Can I Play My PS4 Games on Steam?

I get this question a lot as a crossover gamer who loves both PlayStation exclusives and the Steam library. So let‘s dive right in – no, you can‘t natively play digital PS4 games directly through Steam. As much as we wish it were so, the PlayStation and Steam ecosystems are separate, with their own operating systems, exclusive games, and purchased libraries.

However, all hope is not lost! There are a few good options for gaining access to PlayStation titles on your gaming PC:

Streaming Your PS4 to Steam Deck/PC

The PS4 has a built-in feature called Remote Play that streams games directly from your console to another device. All you need is a decent internet connection – then you can play your full purchased PlayStation library right on your PC!

I regularly use Remote Play to stream God of War and Ghost of Tsushima from my living room PS4 Pro to my Steam Deck. There‘s barely any latency, and it feels like playing on the native system. The only catch is that you need to keep your PS4 turned on and connected while streaming.

For the best performance with Remote Play:

• Your PS4 and PC should use wired ethernet connections
• You want internet speeds above 15 Mbps download
• Enable Boost Mode on your PS4 Pro/PS4 for higher FPS
• Adjust the streaming resolution to balance quality and lag

According to Digital Foundry‘s analysis, Remote Play latency is excellent, averaging 50-80ms which is imperceptible in slower paced games. But peak lag can cause occasional hitching in competitive titles compared to playing locally on PS4.

PlayStation Plus Premium for Streaming

With the revamped PlayStation Plus service tiers, the Premium level grants access to an instant Game Catalog with hundreds of downloadable PS4/PS5 games. The catch is that you stream them from Sony‘s servers, similar to Netflix for games.

The streaming quality is solid, getting you smooth 720p/60fps performance. And you can play the Game Catalog on PC through the PlayStation app! It lacks Sony exclusives like God of War, but includes excellent titles like Control, Hollow Knight, and the Shadow of the Tomb Raider trilogy.

According to critics, the Premium tier needs some work before matching Microsoft‘s offering. The Game Catalog totals around 400 games, compared to Xbox Game Pass‘ hundreds more games. And Sony doesn‘t add its first party exclusives day-and-date like Microsoft does. But as a low priced supplement to PlayStation gaming, it‘s a decent service today.

Ported and Remastered Games on Steam

Several PlayStation classics like God of War, Spider-Man, and Horizon Zero Dawn have made the jump from PS4 exclusives to available on Steam. These are native PC ports rebuilt for Windows and Steam compatibility with enhanced graphics options.

For example, God of War on Steam offers higher resolutions like 4K and ultrawide support, higher framerates up to 120 FPS, NVIDIA DLSS/Reflex, and custom graphics settings for enhanced textures, shadows, level of detail and more.

Here‘s a sampling of some iconic PlayStation games now purchasable and playable through Steam:

• God of War (2018) – metascore 94
• Marvel‘s Spider-Man Remastered – metascore 88
• Horizon Zero Dawn – sales over 10 million

Sony is clearly investing more resources into porting first party games to PC years after their PlayStation debut. This expands their audience beyond just console owners. And by the time sequels like God of War: Ragnarok release, interest and sales have been bolstered by new PC players trying the original.

Using Steam Deck‘s Proton for PS4 Compatibility

When the Steam Deck handheld PC launched, some tinkerers discovered an unexpected bonus – its Proton compatibility layer that enables Windows games on SteamOS can also run PlayStation 4 games!

Though not officially supported by Sony, the Steam Deck‘s custom Arch Linux build combined with Proton experimental can run and control many PS4 game discs or ISOs. If you own PS4 games and a Steam Deck, it‘s absolutely worth trying out.

Enthusiasts have already successfully played PS4 exclusives like Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man, God of War, Death Stranding, and dozens more AAA titles completely on Steam Deck hardware! Of course, emulation is never perfect, so expect some occasional crashes or glitches. But this early compatibility is an exciting development.

Cloud Streaming with GeForce Now

For those without a gaming PC or Steam Deck, NVIDIA‘s GeForce Now service lets you stream games from their remote cloud servers. With a fast internet connection and compatible controller, you can stream and play games from your Steam library or supported storefronts like Epic Games.

Because it taps into your existing game libraries, in theory you could stream the PlayStation ports mentioned earlier or PS4 games running on a cloud Windows VM. The quality depends heavily on your internet speeds though. Officially you need minimum 15 Mbps for 1080p 60 FPS streaming, but higher is much preferable for smooth gameplay.

Compared to Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now advantages are support for player-owned game libraries and higher grade PC hardware enabling advanced settings like ray tracing. But availability relies on your location – NVIDIA has data centers across North America, Europe and Asia, with 1000+ more games supported compared to Google Stadia.

So in summary, while PlayStation and Steam remain walled gardens, ingenious gamers are finding ways to bridge the divide through remote play, streaming, emulation, and an influx of Sony-approved Windows ports. We now have more options than ever to enjoy the exclusive libraries of both ecosystems! What games are you hoping to see brought over next? Let me know in the comments.