PlayStation Remote Play sends the picture from your console to a phone, computer or second console and carries your controller input back. You turn it on in two places: on the PS5 in the system settings, and then in the app on the device you want to play on. The problems that send people looking for this guide, though, are almost never in the app. They are in the network and in what the console is allowed to do in rest mode.
What Remote Play runs on, according to Sony
Sony lists a minimum system version for each platform. The listed version or anything newer will do. You can also connect other PlayStation hardware to a computer, just with compromises, which are listed in the article on what PS VR2 can and can’t do on PC.
| Device | What Sony requires |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11, 7th generation Intel Core processor or newer, 2 GB RAM, 100 MB of storage, 1024 × 768 resolution |
| Mac | macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia or Tahoe, 2 GB RAM, 40 MB of storage |
| iPhone and iPad | iOS 14 for touch controls and DUALSHOCK 4, iOS 14.5 for DualSense, iOS 15 for Backbone One – PlayStation Edition |
| Android | Android 9 for touch controls, Android 10 for DUALSHOCK 4, Android 12 for DualSense |
| TV | Android TV OS 12, Google TV Streamer (4K), Chromecast with Google TV (4K and HD), BRAVIA XR A95L |
| Second console | PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition, PS4 and PS4 Pro connected to a broadband network |
Beyond the app, there is also hardware that does nothing else: PlayStation Portal needs a PS5 that is connected to the internet, turned on or in rest mode, and paired. It streams at 1080p and up to 60 fps, and a software update in March 2026 added “1080p High Quality” with a higher bitrate next to the default “1080p Standard” mode. You switch to it in the quick menu under Maximum Resolution.
On a Mac, a controller connects over Bluetooth from macOS 11, and the DualSense Edge only from macOS 13.3. A Windows PC follows different rules, which are covered in a separate guide on how to connect a DualSense to PC.
How fast your internet needs to be
Sony gives two numbers, and the gap between them makes a big difference to how the game looks. The minimum is 5 Mbps for both upload and download, but Sony recommends a high-speed connection with at least 15 Mbps in both directions. Below 15 Mbps it will still run, but you’ll see it in the picture.
On top of that, there are three things Sony recommends for specific devices:
- Connect the console with a cable. For the PS5, Sony recommends a wired LAN connection, not Wi-Fi.
- Put the client device on 5 GHz Wi-Fi. A phone or laptop on the 2.4 GHz band is the first suspect when the picture turns blocky.
- Check your NAT type. Remote Play uses UDP port 8572, and with NAT Type 3 it may not work, according to Sony. You can see the network type on the console in Settings → Network → Connection Status.
What to enable on the console
- Connect the PS5 to the internet and update the system software to the latest version.
- Settings → System → Remote Play → Enable Remote Play.
- Settings → System → Power Saving → Features Available in Rest Mode. Turn on both “Stay Connected to the Internet” and “Enable Turning On PS5 from Network”. Without these two options the console won’t wake from rest mode and the connection ends before it starts.
- Sign in with the same PlayStation account on the console and on the remote device.
- If the device can’t find the console, pair it manually: Settings → System → Remote Play → Link Device. Both devices have to be on the same network at that moment, and you type the number from the PS5 screen into the app.
Sony doesn’t mention a primary console requirement for the PS5 in its Remote Play guide. It only mentions it explicitly for the PS4, which has to be activated as your primary console. If you still play on the older console, you may find the overview of whether a PS4 still makes sense today useful.
When the connection fails
Sony has a list of the causes it sees most often. Go through it from the top, because the first three items cover most cases, and before you start, check whether there is a PSN outage going on right now:
- Unfinished setup. The console isn’t online, Remote Play isn’t enabled, the system software is out of date, or a different account is signed in on the console and on the device.
- Firewall or antivirus. Sony advises adding the app to the exceptions, or turning the protection off temporarily as a test.
- Busy connection. Run a speed test, pause downloads on other devices, disconnect them from Wi-Fi and close apps that use a lot of bandwidth.
- Weak signal. Move the console and the device closer to the router and remove obstacles between them.
- NAT Type 3 on the network you’re connected to.
- Console not found, so you need to pair manually.
- Controller. The device may not support that type of controller. Restarting the device and the controller helps, and for DualSense so does up-to-date firmware.
- App. An old version, a crash on PC (restart, delete the AppData folder, reinstall Visual C++), a black screen (restart the computer, reinstall the app, update graphics drivers).
If none of that works, Sony also recommends signing out of the app and back in, deactivating and reactivating the console, and checking the PSN service status. The console connection test is in Settings → Network → Connection Status → Test Internet Connection.
Stuttering or blurry picture
In the PS Remote Play app you can change the video quality, specifically the resolution and frame rate. You’ll find the high frame rate under Settings → Video Quality for Remote Play → Frame Rate → High. For PS4 games, the app offers 360p, 540p and 720p resolution.
HDR also works over Remote Play, but three things have to line up at once: HDR on the PS5 set to “Always On” or “On When Supported”, Video Quality for Remote Play → HDR → Automatic in the app, and both devices connected to a display that supports HDR. And if your console is set to 8K output, Remote Play quality has to be 720p or higher.
If someone else signs in on the console while you’re playing remotely, a “Remote Play connected.” message appears at the top of the screen and disappears once they sign out. You can turn it off with Settings → System → Remote Play → Hide Remote Play Connection Status. The connection history is in the same menu.
Who it’s for and who it isn’t
- It makes sense at home on a second screen. The console on a LAN cable, a tablet or laptop on 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and you play in the kitchen while someone else has the TV.
- It makes sense on the go when there’s a network to connect to. But you need a decent connection on both ends, not just yours.
- It doesn’t make sense as a replacement for a console you don’t own. Remote Play streams your own PS5. If you want to play without a console, that’s a different category of services, and the place to start is what cloud gaming actually is.
- It doesn’t make sense on hotel or office Wi-Fi. There you’ll usually run into NAT Type 3 and a network you have no way to change.
- It doesn’t make sense for games you stream from PS Plus Premium. Streamed catalog games don’t support Remote Play, which is a difference worth keeping in mind when choosing a PS Plus tier.
FAQ
In Settings → System → Remote Play, turn on Enable Remote Play. Then in Settings → System → Power Saving, allow both rest mode options, staying connected to the internet and turning on the console from the network. The same PlayStation account has to be signed in on the console and on the device.
Sony lists a minimum of 5 Mbps for both upload and download and recommends at least 15 Mbps in both directions. It recommends a LAN cable for the console and 5 GHz Wi-Fi for the client device. Remote Play uses UDP port 8572, and with NAT Type 3 the connection may fail, according to Sony.
Yes, the app runs on Windows 10 (64-bit) and Windows 11. Sony also requires a 7th generation Intel Core processor or newer, at least 2 GB RAM, 100 MB of free storage and 1024 × 768 resolution. On a Mac, macOS Big Sur or newer and 40 MB of storage are enough.
Most often because the console isn’t in rest mode with the internet connection turned on, or because a different account is signed in on the device. If that all checks out, pair the device manually via Settings → System → Remote Play → Link Device. Both devices have to be on the same network while pairing.
It works on devices with Android TV OS 12 or newer, as well as on the Google TV Streamer (4K), Chromecast with Google TV in both 4K and HD versions, and the BRAVIA XR A95L TV. You pair a controller with them over Bluetooth, the same way as with a phone.
Information verified as of 11 September 2026. The list of supported systems and the options in the app change with updates, so check Sony’s current support page before you set things up. More articles about the console are in the PlayStation hub on Gamers Together, for example first-time PS5 setup step by step or the overview of controllers that make sense on PS5.
Thumbnail photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0.