Valve Added Pyrowave Codec to Steam Beta
The new video codec supports HDR and high-fidelity color encoding for remote gameplay streaming.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in eSports
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Valve has introduced the Pyrowave video codec to the Steam Beta, providing users with support for HDR and YUV 4:4:4 color encoding. The new tool is designed to lower end-to-end latency during Remote Play sessions.
Why it matters
By prioritizing low latency, this codec seeks to improve the remote gaming experience by maintaining high visual fidelity during intensive streaming sessions. The inclusion of HDR support allows players to utilize modern display capabilities across their remote setups.
The Pyrowave codec supports HDR and YUV 4:4:4 color encoding, though it requires specific GPU usage for frame processing. Users can configure bitrates between 100 Mbit/s and 500 Mbit/s.
The players
Valve
Valve is a prominent American video game developer and digital distribution company that operates the Steam platform.
The details
Users can manually enable the experimental Pyrowave codec within the Steam Remote Play advanced client settings, as it is not active by default. Linux users are specifically required to enable the experimental SteamRT3 Steam Client to access the feature.
Timeline
Valve released the Steam Beta update on September 21, 2026.
Season Trajectory
The Pyrowave codec update expands the capabilities of the Steam Remote Play platform by introducing high-bandwidth HDR streaming support. This shift reflects an industry-wide focus on closing the performance gap between local and remote gaming environments.
Players must have hardware capable of significantly higher bandwidth usage, as this codec consumes 5-10 times more data than standard options. Users should ensure their GPU supports the required encoding and decoding before attempting to enable the feature in client settings.
The takeaway
Gamers should monitor their network bandwidth closely when testing this feature, as the high bitrate requirements may impact other household internet activities. This update is currently limited to PC environments and is explicitly not intended for VR applications.
Further reading
For more developments in competitive gaming and platform tools, visit the eSports section.
Live Poll
Do you prioritize visual quality over bandwidth usage when streaming games at home?
