Steam Remote Play Not Working

On paper, Steam's Remote Play feature sounds nothing short of amazing. It is designed to allow games that support only local co-op to be played in multiplayer over the Internet. With the Steam Link app on a phone or a computer, users can easily enjoy multiplayer games streamed from one device.

Not only that, but only the host player needs to have a copy of the game. They launch it, and then one or more, depending on how many players the game allows, join in. Indeed, for many players, the Steam Games Remote Play functions exactly as advertised, and they can take full advantage of this feature. Others, however, encounter numerous Remote Play issues.

For this Steam feature to run smoothly, it requires a sufficiently strong Internet connection for the host PC, as it is streaming the chosen game to all other participants effectively. The system's specs also must be up to par to avoid potential compatibility issues. If you meet both but Remote Play still refuses to work properly, resulting in a 'Couldn’t connect to the remote computer' error, you still have some options at your disposal. Take a look and try the potential solutions listed below.

Update Steam via Steam Settings

1. Start Steam and open the Steam menu.
2. Select Check for Steam Client Updates from the menu bar.
3. Let Steam download and install any new updates.
4. Restart Steam if prompted.

Apart from the Steam client, updating the game itself also may help, as the developer could have released a patch addressing any known issues. Also, make sure that the game is not running a beta version, as it may introduce unexpected bugs or issues.

Update the Game

1. Navigate to the game you wish to play via Remote Play.
2. Right-click it and select Properties.
3. Open the Updates panel.
4. Select Always keep this game updated from the Automatic updates menu.
5. Now, go to the Betas panel.
6. From the Betas drop-down menu, pick None.

Toggling the setting in the final step will ensure that you do not play the beta version of the game.

Disable the Steam Beta Client

Running a beta Steam client may give earlier access to improvements, stability fixes, and more. However, users also risk encountering unknown bugs and glitches. It is worth stopping the Steam Beta and trying to run Remote Play again.

1. Open Steam and go to the Steam menu.
2. From the available options, select Settings.
3. Pick the Account panel.
4. Now, click Change under Beta participation.
5. Go to the drop-down menu and set it to None - Opt-out of all beta programs.
6. Click OK to save the changes.
7. Restart Steam if prompted.

Disable the Hardware Decoding

1. On the remote PC, open Steam, go to the Steam menu, and select Settings.
2. Go to the Remote Play panel.
3. Go to the Advanced Client Options.
4. Locate Enable hardware decoding and uncheck the corresponding box.
5. Click OK to save the changes.
6. If Remote Play still isn't working, try disabling hardware decoding on the host PC as well.

Also, if you are having trouble with Steam Remote Play, it may be due to issues with your network connection or internet settings. Your network settings may need to be adjusted to allow the ports to open for Steam to communicate with your computer. Additionally, if your internet settings are not configured properly, you may experience lag or other connection issues when using Steam Remote Play. Use the following basic troubleshooting steps to modify your network setup.

Force IP Address Change

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows+R.
2. Type cmd and simultaneously press Ctrl+Shift+Enter o open an elevated Command Prompt window.
3. Type or paste the ipconfig /release command and press Enter.
4. Type or paste ipconfig /renew and press Enter once more.

Check if Remote Play is working. If If you cannot connect, try the following on the remote PC.

1. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type steam://open/console and click OK.
3. Type or paste connect_remote [Host's IP address]:27036 and press Enter.

Disable IPv6

1. Press the Windows + R on your keyboard.
2. In the Run dialog box, type ncpa.cpl and click OK.
3. In the new window, find your network adapter and right-click it.
4. From the available options, select Properties.
5. Go to the Networking tab, locate Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), and uncheck its corresponding box.
6. Click on OK to save the changes.