We have covered portable gaming devices such as the Asus ROG Ally and Steam Deck, and we love the many uses of a Raspberry Pi. Steam Link brings those interests together: use the Pi beside a television or projector while your existing gaming computer runs the game elsewhere. It is a fun way to bring PC gaming to the sofa without relocating the whole machine.
The game does not run natively on the Raspberry Pi in this setup. Steam Link receives the streamed picture and sound and sends your controls back to the host. That distinction matters when choosing hardware, diagnosing poor performance and comparing the cost with buying a second gaming PC.
What Steam and Steam Link do
Steam is Valve's game platform for buying, installing and launching games, with updates and other services that vary by title. Steam Link is the streaming client used with Steam Remote Play. The host computer renders the game and prepares the stream; the Pi receives it and displays it on the attached screen.
The host still needs to run the chosen game well. Streaming does not add graphics horsepower to an underpowered computer, and a fast Pi cannot fix host-side frame drops. Likewise, the network and client display introduce additional work after the game renders. Treat the full route as host, connection, client and screen rather than blaming every delay on Wi-Fi.
A television can make shared or controller-friendly games more comfortable, but not every game has a suitable interface for viewing from a distance. Test text size, menus and controller support in the games you actually want to play. Keep a keyboard available for host dialogs or launchers that do not work well from a gamepad.
Choose by model, operating system and display mode
The original setup targets Pi 3, Pi 4 and Pi 400. Pi 5 is also supported by later Valve releases, but it is not a universal guarantee of identical codec handling across models. Raspberry Pi 5 lists a hardware HEVC decoder; do not assume that every H.264 stream on every Pi follows the same hardware decoding path.
Valve's November 2024 Bookworm release notes distinguish the environments: Pi 3 uses a console session, while Pi 4 and Pi 5 support console and desktop sessions. They document 1080p streaming on Pi 4, with a frame-rate caveat when the display itself is set to 4K, and HEVC 4K support on Pi 5. Those are version-specific support capabilities, rather than measured results for this guide.
Current patch notes also record support for Raspberry Pi OS Trixie and earlier support for a 64-bit console environment. Check the maintained release notes for your OS, architecture and build instead of following a tutorial that forces an obsolete image or assuming any 64-bit Linux distribution is equivalent to Raspberry Pi OS. Valve's Raspberry Pi patch notes are the useful starting point.
Prepare the equipment and host
You need the supported Pi and OS, suitable power supply, boot storage, correct HDMI cable, screen and a compatible input device. A desktop or local console session also needs a way to launch the application. Leave room for airflow, and check that the screen has selected the Pi's HDMI input before debugging the network.
Start with the host and Pi on the same home network and keep Steam running on the host. Enable Remote Play in the host's Steam settings. Verify the game launches locally and that your intended account can access it before trying streaming. The host must remain available while you play; turning it off does not leave an independent copy of the game running on the Pi.
Ethernet is strongly recommended by Valve. A wired connection on both ends reduces dependence on changing radio conditions, though it does not eliminate every source of delay. If using Wi-Fi, begin near the access point and avoid a weak satellite path. Pairing and local discovery can fail across isolated guest networks even when both devices can access the internet.
Install, launch and pair in the original sequence
Step 1: Install Steam Link
On a supported Raspberry Pi OS installation, open a local terminal. Update the package list and review normal system updates, then install the Steam Link package. These retain the original package-manager approach; read the prompts rather than automatically accepting unexpected dependency removals.
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install steamlinkIf no installation candidate exists or dependencies fail, record the OS release and package architecture and consult the current Valve instructions. Do not mix repositories from unrelated releases just to make an old command succeed. Valve also publishes its own package download, but check the applicable installation guidance before switching methods.
Step 2: Launch Steam Link
Start it from the available Games menu entry or run the following command from the appropriate local desktop or console session. Allow the app's initial update to finish.
steamlinkA remote SSH shell is not interchangeable with the correct local display session. If launching fails, capture the message and check whether the selected Pi/OS environment requires console or desktop operation before changing display settings.
Step 3: Connect to your Steam computer
Select the host discovered by Steam Link and follow the pairing prompt. Enter the displayed code into the host's Steam prompt and run the offered connection test. If the host is absent, first confirm Steam is running with Remote Play enabled and both devices are on a network that allows them to communicate.
Step 4: Configure controls
Connect the controller by its supported USB, Bluetooth or receiver method, then use the app's test or mapping process. Test directions, triggers and buttons before launching a game. A controller working in the desktop does not prove that its mapping is correct in every game, and different revisions of the same controller family can use different connection methods.
Step 5: Start playing
Select a game and begin with modest stream settings. Confirm picture, sound and input together before increasing resolution or quality. This gives you a working baseline to compare against later changes.
Tune one variable at a time
Begin around 1080p with a frame-rate target your host, Pi and display can support. Use the app's network-test recommendations and a sensible automatic or limited bitrate. More bitrate can improve compression quality, but sending more data than the path can handle can cause instability. A fixed 35–50 Mbps setting is not a universal optimum.
The performance graph can help distinguish host-side, network and decode problems. Watch changes over time and during the activity that causes trouble. A low average ping does not prove smooth frame delivery, and no particular latency number is indistinguishable from local play for every person or game.
Close unnecessary host workloads and pause competing backups or large transfers while establishing the baseline. Then test with normal household activity so the result reflects actual use. If supported by the television, compare its gaming picture mode and processing settings; screen processing can contribute delay even when the connection is good.
Update the app, Steam and OS through their supported channels. Current release notes include fixes for frame-rate detection and controller behaviour. Record the build before making changes, and treat beta releases as optional troubleshooting choices rather than assuming they always improve every installation.
Troubleshoot by symptom
Host not found: check Remote Play, local network membership, guest isolation and firewall permissions. Prefer the narrow settings required by Steam over turning off the firewall altogether. A paired client and a functioning internet connection do not by themselves establish a usable route to the host.
Black picture with sound: check the Pi model, OS, launch environment, HDMI output and chosen codec/resolution. Valve's Pi 4 guidance specifically points to HDMI port 0 for one black-screen case. Do not apply old Pi 4 configuration-file tweaks indiscriminately to Pi 5 or disable unrelated Windows features as a guaranteed fix.
Stutters or slow motion: lower quality or bitrate, compare wired networking and inspect the performance graph. Also check the host's local frame rate and the Pi's power/cooling. If the problem appears after an update, include the app build, OS, codec and logs when consulting support rather than repeatedly reinstalling everything.
Audio or controller faults: first test a simple stereo output and a wired controller. Confirm the OS's selected audio output and the game's input mapping. Then add wireless or surround options individually. Current Steam Link has an audio-buffer setting, but a fixed sample count cannot guarantee crackle-free playback, and HDMI channel capability does not prove that every receiver or stream is configured correctly.
Moonlight and Sunshine are another option
Moonlight is a streaming client that can connect to a Sunshine host. Sunshine supports several encoding paths, including hardware encoding on supported GPUs and software encoding. The available capture, codec and controller features depend on the host platform and hardware.
Moonlight's maintained Pi guide specifies Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or later and discusses console-versus-desktop performance, with a Pi 4 display-scaling caveat. Its installation uses a separate supported repository workflow. Compare those actual requirements if you want to explore the alternative; simply installing a package name does not establish identical support for every Pi.
Neither stack has a guaranteed fixed latency advantage here. Choose Steam Link for the familiar Steam workflow, or investigate Moonlight/Sunshine if their controls and host options fit your requirements. Compare the same equipment, network and games rather than treating an unsupported latency table as a benchmark.
A useful project for an existing Pi
Steam Link remains a fantastic way to enjoy PC games on another screen, especially if you already own the Pi and have a suitable wired connection. The value is convenience and reuse, rather than making the Pi a high-end game-rendering console. Budget for the accessories and setup time if starting from scratch.
Keep the host's performance, supported client environment and network path realistic, then tune from a stable baseline. When those fit, moving a favourite game from the desk to the television can be a flexible, affordable and enjoyable project. Happy gaming!
