The Oculus Quest 2, or the Meta Quest 2 as it’s now known, has a rather robust library. Resident Evil 4, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Beat Saber, and BONELAB make up a selection of replayable virtual reality entertainment. But as satisfying as the Quest Store may be, the SteamVR library is leagues better. With games like Skyrim, Half-Life: Alyx, Devour, The Forest, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, you’re going to want to have access to Steam’s virtual reality offerings. Thankfully, you can use the more affordable Meta Quest 2 VR headset to play SteamVR games.
The catch? You’re still going to need a gaming PC. Here’s how you can play Steam games through your Quest 2.
Required Specs for Playing Steam Games on Quest
There are three methods for playing Steam games on your Quest 2 headset: wired, wireless, and through Virtual Desktop. All of them do require a PC capable of running virtual reality software. The minimum requirements to link your headset to your PC are:
- Processor: Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 1070 or better / AMD 400 Series or better
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Operating System: Windows 10/11
- Ports: 1 x USB-C
When you have the appropriate hardware, download the Quest 2 desktop application and log in to or create a Steam account.
Steam Meta Quest 2 Wired Connection
The easiest and most stable way to play SteamVR games on your Meta Quest 2 is via a USB-C to USB-C cable. Since all data will be running via this cable, you don’t want to go too cheap with it and risk a poor connection. Because you’ll be doing a lot of moving around, consider a 10- to 15-foot cable to minimize the risk of pulling the wire out and damaging either the headset or your PC. Meta sells a designated link cable, but it’s quite a bit more money than similar, unbranded wires.
With the Quest 2 application running and the USB-C cable plugged into your PC and headset, follow these steps:
- Go to the Quest 2 app and find Devices
- Click Add Headset
- Find your Quest 2 VR headset
- Select Link (Cable) and press Continue
- Launch Steam
- Find SteamVR in your library and install roughly 8GB of data. Press “Play” once done.
- Choose your game of choice from your SteamVR library after logging in.
Steam Meta Quest 2 Wireless Connection
While a wireless connection is the most convenient, it’s not the most stable. However, not being tethered to a wire is likely one reason why you purchased the Quest. To make a wireless connection work, you’ll need to enable Air Link on your headset. To do this, first open and sign into the desktop app then:
- Go into Settings
- Scroll down to Quest Link
- Turn on Quest Link
- Click Launch Quest Link
With Air Link on, you’ll need to pair your desktop with your headset. This is done by:
- Selecting your desktop in Quest Link
- Confirming the code displayed on your desktop and headset
Now, it’s time to activate Steam through your headset.
- Return to the Home Menu
- Find the Desktop button
- Locate Steam
Once in Steam, your SteamVR library should be available to play via your Meta Quest 2.
Steam Meta Quest 2 Virtual Desktop
Virtual Desktop is a third-party app that casts your desktop onto your VR headset. It can be a little more reliable than Air Link, but there’s a catch—you have to use a 5 GHz AC WiFi network. If that’s not a deterrent, here’s how to use Virtual Desktop to play Steam games on your Quest 2 headset.
- Download Virtual Desktop onto your PC
- Purchase the Quest 2 version on your headset via the Oculus Quest Store
- Launch the PC version, then open Virtual Desktop on your Quest 2
- Enter the Oculus Username provided on your headset on the desktop app
- Connect the two devices
From here, you’ll navigate Steam as you would on your desktop, using your Quest 2 controllers in place of the mouse.
Being able to play SteamVR games on your Meta Quest 2 headset unlocks a host of worlds Quest 2 owners were missing out on. So long as you have a PC capable of running virtual reality applications, then connecting the two devices should be a breeze. We recommend going wireless if you can. It’s the best way to enjoy VR and is one of the biggest draws of the Meta Quest 2.
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