Valve’s experimental Pyrowave codec is an opt-in Steam Remote Play beta feature designed to reduce the time spent encoding and decoding a stream. It does not promise 1 ms total latency: Valve defines stream latency as encode, network, decode, and display time, and only the codec stages can approach or fall below a millisecond in the developer’s reported tests. Pyrowave also uses substantially more bandwidth than conventional streaming codecs.
What Pyrowave is—and what “1 ms latency” means
Pyrowave is a high-bandwidth, low-latency video codec created by Hans-Kristian Arntzen and added as an experimental option for Steam Remote Play. Valve’s September 21, 2026 announcement describes it as an opt-in beta feature, not a replacement that is automatically used for every stream.
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The “1 ms” framing needs a distinction: codec processing time is only part of the delay a player experiences. Valve’s post puts the total latency this way: “The total latency of your video stream is the time for encode + network + decode + display.” Network and display delays remain even when encoding and decoding are exceptionally fast.
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Arntzen’s technical explanation describes an intra-only design that avoids motion prediction, along with the omission of entropy coding to help parallelize work on the GPU. Those choices are aimed at fast, predictable codec processing, but they increase the amount of data the stream must carry. Pyrowave therefore trades bandwidth efficiency for low codec-stage delay; it cannot remove delays elsewhere in the Remote Play pipeline.
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What the published timings show
In his 2025 technical article, Arntzen reported encoding a 1080p 4:2:0 Expedition 33 test at 0.13 ms and decoding in under 100 microseconds on an RX 9070 XT using RADV. He also reported an 80-microsecond encode on more typical game material and a 0.25 ms encode for a 4K ParkJoy example. These are developer-reported timings for codec stages and specified test conditions—not independent benchmarks or guarantees of end-to-end latency on a player’s system.
How Pyrowave compares with conventional streaming codecs
| Consideration | Pyrowave | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Codec processing | Designed to keep encode and decode work fast; Arntzen reports sub-millisecond results in specific tests. | May reduce codec-stage delay, but does not establish total stream latency. |
| Bandwidth | Valve says it uses 5–10 times the bandwidth of other streaming codecs. | A demanding local network can offset the benefit of faster codec processing. |
| Network sensitivity | Valve says whether a setup benefits depends on the balance between codec and network latency. | Check the performance graph rather than assuming the codec alone will improve responsiveness. |
| Image options | HDR is selected automatically when both ends support it; optional YUV 4:4:4 is off by default. | YUV 4:4:4 can help with desktop streaming or text on a 4K display, at some additional bandwidth and processing cost. |
| Availability at announcement | Beta support was listed for macOS and Windows; Linux required the experimental SteamRT3 client option. Mobile Steam Link support was described as coming soon. | Availability can change; Valve gave no mobile release date in that announcement. |
Arntzen’s article also compares his approach with GPU vendor H.264, HEVC, and AV1 encoders under constrained test conditions. He cautions that those results are not a straightforward real-world comparison. They do not establish that Pyrowave is universally better than those codecs for every game, device, or network.
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What network Pyrowave needs
Valve says Pyrowave consumes 5–10 times as much bandwidth as other streaming codecs and recommends connecting both computers directly to the router using at least Gigabit Ethernet. A wired setup is a sensible starting point for testing a codec with this bitrate demand. The recommendation is not a guarantee of a particular latency, and it does not mean Wi-Fi is categorically unusable; the result depends on the quality and conditions of the network path.
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When automatic bitrate is turned off, Valve lists manual bitrate controls from 100 Mbit/s to 500 Mbit/s. The quality slider affects bandwidth directly. Start with settings your network can sustain, then use Remote Play’s in-stream performance graph to inspect the latency components and adjust if the network portion is high or unstable.
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- Operating System: SteamOS 3.0
How to enable Pyrowave and check stream performance
- Open Steam Remote Play’s advanced client settings and opt in to Pyrowave. Valve says it is not enabled by default.
- If using Linux, enable the experimental SteamRT3 Steam Client option in Steam System Settings; Valve listed this as a requirement for Linux beta support.
- Connect the host and client computers directly to the router with at least Gigabit Ethernet if possible, following Valve’s network recommendation.
- Start a Remote Play stream and open its performance graph. Check encode, network, decode, and display latency rather than judging only by the codec’s reported processing time.
- If automatic bitrate is disabled, tune the manual bitrate within Valve’s stated 100–500 Mbit/s range and observe whether the network portion remains stable.
The platform list above reflects Valve’s September 21, 2026 announcement. At that time, the post said Steam Link mobile support was coming soon but supplied no release date, so check Steam’s current beta notes for the latest availability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.HDR and YUV 4:4:4 settings
Valve says HDR is selected automatically when both the host and client support it. YUV 4:4:4 is an optional setting and is off by default. Valve suggests it for desktop streaming or reading text on a 4K display, where preserving color detail can matter; enabling it takes somewhat more bandwidth and processing. It is not necessary for every game-streaming setup.
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When Pyrowave is worth trying
- Try it if you want to experiment with lower codec processing delay and can provide a high-bandwidth, stable network path.
- Compare it with your current setting using the performance graph, because the network or display can dominate total latency even when codec stages are fast.
- Be cautious about switching for a constrained connection: Valve’s 5–10× bandwidth figure makes Pyrowave a poor assumption for a bandwidth-limited setup, even though Wi-Fi itself is not ruled out.
- Consider YUV 4:4:4 selectively for text-heavy desktop use or a 4K display, rather than enabling it by default for every game.
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