With the Steam Link released mid last month, it has already gone through a number of optimizations and changes on the Google Play Store. One update saw the Steam Controller gain access to Bluetooth Low Energy mode so that it could be connected to a mobile phone. Now, Valve (the company behind Steam) has announced a partnership with Samsung which sees a specially optimized version of the Steam Link application coming to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and more. The optimized application is released on the Galaxy Apps store in the US and South Korea, with availability in more countries coming soon.
You may be wondering why a separate Galaxy version of the app needs to exist when it’s already in the Play Store. The Galaxy version has an improved UI and keyboard and mouse support. The latter is a pretty big deal. The regular Steam Link for Android app requires a gaming controller of some kind.
The Steam Link application has a number of requirements in order to stream games over your network. For a start, you’re going to need a 5GHz-enabled router and a computer running Steam on Windows 7 or newer, Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or newer, SteamOS, or Linux Ubuntu 12.04 or newer. You’re also going to need a supported controller or a mouse and keyboard. Both the Steam Controller and Microsoft Xbox One S controller are recommended, and both will do you just fine. You can also use a regular wired controller over OTG if you have an OTG cable.
So far, Steam Link is looking like an excellent app for those who want to game within their home on their phone or Android TV. It supports every game your PC can run through Steam, and it runs without a hitch on nearly every device. You can follow the link below to check out the announcement post, and also download the application on your phone (click this link on a Samsung phone or download the APK below). Currently, supported phones include the Galaxy S9/S9+, Galaxy S8/S8+, Samsung Galaxy S7/S7+ and the Galaxy Note 8. This isn’t the first time the companies have partnered up either. Back in 2017, Samsung was the first Smart TV manufacturer to bring the Steam Link application to its TVs in a partnership with Valve.
Note: The APK does not work on non-Galaxy phones. Other devices can use the Play Store version.
Download: Steam Link for Galaxy APK
Source: Steam Community Forum Announcement