3 Ways to Play Steam VR Games on Oculus Quest 2

Bored of playing Oculus free games that's all but confused about how to play Steam VR games on Oculus Quest 2?Actually, you don't have to play the games on Oculus Quest Store because the Oculus VR headset can be used to play Steam games. 

This is thanks to the Quest 2's wireless feature which allows it to connect to a PC. To be able to connect the Quest 2 headset to your PC, you have to prepare several things. 

In this article, VCGamers has summarized several things you need to prepare to connect Quest 2 to your PC. Just take a look at the explanation below!

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Minimum PC Specifications

Before implementing the method to play Steam games on the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, you must first have a PC with qualified specifications.

The reason is, some Steam video games require hardware High specifications so that game performance can run smoothly. 

Just imagine when you force your computer to not support it's for playing VR games Steam. It could be that you will be dizzy seeing the stuttering gameplay on your VR Quest 2 headset. 

Quoting from the businessinsider.com page, the following are qualified PC specifications for playing Steam games on the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset: 

1. CPU: Intel i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X NVIDIA GPU: GTX 1070 or higher; 
2. GTX 1650 Super or AMD GPU: 400 Series or higher.

If you use a PC with a Windows operating system, make sure it has Windows 10 or Windows 11. Don't forget to use a PC with 8 GB RAM capacity. 

Make sure the gaming PC you use has specifications beyond the specifications mentioned above. So that the Steam games you play on Oculus Quest 2 can run optimally. 

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How to Play Steam VR Games on Oculus Quest 2?

There are three ways you can play Steam games using Oculus Quest 2 on your PC. This method can use cables, take advantage of the wireless or Air Link feature, and Virtual Desktop. 

Before choosing one of the three methods, consider it first. Does the Steam game you play require a lot of movement or can it be played casually? 

If the Steam game you are playing requires a lot of movement, it certainly won't be effective if you have to use a cable. Consider your needs before deciding which feature to use. 

To be able to connect the Oculus Quest 2 to the PC where you store Steam games. First prepare the Quest 2 application on your desktop, whether you want to play with wireless or cable features. 

So, no need for further ado, here's how to play Steam games with Oculus Quest 2: 

How to play Steam games on Oculus Quest 2 with Virtual Desktop

Those of you who are old VR users must be familiar with what is called Virtual Desktop. 

Virtual Desktop is a third-party application that allows Oculus Quest 2 users to access a computer screen using a VR headset.

By using this application, users will see the PC screen display through a VR headset. Virtual Desktop works wirelessly, meaning you still need to activate the Air Link feature when using this application. 

This application can be an alternative to the Oculus Quest 2's Air Link feature which requires a high speed WiFi network. 

Virtual Desktop prevents you from lag and delay when you have to play Steam games in unstable signal conditions. However, there are also network requirements that must be met to be able to use the Virtual Desktop application.

Because this third party application requires a 5GHZ AC WiFi network, whereas with Air Link there is no such requirement. 

Unfortunately, you can't use this third-party application if you don't have a WiFi network with these specifications. 

But if you're curious, here's how to use Virtual Desktop to play Steam games on Oculus Quest 2: 

1. Download the Virtual Desktop application then install it on your PC; 
2. Purchase the Quest 2 app version on your headset; 
3. Install both applications; 
4. Launch the PC client and keep it running; 
5. Then open Virtual Desktop on your Oculus Quest 2 and connect; 
6. Once connected, you can play VR Steam games using Oculus Quest 2. 
7. Download Virtual Desktop on your PC.
8. Purchase the Quest 2 app version on your headset.
9. Install both apps.
10. Launch the PC client and keep it running.
11. On your Quest 2, open Virtual Desktop and connect.
12. Start playing your VR game.

Virtual Desktop can help you optimize your connection by changing several settings. This can be an alternative choice when the Air Link feature does not support you playing Steam games.

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How to play Steam games with cable

​​1. Prepare a USB-C cable that is long enough to easily connect the Quest 2 headset to a PC. Use an Oculus Link Cable with a length of 3-5 m to play in the most comfortable conditions;

2.Then install the Oculus Quest 2 and Steam desktop applications

3. Turn on your Oculus Quest 2 VR headset then connect it to your PC using a USB cable;

4. Open the Quest 2 desktop application, click 'Devices' in the left navigation pane and click 'Add Headset';

5. Select Quest 2 and follow the instructions to set up the headset connection to your computer;

6. If the setup process is complete, select 'Link (Cabel)' then continue. In this section you will be presented with two options for connecting Quest 2 with 'Link (Cable)' or Air Link (Wireless);

7. Finally, open the Steam application on your PC, then click 'Steam VR'. If successful, now in your VR headset you should be in the Steam VR game library.

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How to play Steam games with Air Link

To play Steam games that require a lot of movement, the cable feature may be less effective. Therefore, you can use the Air Link or Wireless feature on the Oculus Quest 2. 

However, to be able to play Steam games using the Oculus Quest 2's Air Link feature smoothly, you need a strong and fast WiFi network.

The following is a summary of how to play Steam VR games with Oculus Quest 2 using the Air Link feature: 

1. Make sure the Quest 2 and Steam desktop applications are installed and can be used; 
2. Open the Quest 2 application, click the 'Settings' section on the left of the screen, then click 'Beta' at the top; 
3. After logging in 'Beta' look for the words 'Air Link' at the very bottom then slide the button to the right to turn on the feature; 
4. Put on your VR Quest 2 headset then press 'Oculus button'. Next select 'Oculus Air Link' last click 'Launch' button;
5. If so, the next step is to open the Steam application via the VR Quest 2 headset that you are using; 
6. Click 'Steam VR' then you have arrived at the Steam game library.

Those are the methods you can use when you want to play Steam games with the Oculus Qest 2. These three methods are optional, adjust these methods to the network conditions in your location and the gameplay needs of the Steam game you are playing.

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