Repairing Steam Remote Play that is Not Working

Updated March 2025: Stop these error messages and fix common problems with this tool. Get it now at this link

1. Download and install the software.
2. It will scan your computer for problems.
3. The tool will then fix the issues that were found.

The Steam Remote Play that is Not Working is due to an outdated Steam client or if you are using a beta version. Also, different network settings such as IP, IPV6, or multiple network connections can also cause problems with Steam Remote Play.

The problem occurs when a user tries to use the Steam Remote Play feature, but the connection fails (sometimes the game runs on the host, but nothing happens on the guest computer). In some cases, a black or muffled screen is displayed. Some users’ controllers, mouse, or keyboard do not work when connected, or the wrong characters are displayed.

In some rare cases, users may have used the Remote Play feature by reversing the guest and host roles on the systems. The problem mostly occurs after upgrading the operating system or the Steam client. Almost all Steam and non-Steam games have been affected by the problem, although some users have only had one or two games affected. Almost all desktop operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.) are affected.

Reboot your systems and network devices before proceeding with the solutions. Also check if other streaming or remote desktop applications (Chrome Remote Desktop, Remote, etc.) are running in the background on any of the systems. Also, try not to use Big Picture mode until the problem is resolved. Make sure the Steam client and the game are running with administrator privileges.

In this IR Cache post, we will show you different methods to get rid of the Steam Remote Play that is Not Working problem.

Why Does a Steam Remote Play Not Work?

Why does this problem occur? Possible causes are as follows:

• The Steam client is out of date.
• You are using a beta version.
• Your antivirus software is blocking the remote play of Steam.
• Your network connection is slow or disconnected.
• You are using an older version of Windows.

In this post, we have collected some useful methods and present them to you.

How to solve a problem where the Steam Remote Play doesn’t work



Update Remote Play in your Steam settings

The easiest solution you can achieve to solve your problem. We intentionally chose this first method because most users may forget to try it. Updating the Remote Play feature in the Steam settings will allow it to restart and work properly again.

Disabling the feature will cause all Remote Play connections to stop, as well as any bugs or software glitches that were affecting the feature. Hopefully, when you turn the feature back on, everything will work as expected and return to normal.

Here’s how to update your remote game settings in Steam:

1. Start by opening the Steam app on your computer and your friend’s computer. You need to perform this step on both devices to resolve the problem.
2. After logging in, click the Steam button in the upper left corner of the screen and select Settings.
3. You should see a screen with various Steam settings, go to Remote Play.
4. There, uncheck Enable Remote Play and click OK to save your changes.
5. Restart both computers and open Steam again. Now repeat steps 1 to 4, but leave the Enable Remote Play option checked.

After that, run the game and see if the error remains. Remote reading should now work fine, but if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Using a static IP address

Most devices use dynamic IP addresses, which are assigned by the network when they connect and change over time. However, when the device is assigned a static IP address, the address does not change.

Although most users do not need static IP addresses, some remote access solutions trust only certain IP addresses for security reasons. Therefore, if you cannot use Steam Remote Play, using a static IP address may work.

To set a static IP address, you can:

1. Press the Windows logo and R keys on your keyboard simultaneously to bring up the Run dialog box.
2. Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter.
3. Right-click on the active network adapter, whether Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Then select Properties.
4. In the Adapter Properties window, select Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.
5. Select the Use the following IP address option. Then enter the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway according to your network configuration.

To check these, you can :

1. Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Copy and paste the following command line and press Enter.
   ipconfig /release
3. Copy and paste the following command line and press Enter.
   ipconfig /renew
4. You will now see your IPv4 address, subnet mask, and default gateway.

After setting a static IP address, try connecting to your devices to see if it works.

Disable Hardware Decoding

Hardware Decoding is a feature that has greatly improved the performance of hosted streams and lobbies. When this feature is turned on, some of the processing tasks are transferred to the GPU instead of the CPU. This applies only to computers with a dedicated GPU. Otherwise, the feature cannot be used by embedded GPUs.

If you disable this feature, you get rid of any unnecessary processes that might affect your host. Although it may affect performance, it is worth a try if it can fix the remote reading feature.

Here’s how to disable “hardware decoding:

1. First, open Steam on your computer and click the Steam button in the upper left corner of the window.
2. Hover your mouse pointer down and click on Settings.
3. From there, go to Remote Play and select Advanced Client Options.
4. At the bottom of the screen, you should see the Enable Hardware Decoding option.
5. Turn it off and click OK to save your settings.
6. Restart Steam on your computer and your friend’s computer and see if this solves the problem.

Note: This step should be done for both you and your friend, especially the main computer.

Update Steam to the latest version

Although Steam offers many offline games, it is still an online platform that mostly relies on network connections. Running an outdated version of Steam on your computer can unintentionally affect your gaming experience.

By keeping your version of Steam up to date, you can take advantage of the latest bug fixes and patch updates for Steam features. In this method, we’ll update your Steam program to try to fix the Remote Play feature.

Here’s how you can update Steam:

1. First, open the Steam app on your computer.
2. Now click on the Steam button in the upper left corner of the Steam window.
3. Then select the Check for Steam Client Updates option, and Steam should automatically download any available updates.
4. After that, you will need to restart Steam so that it can apply the update changes.
5. Log in to your account and see if the remote play feature is finally fixed.
6. If the problem persists, you may have to go to the last and final method.

Steam whitelisting on your firewall

Remote gaming is a feature that requires a more “personal” way to connect to the Internet with your friend. Essentially, you are hosting a server, so to speak, that your friend connects to on his device.

Contrary to popular belief, your firewall does not track software viruses, but rather mediates malicious network activity. In this case, remote reading is likely to be misinterpreted as a malicious network attack, so it will be restricted.

Make sure you have administrator rights in your user account before performing these actions. Here’s how to add Steam to your firewall’s whitelist:

1. Open the Start menu and look for “Firewall.” Click on “Firewall and Network Protection” to open the system settings.
2. There, find the “Allow an application through firewall” option and select it.
3. A list of all applications currently installed on your computer should appear.
4. To begin whitelisting Steam, click the Edit Settings button in the upper right corner of the window.
5. Once you have access to the list of applications, left-click on any application and type “Steam” to automatically select the program.
6. Finally, check the “Private” and “Public” boxes on the right, then click “OK” and leave the window.

After completing this step, Steam should be whitelisted on your firewall. A whitelist is simply a list of programs that can act freely without complete restriction from the firewall. Steam should then be allowed to establish network connections with your friend.

APPROVED: To fix Windows errors, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions