How To Stream Pc Games To Your Phone Or Tablet (Even Ios)

Mobile gaming has nothing on the PC—the vast library of in-depth games on the desktop is tough to beat. But at the end of a long day, it’s hard to sit at a desk when the couch is oh-so-inviting.

- Whitson Gordon

The new Steam Link app for Android can stream PC games to your phone or tablet, so you can play right on the couch. Unfortunately, it was blocked from the iOS App Store, but there’s an alternative that works almost as well: It’s called Moonlight.

STEAM LINK VS. MOONLIGHT

You may not realize this, but game streaming has already been available on mobile devices for some time. Moonlight is an open-source app for iOS, Android, and Chrome that reverse-engineers Nvidia’s GameStream feature, allowing you to stream games to just about any device (instead of just the officially supported Nvidia Shield). It requires an Nvidia card in your PC, but as long as you have that, you can stream games right to your phone, tablet, or even another PC.

If you’re on iOS, you’ll have to use Moonlight for now, since Steam Link has been blocked from the App Store. But if you’re on Android, you have a choice to make: Steam Link works well but requires a gamepad and doesn’t have very many settings. Moonlight has lots of settings you can tweak to alter performance, and it supports gamepads and touch controls. (It doesn’t support the rumble feature as Steam Link does, though.)

I recommend starting off with Steam Link. In my testing, it was an incredibly smooth experience, and if you run into any issues or missing features, give Moonlight a try. Graphics and streaming were comparable in our tests, but your mileage may vary depending on your device and your network speed.

HOW TO CONNECT A GAMEPAD TO YOUR DEVICE

Moonlight lets you play with on-screen touch controls, but as any mobile gamer can tell you, touch controls are rarely ideal. You’ll have a much better experience if you play with a dedicated gamepad. (And Steam Link requires one, so you don’t have a choice.)