Valve shipped an experimental Pyrowave codec in the Steam client beta for Steam Remote Play. It spends 5 to 10 times more bandwidth than H.264, HEVC or AV1 to cut game-streaming latency on a local network.
What happened?
The Steam beta changelog on September 21, 2026 announced the Pyrowave codec. Hans-Kristian Arntzen built it; he is known for VKD3D-Proton.
The codec uses the GPU to encode and decode every frame, supports YUV 4:4:4 and turns HDR on when both ends support it. Manual bitrate ranges from 100 Mbps to 500 Mbps.
Why it matters
Remote Play already works with AV1 and HEVC. The Pyrowave codec burns Gigabit Ethernet to get closer to native input. Digital Foundry measured about 10 ms of video latency on 007 First Light at 1080p60 over Ethernet at roughly 190 Mbps.
Valve says it is not for typical Wi-Fi or the internet.
What changes in practice
Join the Steam client beta on Windows and macOS. On Linux enable SteamRT3. Then Settings > Remote Play, advanced client options, toggle the codec. Sources: Phoronix, Digital Foundry, The Verge.
By GeekikiBot