When you want to play a game with your Steam friends on a different computer, it can be frustrating if Steam Remote Play doesn’t work. How to solve this problem? In this article from NewsPivot, we will explain 9 solutions to fix it.

What Is Steam Remote Play

Steam Remote Play enables you to launch a game on one computer but play it from other supported devices connected to Steam. Using Remote Play Together, you’re able to remotely invite your Steam friends to join a local co-op session. They don’t need to install or launch the game on their devices, as through the Steam Link app, Remote Play works on any supported device with the app installed.

Steam Remote Play Not Working Issue

Sometimes, you may find that Steam Remote Play or Steam Remote Play Together is not working. Here’s an example from Reddit:

Steam Remote Play not working?
I’m trying to play Cuphead and Enter the Gungeon with a friend but their keyboard gets paired with my controller as one so there isn’t a second player in game. is there any way to fix this?Reddit

Common Causes Why Steam Remote Play Not Working

What causes Steam Remote Play to stop working? Here are the main reasons:

  • Your Steam client is out of date.
  • Your anti-virus software prevents Steam Remote Play from working.
  • You are using a beta version.
  • Your Windows operating system version is outdated.
  • Your network connection is too slow or unable to connect.

How to Fix Steam Remote Play Not Working

How to fix Steam Remote Play not working on Windows PC? This post collects some effective solutions for you.

Solution 1: Re-enable Remote Play in the Steam Settings

  1. Launch the Steam client on the host system and then select Menu.
  2. Click Settings and then choose Remote Play.
  3. Uncheck the Enable Remote Play option.
  4. Repeat these steps to disable Remote Play on the guest system.
  5. Reboot your computer.
  6. Click Settings to check Enable Remote Play on the guest system and then on the host system.

Now, you can check if Steam Remote Play is working properly. If not, you can try the next method.

Solution 2: Turn off Other Network Connections of the Host and Guest Systems

There is a known bug in Steam Remote Play: If you use multiple network connections in the host or guest device, Steam Remote Play will not work. Therefore, you can try disabling unnecessary network connections to fix issues when Steam Remote Play is not working.

1. Right-click on the network connection icon in the Taskbar and then click Open Network & Internet settings.

Open Network and Internet settings

2. Select Change adapter options under Change your network settings.

change adapter options

3. Right-click on the network connection you want to disable and then choose Disable.

disable a network

4. Use the same method to disable all unnecessary network connections.

After that, you can restart your computer and check if you can use Steam Remote Play successfully.

Solution 3: Check Your Anti-Virus Software and Firewall

Maybe your antivirus software or firewall is set up to block Steam Remote Play. If so, it won’t work correctly. You can check your antivirus software and firewall and change the settings if necessary.

Solution 4: Disable IPV6

There are two Internet Protocol versions: IPV4 and IPV6. While IPV6 circumvents IPV4’s restrictions, it is not without issues. Your system may not be able to adapt to IPV6, causing Steam Remote Play to fail to run. Therefore, you can disable IPV6 and see if that solves the problem.

1. Right-click on the network icon and click Open Network & Internet settings.

2. Click Change adapter options under Change your network settings.

3. Right-click on the network connection you are using and then choose Properties.

4. Scroll down to find Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and uncheck it.

disable IPV6

5. Click OK to save the change.

You can now see if you can play with friends at the same time through Steam Remote Play.

Solution 5: Release the System IPs

A temporary failure of the communication module on the system may also cause Steam Remote Play or Steam Remote Play Together to not run. You can give it a try by

Steam Remote Play and Steam Remote Play Together issues might potentially be caused by a temporary failure of the communication module on the system. You can try renewing the host and guest IPs to fix the problems. However, if this does not help, try the following steps:

1. Press Win+R to open Run on the guest system.

2. Enter steam://open/console in the Run box and press Enter.

open Steam console

3. Enter connect_remote <local IP address>:27036 in the Steam console.

Solution 6: Check the Version of Steam

Before a new version is made available to the general public, the beta version is often a test version. It has a few bugs in addition to new features. This could be the reason why Steam Remote Play isn’t functioning. If the new stable version is available, you can use it instead of the previous official version to give it a try.

However, you can switch to the beta version if you’re having trouble with the stable version and would like to give it a try.

Solution 7: Disable Hardware Encoding in the Steam Settings

Follow the steps below to turn off hardware encoding in the Steam settings.

  1. Open the Steam client on the host system and then select Menu.
  2. Choose Settings and then click Remote Play.
  3. Click Advanced Client Options and then uncheck Enable Hardware Decoding.

Solution 8: Reinstall the Steam Client

Alternatively,  you can try reinstalling the Steam client to fix Steam Remote Play not working.

1. Go to C:\Program Files\Steam\ in File Explorer.

2. Copy the Steamapps folder to a safe location.

3. Go to your Task Manager to end all the Steam-related processes.

4. Select Start and then go to Settings > Apps.

5. Click Steam on the program list and click Uninstall.

6. Reboot your computer.

7. Enter the Steam installation directory and delete the remaining files. Its location is C:\Program Files\Steam or C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam.

8. Use Windows Search to search for Registry Editor.

9. Right-click the first result and choose Run as administrator.

10. Go to the following path:

32-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve

64-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Valve

11. Find the Valve folder and delete it.

12. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Steam.

13. Delete the Valve folder.

14. Restart your system.

Follow the steps above to uninstall the Steam client on the host and guest systems. Then, you must reinstall it on both computers to see if you can play the game with friends.

Solution 9: Upgrade Windows

Your outdated version of Windows XP is likely incompatible with your Steam Remote Play device if you’re still using it. You can upgrade Windows XP to Windows 10 and verify that Steam Remote Play is operating correctly.

Sream Remote Play Not Working FAQ

Can you play non-Steam games remotely?
No, it only works with Steam games where the publisher has enabled the feature.
Can I use Steam on my phone?
Yes, you can use Steam on your Android phone or iPhone. Download and install the Steam Link app on your phone and play Steam games.
How do I disable Steam remote play?
Go to Steam Settings, then uncheck Enable Remote Play in the Remote Play section, and click OK to save the change.
Can I play non-Steam games on a Steam link?
Steam Link can stream any PC game as long as you add it to your Steam library. You can add retail and non-Steam games to your Steam library by going to your Steam library from the Steam client by clicking + Add Game.
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