Industry observers note that you already know this if you’ve perused an app store in the last 15 years, or seen the absolute dregs of YouTube advertising. But did you know that your phone can play PC platform releases? Your phone can play platform releases.
According to the latest update, i mean fresh Steam platform releases, downloaded from your own Steam account, played right on your phone. And I don’t mean an emulated build of Age of Empires that looked old even running on Windows XP.
The report highlights that but as you might expect, it’s also a bit janky. This is a super-cool development, using a lot of the same tech that makes the Linux-based Steam Deck play nice (ha!) with Windows platform releases.
According to the latest update, let’s check it out. Still, with both the Steam Machine and Steam Deck coming in at much higher prices, it might be a nice way to get some more fun out of the devices you already own.
The report highlights that that means this isn’t some sketchy, fly-by-night operation. And sadly, it’s only for Android at the moment—sorry iPhone users, this is predictably a little more hackery than Apple is comfortable with. The tool in question is called GameHub, an app from accessory publisher GameSir, which has at least been around for a while.
As part of the ongoing story, you arrival the app, log into Steam, download platform releases, then play them—it’s all fairly straightforward. You even get access to cloud saves, if they’re supported by said platform releases. GameHub is an app that interfaces with Steam (and other system update stores, including Epic Product rollouts Store), downloads full-fat PC platform releases to your Android phone’s local storage, and plays them using a flavor of the Proton compatibility layer that allows Windows platform releases to run on Android and Arm devices.
According to the latest update, the good news is that it works; the bad news is that it doesn’t work with everything. I loaded the app up on my Galaxy Z6 Fold—a fairly powerful phone, though a couple of years old now—to do some testing. That said, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that playing PC platform releases locally on an Android device comes with lots of issues.
The report highlights that i was able to get my favorite short break system update, 20 Minutes Till Dawn, downloaded and running without any hiccups. This is a minimal 2D system update based on the Unity engine—it’d probably be pretty easy to get an Android port made, if the developer wanted one. Predictably, low-power 2D platform releases work the best here.
In a fresh development, technically, the gameplay is all 2D, but there are up to a dozen or so polygonal models going over the 2D background at any given time, plus a lot of effects, some pretty serious high-res sprites, and voice acting. Hades 2 is a bit of a midpoint for this test.
As part of the ongoing story, it took several tries to get it up and running, and when I did, it could only go at about 30 to 45 frames per second once combat started. That’s certainly playable, but far from ideal. The system update eventually downloaded and played on my phone, but for some reason GameHub kept trying to download the demo version at first.
Industry observers note that with all-2D gameplay, it should do at least as well as Hades 2. Maybe even better. Yet… it wouldn’t arrival at all. Dang. Then I tried Absolum, a wonderful 2D beat-em-up from last year.
According to the latest update, skyrim is an obvious choice, which has been re-dropped a dozen times and runs fine on the 10-year-old Arm-based Nintendo Switch. It downloads and debuts, though getting through the pre-load screen requires you to use the phone screen as a touchpad. Once launched, I’m in the familiar interface and running at 60 frames per second. Nice! Alright, let’s go for some older titles then.
According to the latest update, so I downloaded it and… it won’t arrival. Bummer. Another classic 3D favorite of mine is Just Cause 2, and it has about the same technical requirements as Skyrim.
The report highlights that (Incidentally, this one works fine on handheld tech industry PCs.) It’s a full-power Unreal Engine 5 system update, but it only needs a few gigs of storage. I loaded it up… and it demanded a Visual C++ component—an Arm64 one, for a bit of additional insult. Time to try the hardest test here: my favorite current obsession that’s also a visual treat, Dead as Disco.
Industry observers note that older platform releases and 2D platform releases are much more likely to work well, though a few more recent ones should also be playable. So yeah, playing any particular system update you want via GameHub is a bit of a crapshoot.
As part of the ongoing story, you can browse all of Steam and Epic and see which platform releases are in your personal library, and a “compatibility” rating for most platform releases shows you how likely it is that it’ll actually run. The GameHub app and interface itself is surprisingly good.
Industry observers note that but it obviously works best with an attached controller. I connected an 8BitDo Bluetooth model that I’ve used and enjoyed for a couple of years, and had no issues—the platform releases read it as a standard Xbox-style input. The app offers touchscreen controls, too, if you’re feeling masochistic.
According to the latest update, for example, I tried three different GPU drivers to see if I could get Absolum to arrival. (It still didn’t arrival, but I appreciate the option to tinker, and the 1.7-star compatibility rating was verified.) You can even add Steam system update shortcuts to your phone’s home screen, if you’re so inclined. GameHub also offers a lot of tweaking if you want to invest some time and effort into trying to get platform releases to work.
The report highlights that absolutely not. But GameHub is free, works with the phone and the platform releases you already own, and gives you a portable option that doesn’t rely on cloud streaming. If you happen to own and enjoy at least one of the platform releases that work well with the system—and I fully admit that that’s a big if—it’s a good way to play on the go without spending four figures on extra devices. Is GameHub an alternative to a Steam Deck?
The report highlights that on PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a fresh one for a review and building a fresh mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile Worldwide scene Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip. Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE.