Remote Play Together is limited to games marked for it. Check the game details on the right-hand side of the store page.

A host PC with some headroom. Valve recommends a minimum of a quad-core CPU on the computer running the game. Since encoding takes extra work, a machine that only just manages to run a game may struggle to do both.

A decent upload connection. Valve does not publish a specific minimum for Remote Play Together, but as a rule of thumb, the host should have several megabits per second of stable upload for each guest. Test your connection with a speed test and look at upload speed specifically, because many home plans have a much slower upload than download.

A device for each guest. Guests can join from a computer running Steam or by using the Steam Link app on a supported device.

Input devices for everyone. Guests can use a controller, or a keyboard and mouse if the host has allowed it and the game supports it.

Do my friends need to own the game?

No, and this is the feature's main selling point. Valve says friends can join without having to own or launch the game. Steam's own announcements also describe an invite link option, under which the person joining does not need a Steam account at all. Only the host needs to own and install the game.

The catch is that this only covers the streamed session. Your friends do not get a copy of the game to keep, their progress is saved on the host's machine, and they lose access the moment the host stops streaming. Also, some multiplayer titles are designed around online play, where each player has to own their own copy. Remote Play Together only works with a title's local multiplayer support.

Step by step: inviting friends

Inviting a Steam friend:

1. Launch the game on the host's PC.
2. Make sure that your friend is logged in to Steam on a supported device, and that you can see them as online.
3. Open the Steam overlay inside the game by pressing Shift+Tab.
4. Find your friend in your friends list, right-click them and select Remote Play Together.
5. Your friend accepts the invitation, and they are in your game.

Inviting someone by link:

Steam has also introduced a guest-link option. From the overlay's friends area, a host can create an invite link and send it to someone on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS or Android. That person can click the link to join through Steam or the Steam Link app, without needing to own the game. The exact wording in the overlay can change with client updates, so look for an invite-link option close to the Remote Play section.

Setting up in the game itself:

Once your friend has joined, go to the game's local multiplayer menu and set up players as you would for couch co-op. They will often appear as an additional controller. You might need them to press a button on the "press start to join" screen.

Permissions: what guests are allowed to do

The host controls what each guest can do through the overlay's Remote Play panel. Valve's announcement explains that remote keyboard and mouse use is off by default, for good reason: a guest with mouse and keyboard access may be able to interact with more than just the game.

Think of permissions like this:

When you finish a session, make sure that guests have left. Valve also points out that Remote Play can allow access to a host computer beyond the game being streamed when signed in to the same account on both computers, and that you can turn the feature off in the Remote Play settings if you do not want that possibility. If you only use it occasionally, disabling it between uses is a reasonable precaution, especially if you ever log in on a shared or public machine.

Choosing games that work well

Latency decides how much fun you will have. Picking the right kind of game solves most complaints.

Great choices are games where timing is relaxed, or where a small delay is the same for everyone: party collections, trivia, board game adaptations, turn-based tactics and many casual co-op titles.

Workable choices include platformers, top-down shooters and racing games. They are playable if your connection is strong, especially if the guests are geographically close to the host.

Risky choices include fighting games, rhythm games and anything that relies on frame-accurate input. These are often enjoyable only for the player on the host machine, and the guest will feel at a disadvantage.

If you are trying out a game for the first time, use its refund window sensibly. Our Steam refund policy guide explains the two-hour and 14-day limits, so you know how long you have to test.

Getting the smoothest stream

Valve gives specific recommendations for this, and they are worth following in order.

Use a wired connection for the host. Valve recommends a wired network for the best experience, and says wireless can work with good signal, but results vary. Ethernet on the host's side is the single most effective upgrade available.

Reduce the game's load. Valve suggests lowering the game's resolution and turning off vertical sync. A guest watching a stream gets very little benefit from ultra settings, while the host's PC benefits a lot from having spare capacity.

Adjust the streaming settings. In Steam's Remote Play settings you can choose your preference for speed versus quality, limit the network bandwidth and adjust the maximum capture resolution. If guests get stutter, try a lower capture resolution first.

Limit other activity on the network. Valve mentions that large file transfers can affect streaming. Pause Steam downloads, cloud backups and other streaming in your home during a session.

Reduce the guest count if necessary. Valve's announcement says up to four players, or more in ideal conditions. Every additional viewer asks more of the host's connection.

Update graphics drivers on both ends. Valve points to driver updates as a fix for poor performance, graphical glitches and black screens.

Fixing the most common problems

Invite option is missing

If Remote Play Together does not appear when you right-click a friend, confirm that the game lists the feature on its store page. Also make sure that the overlay is working, since the invite comes from inside it. Check that the overlay has not been turned off in Steam's In-Game settings, or for that game's properties. Valve's basic check is simple: your friend should see you as in-game, and you should see them as online.

Friend joins but their controller does nothing

Check the guest permissions in the overlay first. Then, as Valve advises, see if Steam's Big Picture mode recognizes the controller in its settings on the guest's computer, because a controller might need configuring there. Some games use raw input rather than standard controller methods and so are not supported. Valve also warns that wheels, flight sticks and other non-gamepad DirectInput devices are not currently supported.

Mouse and keyboard do not work for the guest

Remember that these are off by default, and the host has to allow them. If they are enabled and still do nothing, the game might be running with elevated permissions. Valve explains that Windows blocks remote input into such programs as a security measure.

No sound for the guest

Valve's checklist is to see whether audio or the Steam application is muted on the host computer, and whether audio is muted on the guest's computer. Check the Windows volume mixer on both sides, and make sure that the game's sound is routed to your default device. Valve also says errors can be listed in logs\streaming_log.txt on the host machine.

Black screen

Valve's suggestions are to update the video drivers on both computers, and then try disabling hardware encoding in the advanced host options, or hardware decoding in the advanced client options. If only one game is affected, the game may be the issue rather than your setup.

Game takes a long time to start

Valve notes that if a game takes a long time to launch, the client can time out even though the game will start anyway. Retry the launch and you will connect to the game that is already running.

Stream shows the desktop

If your game loses focus, Valve says Steam will start streaming the desktop so that you can get back to it. Click back into the game. This is another reason to keep guest mouse and keyboard permissions in check.

A User Account Control prompt interrupts the stream

Valve lists UAC dialogs as something that prevents streaming on Windows. Launch anything that requires administrator approval before starting your session.

Firewall or network blocks

Valve lists the ports that streaming uses: UDP 27031 and 27036, and TCP 27036 and 27037. Make sure that Steam can listen on these in your firewall software. Valve also reports that custom firewalls or software such as Hamachi can interfere. If you use a VPN, try switching it off for testing.

Reading performance data

If you want to work out where the delay is coming from, Valve provides built-in tools. While streaming you can press F6, or the Guide button together with Y on a controller, to display live statistics. To save a report, press F8 or the Guide button together with X, and Steam writes a screenshot and 10 seconds of stats to a zip file on the host machine.

You do not need to be an expert to get value from this. Watch for whether the numbers jump only when somebody else in the house is using the internet. If so, you have found the problem without spending anything.

Can you use Remote Play Together with non-Steam games?

Autocomplete shows that people search for this a lot. Valve says that streaming non-Steam games in your Steam library may work, but it is not officially supported. For Remote Play Together specifically, Valve's documentation refers to games with the feature listed on their store pages. So do not plan a game night around a non-Steam title without testing it beforehand.

Does each person need good internet?

Mostly the host. Guests need a stable download connection and low delay to the host, though their connection does not have to be exceptional. For the host, the biggest issues are upload bandwidth and Wi-Fi quality. Distance also plays a part: a friend in the same city will have a noticeably better experience than someone on another continent, simply because the signal has less distance to travel.

A quick way to test for this is a short, low-stakes session before the big night. Fire up a party game with one friend, then add another, and see at which point things begin to degrade.

Planning a good game night

• Do a technical test the day before and not five minutes before everyone arrives.
• Have the host use Ethernet and close everything unnecessary.
• Set up a separate voice call, since Valve says an invite will not automatically begin voice chat. Note that Valve lists voice recording over streaming as unsupported.
• Choose games that have short rounds, so that it is easy to swap players around.
• Keep a backup game ready in case your first choice does not behave.

If you would like to pick up a few party games without spending much, keep an eye on Steam's sale calendar, and consider gifting a game if your group wants to take turns hosting. Those who prefer to earn Steam credit instead of spending it can join XPReward for free, complete offers for points and put them toward a gift card. Be realistic, since a $25 card is 3,600 points and offers differ by country, but it can quietly fund a party game or two over time.

Frequently asked questions

Do both players need to own the game for Remote Play Together?

No. Only the host needs to own and install the game. Valve says friends can join without owning or launching it themselves, and Steam's invite link option lets people join without a Steam account by using the Steam Link app.

Why is Remote Play Together not working?

First confirm that the game lists the feature on its store page and that the Steam overlay works in that game. Then check your firewall, VPN and network. Valve's documented ports are UDP 27031 and 27036, and TCP 27036 and 27037.

How many people can join Remote Play Together?

Valve's announcement says up to four players can join, or even more in ideal conditions. In practice the limit depends on the game's local multiplayer support, along with the host's upload speed and hardware.

Why can't my friend use their keyboard and mouse?

Remote keyboard and mouse are disabled by default, so the host must allow them in the overlay. If they are allowed and still do nothing, the game may be running with elevated permissions, which Windows blocks from remote input.

Why is there no sound in Remote Play Together?

Check whether audio or Steam is muted on the host computer, and whether the guest has sound muted locally. Valve also advises looking for audio errors in the logs\streaming_log.txt file on the host machine.

Can you use Remote Play Together on a phone?

Guests can join on supported devices through the Steam Link app, including iOS and Android according to Steam's announcements. Touch controls are limited for many games, so a Bluetooth controller is a good idea.

Does Remote Play Together cost anything?

Steam does not charge for using it. The host only needs to own the supported game. Your normal internet costs still apply, so keep an eye on data use if you are on a capped connection.

Is Remote Play Together safe?

Yes for typical use, provided that you keep guest mouse and keyboard off for people you do not fully trust, and end the session when you finish. Valve lets you switch Remote Play off in its settings if you do not need it.

Sources

• Steam Support: Steam Remote Play, for setup steps, recommended hardware, known issues and network ports.
• Steam: Remote Play, Valve's feature overview.
• Steam Link on Steam, for the app guests can use to join.

Bars in the genre chart are our own editorial estimate. Steam details checked on 8 November 2026.