How to Use Steam Remote Play Together With a Friend

Launch a supported game, open the Steam overlay, right-click your friend, and choose Remote Play Together. Your friend accepts the invitation to join. Only the host needs to own and install the game. This guide covers the Steam friends-list route on computers, based on Valve's documentation checked on October 18, 2026. Steam Support, Steamworks documentation.

1. Check support before inviting anyone

Look for Remote Play Together in the game's Steam store features. Valve says supported games identify the feature there. Launch the game on the host computer and make sure it works before troubleshooting a shared session. Both players should have Steam updated and appear online to each other. Valve's setup and troubleshooting instructions.

If you are still choosing a game, our local co-op Steam games for two compares several teamwork styles. Pick something both people want to play before spending the evening configuring it.

2. Send the invitation from the overlay

1. Start the supported game on the host computer.
2. Have your friend sign in to Steam on their supported device.
3. Open the in-game overlay with Shift+Tab, unless you changed the shortcut.
4. Right-click your friend in the friends list and select Remote Play Together.
5. Ask your friend to accept the invitation.

These are Valve's documented invitation steps. If the option is missing, return to the support and online-status checks before trying unrelated changes. Steam Support.

3. Enter the game's local multiplayer mode

Valve describes the guests as joining as though they were sitting at the host computer. That means you should use the game's local multiplayer flow and its own join prompts; the exact menu name depends on the title. This is the practical consequence of the streaming setup, rather than an instruction to find an ordinary online lobby. Steamworks explanation.

Unsure which route you need? Read local co-op vs online co-op on Steam before buying extra copies or changing modes.

4. Check who controls what

Valve supports individual controllers and sharing keyboard or mouse access. The host can manage that sharing during play. Do not assume that granting keyboard access automatically creates another character: follow the game's own local-player input requirements. Steam Remote Play overview.

Our suggested check is simple: before starting a long session, ask each person to perform a different action in a safe menu or opening area. Confirm that both people can control their intended player. This is a diagnostic suggestion, not a promise that every device combination is supported.

5. Describe failures precisely

Separate an invitation problem from an input problem. Did the guest receive the invitation? Can they see the game? Can they control their intended character? Does the issue happen before a level starts or only during play?

Write down the last step that worked and the first one that failed. That makes a support request more useful than saying the entire feature is broken. Valve asks for reproduction steps when contacting support. Official troubleshooting page.

This is a documentation-based setup guide. We have not measured latency or tested your game's controller layout, so use the initial session to verify that the experience works for your pair before committing to a longer evening.