First released in October 2019, Valve’s ‘Remote Play Together’ feature allows you to play local multiplayer games online via Steam. The company has now updated the feature to work even with users who do not have a Steam account. In this article, we’ll take a look at how you can use Steam’s Remote Play Together feature to play games with your friends without being physically present in the same room.
Use Steam Remote Play Together
With Remote Play Together, your friend doesn’t even need to own or even install the game to play with you. A good internet connection is all they need for the feature to work as intended. If you are the host, make sure your system has at least a quad-core CPU. While your friend’s system may not need cutting-edge features, it should have a GPU that supports hardware accelerated H264 decoding.
Play Local Multiplayer Games with Steam Users
1. Open Steam and download any game that supports Steam Remote Play Together. If you have already downloaded a compatible game, launch it. If you have a large Steam library, you can use the Remote Play Together filter to view compatible games you already own. You can find a list of supported Remote Play Together games here.
2. When the game starts, Open Steam’s in-game interface using the ‘Shift+Tab’ keyboard shortcut. You will now see your Steam friends list. Right click on a friend’s name and select ‘Remote Play Together’ to invite them. According to Valve, you can invite up to 4 or more people if you have a fast internet connection.
3.Now you can start playing as soon as your friend accepts the invitation. From the Remote Play interface you can change the game volume and allow/deny keyboard and mouse controls for the second player.
Play Local Multiplayer Games with Anyone
In last updateValve has made it possible for anyone without a Steam account to join Remote Play Together. However, this functionality is currently limited to Steam beta users. You can also invite only one friend who does not have a Steam account. Others will have to join using their Steam account.
1. Install the Steam client and switch to the beta channel. To do this, Open Steam and click Steam -> Settings.
2. In the Account submenu, ‘Beta participation’ section. Click ‘Change’ To participate in Steam’s beta program.
3. When the pop-up window appears, Select ‘Steam Beta update’ and click OK.
4. Steam will now prompt you to restart the client. Click on ‘Restart Steam’ to go further.
5. You will now see the option to copy the invite link when you launch a compatible game from Steam. Click the Copy Link button to copy the link to your clipboard. Then you can share the link with your friend. Your friend can join from a Windows, macOS, Linux, Android or iOS device.
6. When your friend opens the link, they will get a ‘Join Game’ button to join quickly. Note that you need the Steam Link app (Windows | Linux | iOS | Android | Raspberry Pi) for this method. Your friend can also use the Steam client application to join the session.
Play Local Multiplayer Games Online
So you can use Steam’s remote play together to play your favorite local multiplayer games online with your friends. While limited to a single player, the ability to invite players without a Steam account will reduce the initial friction. If you’re looking for new local multiplayer games, be sure to check out our article on the best split-screen games.
Also, Chromebook owners should check out our article on installing and playing Steam games on Chromebooks. Finally, you should also check out our list of the best Steam alternatives to see if it’s time to leave this beloved platform.
