Does Steam Work on PS4?

For gamers, there has always been a divide between the consoles such as PS4 and PS5 and the PC market.

While gamers have always wished for a better ecosystem where games of either of the two platforms can be used interchangeably, that has not been the case.

In the midst of this, one of the most common questions asked is “Does Steam Work on PS4?”

Unfortunately, though, the answer to this query is a no. Neither can Steam work on PS4 nor can you play any kind of PC games on PS4.

Steam, as we know, is one of the flagship gaming clients on PC developed by Valve Corporation. It is literally at the heart of PC gaming.

On the other hand, you have PS4 developed by Sony and one of the most prominent gaming consoles of its time.

But the way they are designed, the games are not compatible from platform to platform. I will expand on this topic further below.

Historical Context: The PC and Console Gaming Divide

Historically, the divide between PC and console gaming has been clear.

PC games have been designed to take advantage of a wide range of hardware configurations and open software environments.

PC games have to be developed in mind to be compatible with hundreds of CPUs, GPUs, RAM, and thousands of their configurations.

Console games, like on PS4, however, are tailored to a specific set of hardware.

Their development leans toward optimizing the gaming experience for the given console’s specific hardware features.

The developers have a narrow window of perfectly optimizing each and every scene of a game on the specific hardware set of the gaming console.

As such, there is a disparity in games between the system at the most fundamental development level.

What is Steam Client?

Steam Client is essentially considered one of the most prominent gaming clients for downloading and playing digital games on PC.

Think of Steam Client as the PSN equivalent of PC. While there are other gaming clients for PCs out there, like the Epic Client, Steam happens to be the most popular.

The beauty of the Steam Client not just lies in the fact that features many old and latest AAA games, but also many Indie, and Early Access titles.

It is, as such, considered the gateway for new and budding game developers. 

So Does Steam Work on PS4?

Unfortunately no, the Steam Client DOES NOT work with PS4 and if you have any misconceptions regarding playing PC games on PS4 then you should dispel them.

There is absolutely NO WAY you can play a PC game or Steam on PS4 (unless you buy a separate copy of the game on PS4).

So basically, if you bought GTA 5 on Steam, there is NO WAY you’d be able to import the game to your PS4.

In order to play GTA 5 on PS4, you will need to purchase it separately on PS4 either in disc or in digital form.

The same goes the other way around too. Games purchased and bought on PS4, will NOT work on the Steam client on PC.

There are many out there who FALSELY claim that they have a solution to make Steam games work on PS4, rest assured they are fake.

What About Remote Play on PS4?

So it is a fact that there is no native support for Steam on PS4. This may lead you to ask if special features like Remote Play on PS4 can help you play PC games on PS4.

Remote Play is essentially a feature on the PS4 that allows you to stream your games onto other devices, like your PC or even some mobile devices.

Unfortunately, while quite brilliant, it’s not a two-way street. While Remote Play can stream from PS4 to PC, it cannot stream from PC to PS4.

Jailbreaking and Linux Installation

While we do not condone this method in any form or manner. There are guides out there that tell you it is possible to play Steam games on PS4 by installing the Linux operating system on PS4 and playing Linux-based Steam games.

Again, these guides are often misinforming, they can break your PS4 permanently and at best can void any form of warranty you have.

Also Read: How Many Controllers Come with PS4?

Final Words

So the short and simple answer to the question “Does Steam work on PS4” is a big no. Steam and PS4 are completely different ecosystems.

And while you may find similar games on both, they cannot be transferred from one platform to the other. In other words, to play a game that you love on PS4 and on Steam, you will have to purchase them separately. 

Do note that the saved game files will not be transferable either, even if you have the same game on both platforms.