Did you know that you can play PS4 and PS5 games remotely through an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch?
Just like Android phones, iOS devices can stream all games from a local PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 or PS4 Pro. And, you can link your DualShock 4 or DualSense controller to your device to play them in any room in the home.
Here then is you need to know to get PS4 and PS5 games working on an iPhone or iPad - and for free.
What is Remote Play?
Remote Play effectively uses your smartphone, tablet, PC or PS Vita as a wireless screen for a PlayStation 4 or 5. It streams whatever is playing on the console straight to the second screen, with control codes going back in the other direction.
You can link a compatible controller to a supported device or, in the case of those with touchscreens, use on-screen controls to play full games as if on your TV.
Where the iPhone is concerned, your fingers might obscure a lot of the action, and twitch controls are tricky using just the screen. It still works well on many games that don't require lightning fast reactions.
Plus, you can always use a Bluetooth controller, as long as it's MFI-certified to work with Apple devices, or a PlayStation DualShock 4 or DualSense paired with your handset or tablet.
How to play PS4 or PS5 games on iOS devices
Follow these simple steps to run games on your device.
Install PS Remote Play on your iPhone or iPad
- A dedicated PS Remote Play application is available on the Apple App Store. You can download it for free from here.
- Once installed, you need to open it and log into your PlayStation Network account.
- Ensure that you are on Wi-Fi because the app will only work across your home network - you cannot play PS4 or PS5 games remotely when on the bus, for example.
- After login, the app will search your network for the PS4 or PS5 you want to use. You need to have the console switched on, and you need to be logged into the PS4 or PS5 too.
- Once found, you should see the PS4 or PS5 homescreen on your device and on-screen controls will pop up that you can use to navigate and start games.
- If your console cannot be found - especially the first time you use the app - you probably need to register your iOS device in the console's settings.
Add your iPhone or iPad to the console's Remote Play devices
- If you're on last-gen hardware, you first need to ensure that your PS4 has system software 7.02 or above. It should have downloaded automatically, but if not head to System Software Update in the main Settings menu. It will check and download and install the latest build.
- The steps below are the exact same for PS5, too!
- To register your iOS device with the console manually, head to the same main Settings menu on the console.
- Now go to Remote Play Connection Settings by scrolling down.
- In there, click on Add Device.
- On the next screen you will see a code comprised of eight numbers and a countdown clock on how long the code will be valid.
- Before the time runs out, go back to your iOS device and on the "Searching for console" screen you will see "Register Manually" in the bottom corner.
- Click on that and you can enter the code from the console itself. The devices should then pair and the homescreen will appear on your phone or tablet as before.
- This could also be required should you want to switch consoles, which you can do in the iOS app's settings.
Playing PS4 games on iOS
- Before you do connect to your PlayStation it is worth entering the settings on the PS Remote Play app by tapping the cog icon in the top right-hand corner.
- For us, the most important setting to tweak is Video Quality. The app is set at 720p as standard, but you can change that to lower (360p) if needed. PS4 Pro and PS5 consoles will automatically aim for 1080p. You will experience different levels of performance depending on your home network, but it's worth giving them all a go to see what works best.
- For an iPhone, you probably don't need to set the resolution too high as differences in detail won't be that visible on the small screen. It might be better suited to an iPad though.
- You can also change the frame rate in the same Video Quality settings, although that can also put a strain on your home network.
- Remember, as you are streaming locally, your broadband connection is irrelevant - it doesn't matter how fast or slow it is, only the capabilities of the home network are relevant.
Other than these settings, you will see that all the controls found on a controller are present on-screen (although you can also hide some of them). All games will work with them, but you might find some just aren't that playable with touchscreen buttons as we've said above.
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