- How To Download Games On My Laptop
- How To Download Game From Steam To Laptop Windows 7
- How To Download Computer Games
- How To Download Game From Steam To Laptop Computer
The game itself actually plays on your 'host' PC, but Steam encodes and sends an audiovisual stream of the action to your secondary 'client' laptop (or SteamOS machine, or whatever), while. How to Use Steam In-Home Streaming Chris Hoffman @chrisbhoffman Updated July 10, 2017, 10:25pm EDT Steam’s In-Home Streaming is now available to everyone, allowing you to stream PC games from one PC to another PC on the same local network.
- May 16, 2019 4:10PM EST
- May 16, 2019
How To Download Games On My Laptop
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.
The Steam Link app has been around for about a year on Android, and it can stream PC games to your phone or tablet, so you can play right on the couch. It was originally rejected from the iOS App Store, but Apple has finally allowed the app on its platform—and it works for iPhones, iPads, and the Apple TV. There are also some alternatives from Nvidia and AMD that have their own advantages.
How To Download Game From Steam To Laptop Windows 7
Steam Link vs. Moonlight and AMD Link
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. AMD has an official app for Radeon users called AMD Link.
With all these options available, you have a choice to make: Steam Link works well and is platform-agnostic, but doesn't have very many settings. Moonlight has lots of settings you can tweak to alter performance and controls. (It doesn't support the rumble feature like Steam Link does, though.) AMD Link has a few extra quality settings, but in my experience is a bit jankier.
I recommend starting off with Steam Link. In my testing, it was an incredibly smooth experience for most games, though a few had some quirks (like a black screen). If you run into any issues or missing features, give Moonlight or AMD Link a try. Graphics and streaming were comparable in my tests, but it'll depend heavily on your device and your network quality.
Remember, even if your network is relatively fast, streaming performance may be choppy or entirely unusable—network reliability is as much of a factor as speed, and having a wired connection on your PC can often make a big difference.
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.
If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you'll need an Apple-approved, made-for-iPhone (MFi) controller. I highly, highly recommend the Gamevice. It attaches directly to your device and turns it into a Nintendo Switch-esque gaming console for any game that supports MFi controllers (thankfully, Moonlight does). If you're on more of a budget and willing to prop your tablet up somehow, though, the SteelSeries Nimbus is a good standalone alternative.
Android users don't have anything quite like the Gamevice for tablets, but there are Gamevice models for Samsung Galaxy phones. For everyone else, the SteelSeries Stratus XL is a solid wireless gamepad. If you have a wired Xbox 360, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4 controller, you can also use those by plugging them into a USB OTG cable (either Micro USB or USB-C) and plugging that into your device.
If you're using a wired controller, just plug it in and your device should recognize it. If your controller is wireless, pair it with your device from your Bluetooth settings like any other wireless accessory.
How to Set Up Steam Link and Start Playing
The Steam Link app (iOS, Android) is remarkably easy to set up. When you launch it for the first time, it'll scan your network for computers running Steam and present a list of them. Tap your computer, and you'll be given a 4-digit PIN on your phone. Type this PIN into the pop-up that appears in Steam on your PC to initiate the connection. It'll test the network to make sure it's fast enough, then drop you at the home page.
From there, tap Start Playing.
Big Picture Mode
It'll begin streaming Steam Big Picture Mode from your PC, and you can select your game and begin streaming.Tweak Settings
If you want to jump into the settings, you can do so from Steam Link's homepage. You can change streaming quality to 'Fast' if your network is a little choppy, or 'Beautiful' if you have the bandwidth for better graphics, as well as tweak some advanced settings. But for the most part, I found Steam Link's default settings to be just about perfect. Pay close attention to the pop-ups Steam offers about controls—iOS controllers, for example, don't tend to have clickable thumbsticks, so you'll need to press Menu+X and Menu+Y. It's a bit clunky, but it works.
How to Set Up Moonlight and Start Playing
First, ensure the latest version of Nvidia GeForce Experience is installed on your PC. Open the GeForce Experience window, click the Settings cog, and click the 'Shield' tab. Toggle the GameStream switch to on.
Next, jump on your phone or tablet and download Moonlight from your respective app store (iOS, Android). When you start the app, it should show a list of your GameStream-enabled PCs on the network. Tap on the one you want, or tap 'Add Host' and enter your PC's IP address if it doesn't appear automatically. Moonlight will give you a PIN, which you'll need to enter into the popup that appears on your PC.
Games to Stream
When you click Connect, your phone or tablet will present you with a list of games, ready to stream. If you tap one, it should start playing right on your device—with full gamepad support, if you have a compatible one plugged in or paired.Tweak Settings
That's all it usually takes to get up and running, but if you want the best possible experience, you'll probably want to tweak a few settings.
From Moonlight's main screen, tap the arrow on the left (for iOS) or the settings cog along the top (for Android). Moonlight has many more settings on Android than iOS, but most users should at least tweak their resolution and framerate targets: 1080p at 60Hz is ideal for the best graphics and smooth playback, but if the stream is choppy, lowering it to 720p or 30Hz may help. You may also get better results by limiting network congestion—so tell your roommate to stop watching Netflix while you're trying to stream games.
Lastly, I recommend tweaking the on-screen controls you see. Not all gamepads will have L3 and R3 buttons, so setting on screen controls to 'Auto' (on iOS) or 'Only show L3 and R3' (on Android) will give you touch buttons for just those functions.
It's worth noting that streaming technology is still pretty new, and it won't be perfect. You may get an audio pop here and there, and your graphics will be a tad fuzzier than if you were playing on the PC itself. But it's hard to beat playing Shadow of War from the couch, without having to fight your spouse for the TV.
If you experience any other issues while streaming, there might be a solution—like disabling your firewall or tweaking some of Android's other settings. Check out Moonlight's setup guide and troubleshooting page for more. The setup page even has instructions for streaming over the internet, though your mileage may vary depending on your internet speed. Network streaming will definitely produce the best results.
Steam is one of the most popular online gaming stores for gamers everywhere and it's not just for PC, you can enjoy Steam on your Mac too!
Here's how to install and download games using Steam for Mac.
How to install Steam on Mac
In case you haven't installed Steam on your Mac already, here's how.
- Go to steampowered.com in your browser.
Click Install Steam.
- Click Install Steam Now.
Click the show downloads button. Depending on the browser, this may open automatically when the file finishes downloading.
- Double-click on steam.dmg to launch the installer.
Click on Agree button.
- Drag Steam into the applications folder.
Exit the window.
How to download a Steam game onto your Mac
- Launch Steam from the Launchpad.
Wait for Steam to update.
- Tap Create New Account or Log in into an existing account if you have one.
Go through the necessary steps to create an account.
- Click Store.
Browse the store for a game you want to download. You'll need to make sure it's compatible with Mac. You'll see the Apple logo on any game that can be played on Mac.
- Click on the title you want to download.
Click Add to Cart.
- Click Purchase for myself.
Select your payment method.
- Fill out your payment information.
Click Continue.
- Click the checkbox to agree to the terms.
Click Purchase.
From here your game will begin to download, and you can start playing as soon as it's done, so go nuts!
Anything else you need to know?
Let us know in the comments below!