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What you need to set up your smartphone as a gaming controller on your PC
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How I turned my iPhone into an Xbox controller with Steam Remote Play
PC gaming is one of the best ways to play simply because of the wide variety of control methods available. Purists would say that keyboard and mouse are the only way to play, but you can also use one of the best PC controllers. Or you can even use your voice in the few games that support it. Even if you don't have a controller handy, you can use a smartphone as a controller if you have one, thanks to some built-in features on Steam. And the best part is that it doesn't take long to set up.
What you need to set up your smartphone as a gaming controller on your PC
It's a short list, so don't worry
Thanks to the technical magic of the Steam Link app, you can turn your smartphone into an Xbox controller for use with Steam in just a few minutes. The same app that lets you stream gameplay to your phone also lets you turn the touchscreen into a controller. And you only need a few things to get started.
- Your smartphone
- The Steam Link app installed on your smartphone via the links below
- Steam installed on your PC
- Your phone and PC are connected to the same network

Steam link
Steam Link is the perfect app to stream your PC games to any smart device such as a smartphone or smart TV in excellent quality and with little to no lag.
How I turned my iPhone into an Xbox controller with Steam Remote Play
Normally you stream the gameplay to your phone, but the connection works both ways
Steam has a wonderful feature called Remote Play that lets your gaming PC do all the hard work of rendering your game and then stream it to your mobile device or Steam Deck so you can play it on a smaller device. When used on a mobile device with a touchscreen, it also has a virtual on-screen controller that you can use to control your game. However, if you disable a few settings, you can keep playing the game on your PC and just control it using the virtual controller on your smartphone. It's not quite as responsive as a dedicated controller, but it'll do in a pinch. Let's set it up.
Setting up Remote Play in Steam
Steam Remote Play is not enabled by default. You need to enable it and then link it to the Steam Link app on your phone.
- First, install the game you want to play on Steam. This works with non-Steam games too, but you'll need to add them to your library first.
- Connect your smartphone and PC to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open Steam on your PC, select the Steam icon in the top left and then Settings.
- Navigate to Remote playback in the left sidebar and make sure that Enable Remote Play is switched on.
- Activate Advanced Host Optionsand switch Play audio on the host To so that the sound is played on your PC.
After Remote Play is enabled, it's time to connect your smartphone to your PC.
- Open the Steam link App on your phone. Allow the use of Bluetooth and discovery of devices on your local network.
- Knock First steps and let the app search for computers on your network that have Steam installed.
- Once found, knock on your computer. The app will show you a four-digit number and a pop-up will appear on your PC asking you for that number.
- Wait until the network test is complete.
- Tap the Gear symbol to access the settings.
- Tap Streaming.
- Tap Adjust.
- On the first page of the streaming settings, specify video And Audio To Disabled.
- Back to main pageknock Start playing, And Select your game once the connection to Steam Big Picture is activated.
- Your phone screen will look like this. If you press your thumb down anywhere on the left or right side, a virtual joystick will be created for moving or looking around. You can add or remove virtual buttons by tapping the … icon at the top left to access the settings options.
Now you can control your PC game using the Steam Link app's virtual controller. It's not quite as responsive as a physical controller, but it's fine for temporary use. I've used it to play FPS games, side-scrollers, and retro games like Secret of ManaSo it's quite useful once you get used to the location of the virtual buttons on the touchscreen.