How to put steam vr games on oculus quest

One of the most popular virtual reality (VR) headsets available on the market is the Oculus Quest. And gaming enthusiasts and fans from all over the world use it for a variety of activities, including playing video games.

Players can access and purchase video games for PC on Steam, one of the biggest game digital distribution services online. The platform now even has a handheld console counterpart known as SteamDeck, though the VR games from the platform are mostly accessed through the PC app SteamVR.

With that, players may want to know how to run SteamVR through their Oculus Quest headsets. And luckily for them, there are several ways to do so..

Using the Oculus Link (Wired)

The first way to run SteamVR is by connecting your Oculus Quest to your PC through a USB Type-C cable. But you need to make sure you have the SteamVR app installed on your PC. Once you have it, log in with your Steam account, followed by logging in to your Oculus Quest account in your headset.

Connect your headset to your PC by using the cable by plugging both sides into their respective ports. The Oculus app on your PC should then recognize the cable once it is plugged in. Select Continue on your headset and follow by choosing Enable Oculus Link once it shows up on your headset’s screen. Once done, go to your apps and launch SteamVR.

Using the Oculus Link (Wireless)

If you want a more comfortable way of playing SteamVR with your Oculus Quest without a physical wire, you can also do it through Oculus Air Link. Just repeat the things you need first above (except for the USB Type-C cable) and follow all those steps. But once you are opening your Oculus app, go to the Beta tab and turn on the Air Link toggle.

Once the Air Link toggle is turned on, press the Oculus Home button on the right controller to launch the Universal Home menu. Click Settings, and choose the Oculus Air Link button you can see there. A list of available computers will appear. Select your PC from those and click the Launch option to link your PC and headset.

Finally, click the Oculus home button to open the Oculus home bar. From there, choose Library, and look for SteamVR.

Using the Virtual Desktop app

One more option you can use to play SteamVR on Oculus Quest is through the Virtual Desktop app. This is a separate application that you need to buy first, but once you have it, it’ll run SteamVR smoothly on your headset.

You can purchase Virtual Desktop right from the Oculus Quest store on your headset. Follow this link to get the latest version of the app, which is compatible with SteamVR. Once you have it, install the Virtual Desktop app, though you should connect your headset and PC to the same internet connection.

Now go to your PC. Make sure you have SteamVR and sign in with your Oculus account afterward. Then open your Virtual Desktop streaming app and fill in the details it asks for, like your Oculus username. Click Save and proceed with putting your headset on.

Once you have your headset on, open the Virtual Desktop app by going to your Library and selecting the Oculus bar at the bottom part of your screen. Take note that you should choose your desktop once you open SteamVR for the first time in your headset.

Select the menu button by pressing your left Oculus touch controller and once you find the Virtual Desktop app there, open it. Finally, press the menu button again on the same controller to open the dashboard. Now, enjoy streaming your SteamVR games you want to play through the Virtual Desktop app.

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Posted by3 years ago

I bought the Oculus quest specifically to play kingspray, but the one on the quest store is lacking. I've been looking for tutorials on how to install steam games, but the few i found were for streaming. I can't use streaming because my internet is all over the place. Is there a way i can turn steam game files into an apk then use sidequest to install it? or some other way that would keep the quest untethered?

Want to play PC VR content on your Oculus Quest or Meta Quest 2? Here’s everything you need and how to do it.

This guide was first published in October 2020, but has been updated and republished several times since then — most recently May 2022 — to ensure all information remains correct and up-to-date.

The Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus Quest 2) is a fantastic standalone headset from Meta (formerly Facebook). There’s heaps of native content available on the Oculus Store, but one of the key features of the Quest and Quest 2 is their ability to also play PC VR content as well, while connected to a VR-ready PC — wired and wirelessly.

First and foremost, there’s Meta’s official wired method called Oculus Link, which uses a USB cable. However, there’s also more advanced wireless options — Meta’s official wireless option, Air Link, and a third-party app, Virtual Desktop.

We’ve outlined what you need and included instructions for setup of all three methods below, focusing primarily on Oculus Link.

For wireless options, we’ve written up a quick how-to summary on each and then linked to our other, more detailed guides for those methods, if you need them.

VR-Ready PC

In addition to your Quest headset, you’ll also need a VR-ready PC.

Take a look at Meta’s Oculus Link compatibility page to see if your computers meet the minimum requirements for Oculus Link. Also check that all your hardware is compatible — not everything is compatible with Link yet (but it’s getting better).

The specification requirements will change depending on the game as well — some PC VR games require beefier specs than others — so be sure to check game requirements too.

Cables

For Oculus Link, you’ll need a USB-C cable to connect your Quest to your computer. The benefit of using a wired connection is reliability.  The wireless connections — Air Link and Virtual Desktop —  can be less reliable, depending on your conditions.

Depending on what cables you have on hand, you may not need to purchase a new cable to use with Link. Any USB-C cable that meets at least USB 2.0 specification should work, but USB 3 and above is preferable. The cable should be at least 3 meters minimum, ideally 5 if you want a maximum range of movement.

The original Oculus Quest included a long Link-compatible USB C to C cable in the box. The Quest 2, however, does not come with a cable that is an appropriate length for Link — you’ll need to buy one.

Depending on cable, you may also need to buy an adapter to plug it into your computer. Most Link-compatible cables are USB C on both ends, but not all PCs have USB-C ports. You can buy a USB-C to A adapter if so, but you’ll need to make sure it’s also at least USB 2.0 (or matching the specification of the cable, if higher than USB 2.0, for best performance).

Regardless of what cable and adapters you use, make sure they’re from reliable brands — we’ve found Oculus Link can act a bit funny when you’re using less reliable equipment.

We’ve got an entire guide on building an Oculus Link cable, so read that if you’re still unsure.

Software

Download the official Oculus PC app, which will run Oculus Link (and Air Link) and allow you to play PC VR games on your headset. You can get it here, listed as a download for Air Link and Link Cable.

Oculus Link also works with SteamVR, so make sure to download Steam and install SteamVR if you want to play any of that content.

Oculus Link Setup

Before using Oculus Link, you’ll need to perform a first-time setup.

Make sure your Quest is turned on and connected to your computer with your USB cable. From there, open the PC Oculus app and press ‘Add a New Headset’ and select either the original Oculus Quest or Quest 2. The app will then run you through an easy first-time setup process.

After you’ve set up Oculus Link, it will be available to use whenever you plug your headset into the PC — a prompt should appear in VR asking if you want to enable Link.

From there, you can launch any Oculus games directly or start up SteamVR on your PC to jump into other experiences. You’re good to go!

Adjusting Oculus Link Refresh Rate on Quest 2

When using a Quest 2, you can adjust Link’s refresh rate to run at higher rates than the default 72Hz. The original Quest is limited to just 72Hz, so the following steps won’t apply.

Once you’ve got Link up and running, you can tweak its refresh rate to run at either 72Hz (the default, recommended option), 80Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz. To do this, connect your Quest 2 to your PC and go to the Devices tab in the Oculus PC app.

If you click on the active Quest 2 headset, a settings sidebar will be brought up.

Click on Graphics Preferences to adjust the refresh rate and rendering resolution, as pictured above. Setting these options too high will impact performance — it depends on your PC hardware and potentially what game you’re playing, so test and adjust accordingly.

This method works for setting Air Link’s refresh rate and rendering resolution as well — your preferences should be carried over.

Air Link Setup

Note: The Windows 11 update earlier this year brought with it some performances issues for those using Air Link. We strongly recommend not using Windows 11 if you’re looking to play PC VR content on Meta Quest 2 until the issue is resolved.

The official method for playing PC VR content wirelessly on Quest is Meta’s Air Link software, available in beta in the Oculus PC app. It was originally only available for Quest 2, but was later expanded to the original Quest in the v30 software update.

Keep in mind that Air Link won’t necessarily work for everyone — depending on your personal setup and your network hardware, performance and reliability may be unstable or vary.

Here’s a short summary of the setup process (for more detail, see here):

First of all, you’ll need an AC or AX router with a 5Ghz network for good performance, with your PC connected via Ethernet. Meta warns that mesh wifi networks or computers connected wirelessly are known to cause performance problems.

Ensure you have the Oculus app open on your computer. Then, go to the settings menu on your Quest and go to the Experimental tab. Here, you can enable Air Link and pair your headset with your desktop PC running the Oculus software.

After that, you’ll be able to start Air Link in the Quick Actions menu of your Quest — just select your PC, connect, and you’re good to go.

If you’re having trouble or need greater explanation, we have a separate guide with more detail on setting up and using Air Link here.

Virtual Desktop Setup

An alternative to Air Link is the third-party app Virtual Desktop, which allows you to bring your computer’s display into VR and interact with it from within your headset. However, it also has similar functionality to Air Link, allowing you to stream PC VR content wirelessly to your Quest.

The app has quite the history and was actually available long before Air Link — some users find the former works better than the latter, or vice versa. Virtual Desktop is available for both Quest and Quest 2 (but performance may not be quite as good on the former).

Virtual Desktop’s performance will really depend on your individual setup and internal network. If you’re having trouble with Air Link, Virtual Desktop may be an alternative to try instead. That being said, you might still encounter unreliable or varying performance depending on your setup. It’s really hard to say.

Just like Air Link, you’ll need a ‘reliable’ router with a 5Ghz network and a computer connected via Ethernet. You’ll also need to install the Virtual Desktop streamer app for PC and purchase a copy of Virtual Desktop for Quest.

Once you have those downloaded, just make sure the streamer app is running on your computer and open up Virtual Desktop on Quest to connect. Once connected to your computer, you can launch your PC VR content and adjust the streaming settings in Virtual Desktop’s menus to optimize performance. You can also use Virtual Desktop’s ‘Games’ tab (pictured above) to start playing.

If you’re having trouble and need a more detailed explanation, we have a separate, longer guide on how to stream PC VR content using Virtual Desktop here.

So those are your options for playing PC VR content on the Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2. Got any questions? Leave them in the comments below.

Harry Baker

Harry has been covering the VR/AR industry since 2019. He comes from a technology and gaming background, with experience in creative writing, editing and journalism.

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