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One of the best parts of owning Valve’s Steam Deck is its versatility. If you own one, you already know about its gaming capabilities, and its use as a fully functional Linux PC. But did you know you could also use your Steam Deck to play PS5 games? In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to get everything set up.
What You’ll Need
For this to work, you’ll need both a Steam Deck and a PlayStation PS5 connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Though not required, a Bluetooth keyboard and a mouse also make this entire process much easier.
To start, we’ll first boot into desktop mode, to install a Linux program calledchiaki-ng(formerly Chaki4Deck). Next, we’ll use chiaki-ng to connect to our PS5 viaPlayStation Remote Play. Finally, we’ll add chiaki-ng to Steam as a non-Steam game so that we can access it while the Steam Deck is in game mode.
We’ve explained the process in more detail below…
Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode
Our first step here is to boot into your Steam Deck’s desktop mode. So, grab your deck and hit theSTEAMbutton near the lower left of the screen. This will bring up a contextual menu.
Scroll to the bottom of the menu and selectPower,then pressA. Next, scroll to the second to last option titledSwitch to Desktop. HitAagain, and your deck should reboot into theKDE desktop.
Once in desktop mode, you’ll look for a square blue icon labeledDiscover. It looks like a shopping bag on the taskbar at the lower left of your screen. Clicking that will bring up a menu that will allow you to search for applications to install.
In the search bar in the upper left corner of the menu, type"chiaki"in all lowercase, and without the quotation marks. This will bring up two options:Chiakiandchiaki-ng. Click theDownloadbutton to the right of chiaki-ng, and it will download onto your Steam Deck. (In our example photo it’s already been downloaded, hence theRemovebutton).
Download:chiaki-ng forLinux|Windows|macOS
Step 3: Configure PlayStation Remote Play
Now that we have chiaki-ng downloaded and installed, we’ll need to fire up our PS5 and change a few settings to enable remote play.
Once your PS5 boots, navigate toSettings > System > Remote Play. Then switch onRemote Play. Next, navigate toSettings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode, and turn onStay Connected to the Internet, andEnable Turning on PS5 from Network. These settings will allow us to use our Steam Deck to wake up our PS5 when it’s in standby mode.
It’s also helpful to grab the IP address of your PS5 console at this time. You’ll need it for the next step. You can find this information underSettings > Network > Connection Status > View Connection Status. Jot down this IP.
Step 4: Configure Chaiki-ng
Now, launch chiaki-ng on your Steam Deck. You’ll be greeted with an image that looks like the first in the series above. Enter the IP address you recorded for your PS5 in theHost: fieldand clickAdd.
On the next screen under theConsolearea, make sure you’ve selectedPS5. Then either tap thePSN login buttonand sign in to the PlayStation network, or tap thePublic Lookupbutton and enter your PlayStation gamer tag. Once that process is complete, you’ll be returned to the Register Console screen and a string of symbols should have automatically populated thePSN Account-ID Field.
Now, go back to your PS5 and navigate toSettings > System > Remote Play > Link Device. You should receive a code that lets you link a remote-play device to your PS5. Enter this code into the PIN field on the chiaki-ng registration screen. ClickRegister. Note that this button may not appear until all fields are filled out.
Finally, a message will pop up on-screen telling you that you have successfully registered your PS5 console. If you did everything right, you’ll be returned to the home screen and an image of your PS5, its IP address, current state, and ID will be displayed. Next to the ID it will say “Registered.” Now, the hard part is done.
The last step is to create a shortcut for Steam so that we can use chiaki-ng when your Steam Deck is in gaming mode.
Step 5: Create the Steam Shortcut
This step is relatively simple to accomplish. In chiaki-ng, on the screen where your PS5 information is listed, at the top of the screen, you’ll seeCreate Steam Shortcut. Tapping that will take you to another screen with two input boxes:Steam Game NameandLaunch Options. Don’t alter these settings unless you know what you’re doing. Instead, just tap onCreateat the top right of the screen.
This will populate your Steam Library with a chiaki-ng shortcut. Now, reboot your Steam Deck in game mode.
Step 6: Test to Make Sure Everything Works
Once you’re back in game mode with your Steam Deck, scroll to chiaki-ng and open the app. Click thePlaybutton. Then select your PS5 and click theAbutton on the face of the Steam Deck. This should start up your PS5 and allow you to navigate through the menus, select games, and adjust settings—all without being close to your PS5 console.
You can also set custom control templates from the Steam menu screen for chiaki-ng. We’d recommend you find a control template that mimics a PS5 DualSense controller. You can also add a controller or even a mouse and keyboard if you prefer those options.
Finally, to exit the session, press both upper bumpers and both control sticks at the same time. A menu overlay will then allow you to save your current session or close it out. Doing so will also ask you whether you’d like toleave your PS5 in rest mode.
The Benefits and Limitations of This Setup
The biggest benefit of this setup is increased battery life. If that’s important to you, feel free to check out some other ways tosave Steam Deck battery life. My OLED Steam Deck offers about two hours of playtime when it’s playing games locally.
When I switch to my PS5 and chiaki-ng, I am able to play for around five hours before I need a recharge. And since the Steam Deck isn’t doing a lot of heavy processing, I find that it runs cooler and much smoother overall.
Then there’s the expansion of your current game library. For folks who don’t want to miss out on playing their favorite PS5 games just because they purchased a Steam Deck, using chiaki-ng offers a PlayStation Portal-like experience without any of the extra cost.
Unfortunately, using your Steam Deck with your PS5 does come with a couple of drawbacks. First, you’ll need a pretty strong Wi-Fi connection to get the most out of your games. Single-player games work best here, though if your connection is extremely fast, you might be able to get away with competitive multiplayer.
Moreover, unless you take some extra steps, you won’t be able to access your PS5 when you’re not on your home Wi-Fi network. Those steps can be found in theofficial chiaki-ng documentation.
Also, I’ve noticed that sometimes communication in PS5 parties or world activities can be kind of spotty. A pair of wireless headphones with a mic helps here. However, sometimes the chat is pretty laggy over Wi-Fi.
That said, for single-player games, this setup is nothing short of amazing. It’s my preferred way to play games like Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring. Plus, now that I have access to my entire PS5 catalog, I don’t have to buy new copies of the games I love just to play them on my Deck.
