What you will need:
- A PS5: Any model will work, as long as the system software is updated to the latest version.
- An Android phone: The PS Remote Play app requires Android 10 or higher; most recent models have no issues with this.
- A PSN account: Sign in with the same PlayStation Network account on both your PS5 and your mobile device.
- Stable internet: Sony recommends 5 Mbps minimum, but for a comfortable experience, it’s best to have 15 Mbps or higher. Both your phone and PS5 should prioritize 5 GHz Wi‑Fi whenever possible.
- A DualSense controller (highly recommended): On‑screen virtual buttons are available, but for games like God of War and The Last of Us, using a controller provides a much better experience.
How to download PS Remote Play on your phone?
To play PS5 games on your mobile device, the first step is of course to download PS Remote Play. You can download PS Remote Play from either Google Play Store or alternative stores like APKPure.
Download from Google Play Store
- Open the Google Play Store on your mobile device
- Enter “PS Remote Play” in the search bar
- Find the version released by PlayStation Mobile Inc. and click Install to start the download
Download from APKPure
Compared to Google Play, you have more options on APKPure. It offers older versions of the PS Remote Play app. If you need a specific historical version, APKPure is better than Google Play.
- Open your mobile browser and visit the APKPure website: apkpure.com
- Enter “PS Remote Play” in the search bar
- Find the version released by PlayStation Mobile Inc. and click Download APK to start the download. After the download is complete, install it.
After installation, the crucial setup process comes next.
How to set up PS Remote Play and play anywhere?
Step 1: Enable Remote Play on PS5
This process is quite simple and only needs to be done once. Pick up the controller and complete the following settings on your PS5.
First, go to the top‑right corner of the PS5 home screen and open “Settings”, then select “System” > “Remote Play”. Turn on the switch for “Enable Remote Play”.
Here’s a step that’s easy to overlook but very important: Make sure your PS5 can be woken from Rest Mode. Go back to the “Settings” main menu, enter “System” > “Power Saving” > “Features Available in Rest Mode”, and turn on both “Stay Connected to the Internet” and “Enable Turning On PS5 from Network”.
After completing these steps, your PS5 will be ready to be activated at any time. Keep it in Rest Mode, and when your phone sends a connection request, it will automatically start.
Step 2: Complete the settings on your mobile device
Open the app and sign in to your PlayStation Network account. Make sure this account is the same one you use on the PS5, otherwise the connection will fail.
If you plan to use it outside of Wi‑Fi, for example playing with mobile data on the phone outdoors, remember to turn on mobile data in advance. A quick reminder: Playing Remote Play over mobile data is very data‑intensive. So if your data plan is limited, it’s best to stick to Wi‑Fi whenever possible.
Step 3: Connect the controller to the phone
Using the virtual buttons on the screen to play PS5 games can only be described as barely functional. To truly enjoy the gaming experience, you must connect the DualSense controller to the phone via Bluetooth.
The pairing process is actually quite simple. First, make sure the controller is turned off (you can long‑press the PS button to turn it off). Then, press and hold the “Create” button (the small button on the left side of the touchpad) and the PS button at the same time for about three to five seconds, until the light bars on both sides of the touchpad start flashing rapidly in blue. The controller is now in pairing mode.
On your phone, open the Bluetooth settings, search for devices, and you will see a name like “DualSense Wireless Controller”. Tap it to pair. Once the connection is successful, the light bars will stay lit and a prompt will appear on your phone screen.
Pairing only needs to be done once. As long as the controller is powered on and your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on, they will automatically reconnect in the future.
Tip: Full support for the DualSense wireless controller is available on devices running Android 12 or above. If your phone is running an earlier version, it’s recommended to check compatibility first.
Step 4: Connect and Start Playing Remotely
After all the settings are completed, the process is very simple each time you want to play using your phone.
Make sure the PS5 is turned on or in Rest Mode (if set up earlier, Rest Mode works fine). Open the PS Remote Play app on your phone. The app will automatically search for your PS5 on the same network or connect remotely over the internet. Wait a few seconds, and the screen will appear.
After a successful connection, your phone screen will display the PS5 game in real time. Now pick up the paired DualSense controller and press the PS button. The controller will activate and take control of the game. You can even plug a headset into the headphone jack on the controller, and the game audio will be routed through the controller.
If you want to play while replying to messages on your phone, Remote Play also supports “picture‑in‑picture” mode. Switch the app to the background, and it will float a small window on the screen. The game will continue to run, and you can chat while watching the progress.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q: When connecting, it shows Unable to find PS5 or keeps spinning and fails to connect. How to solve it?
This usually relates to the network environment or the application version. You can try the following steps in order:
- Make sure your PS5 and phone are signed into the same PSN account
- Restart the router, PS5, and the mobile device, and then try to connect again
If the above methods don’t work, it might be that the version of PS Remote Play you installed is incompatible with the mobile system. Try downloading a different version from APKPure. It keeps all historical versions, and you can choose a slightly older stable version to reinstall. This method usually solves the compatibility problem.
Q: The picture is laggy and the delay is very high, making it impossible to play. What’s the problem?
- If possible, directly connect the PS5 to the router using an Ethernet cable, it’s much more stable than Wi-Fi.
- Then connect your phone to 5GHz Wi-Fi (avoid 2.4GHz), as there will be less interference
- Ensure that there are no other devices in the house using a large amount of bandwidth (such as downloading or watching 4K videos)
- In the settings of PS Remote Play, change the picture quality to “Priority Smoothness” and reduce the resolution to effectively reduce the delay
Q: After opening the application, the screen goes black or crashes immediately. What’s the reason?
This situation is mostly caused by the incompatibility between the application and the mobile system. You can try clearing the app cache: Phone Settings > Apps > PS Remote Play > Clear Cache. If it still doesn’t work, you can uninstall the current version and then download a different version from APKPure to reinstall. APKPure retains multiple versions from the early days to the latest, and choosing a version suitable for your mobile system usually solves the problem.
Q: The DualSense controller cannot connect to the mobile device, or it doesn’t respond after connecting. What should I do?
First, confirm if the pairing mode of the controller is correct – simultaneously press the Create button (the small button on the left side of the touchpad) and the PS button until the light bar flashes with blue light rapidly. If you have paired it before but couldn’t connect, you can ignore this device in the mobile Bluetooth settings and re-pair it.
It should be noted that DualSense requires Android 12 or above on Android phones to get full support. If your phone’s system version is lower, the controller may have compatibility issues.
Final Thought
PS Remote Play is not a new feature, but after several system updates, its stability and image quality have improved significantly compared to when it was first released. For players who frequently switch between different rooms or occasionally go on business trips, this is almost a must‑have skill.
The setup process actually takes less than ten minutes, but the convenience you gain is very real. You won’t have to compete with your family for the TV anymore, nor will you have to suffer from not being able to play games for several days while traveling.
If you encounter compatibility issues when downloading PS Remote Play, you can try obtaining an older version through APKPure to solve the problem. The whole process is not complicated, just follow the steps above and you’ll be able to get it working.
