If you have a PlayStation 5 and an Android phone running Android 12, you can stream and play PS5 games directly from your mobile device using PS Remote Play. While simply pairing your PS5’s DualSense wireless controller with your phone will give you the basic controls for third-party games, Remote Play requires a bit more work to set up.
Never heard of Remote Play? Sony has introduced a feature with PS3 so you can stream and play console games through your portable device. You can even switch between games and navigate the home screen and PlayStation settings. At first it was just the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, but they have evolved with the PS4 and the DualShock 4 wireless controller to support Android and iOS devices.
After connecting a supported PlayStation controller to your mobile device, you can play PlayStation games on the console from your phone screen. You can even move gameplay between your mobile device, PS4 or PS5, and computer if you need to. Best of all, it works over Wi-Fi or cellular data as long as each device is connected to a stable internet connection of at least 5Mbps.
Ghost of Tsushima on multiple devices. Image via Sony
Why use a DualSense controller for remote play?
PS5 games can use exciting DualSense features called haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Haptic feedback lets you feel what’s happening on the screen with precise rumble sensations. Developers program haptics into DualSense to simulate walking on different textures, gun recoil, falling raindrops, and more.
Game developers use this feature for adaptive triggers to simulate the intensity and power of game actions. You can feel how tight the bow gets inside as the character pulls back on the string, or you can stop pulling the trigger when the gun jams, just to name a few.
DualSense Midnight Black Wireless Controller. Image via Sony
These features will work with PS Remote Play as if the controller is directly connected to the console. However, there are no new tactile experiences or adaptive triggers in backward compatible PS4 games. It is also up to the game developer to decide if they implement these features or not.
Set up Remote Play on PS5
Before connecting a DualSense controller to an Android device, you must first enable the remote play feature on your PS5. Sign in to your PlayStation Network account on PS5 if you haven’t already. Then go to the PS5 Settings menu. You can find it by selecting the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Then scroll down and select the System tab, then select the Remote Play option. To enable this feature, turn on the “Enable Remote Play”toggle. The system can now detect remote play devices if the PS5 is left on.
PS Remote Play also works when your PS5 is in rest mode if this setting is enabled. Back in the “System”settings menu, open “Energy saving”, then “Functions available in rest mode”. From here, check the boxes for “Stay connected to the Internet”and “Allow PS5 to be turned on from the network”and you’re done.
Set up PS Remote Play on your Android 12 device
Connecting a DualSense wireless controller to PS Remote Play is similar to connecting a DualShock 4 controller.
First, install (or update) the PS Remote Play app from the Play Store on a supported Android 12 phone. Then make sure the player indicator (the light between the touchpad and speaker) on the DualSense controller is off. If it’s on, press and hold the “PS”button, centered below the touchpad, until it turns off.
Then launch the PS Remote Play app and select “Sign in to PSN”to sign in to your PlayStation Network account if you haven’t already. After signing in, the app will ask which system you want to connect to – select “PS5”.
After pressing the PS5 icon, the app will show you how to connect the DualSense controller and it’s easy. If the controller is already connected, pressing “PS5″can start the pairing process between PS Remote Play and PS5 immediately (see Step 3 below).
Simultaneously press and hold the Create button, which is located to the left of the touchpad and above the direction buttons, and the PS button, located in the center just below the touchpad. Hold them down until you see the light bar flash. This means your DualSense controller is now in pairing mode that your phone will detect.
When the controller is in pairing mode, go to your phone’s “Bluetooth”settings. On the pixel it will be “Connected Devices”. Once there, tap the option to pair a new device. The controller should appear in the list of connected devices called “Wireless Controller”.
It should tell you when it’s paired, and the light bar on your DualSense remote will flash before the player’s light comes on, indicating it’s connected.
You can change “Wireless Controller”to “DualSense”or other name by clicking the edit icon after connecting the controller to the phone.
Pairing an Android phone with PS5
Now that your phone is connected to DualSense and the app detects the connection, you can connect your phone to your PS5. They can be connected in two ways: through the PS Remote Play app or through the PS5 settings.
Pairing from the PS Remote Play app
When connected via PS Remote Play, the app will search for your PS5 over your internet connection, so make sure your PS5 is turned on or in rest mode.
The application will attempt to automatically connect to the detected console. If successful, you will be able to see the video feed of the console screen on your phone and navigate the system using the controller. If it detects more than one console, click on the name of the PS5 you want to connect.
Unfortunately, neither screenshots nor screen recording on my Pixel 5 could capture footage from the console when PS Remote Play was running on the phone, but the process is pretty intuitive.
When you open PS Remote Play later on, you can press the blue button with your PS5 name to start remote streaming/playing on your Android device.
“Pairing”in PS5 settings
You can also manually connect PS Remote Play through the Settings screen on your PS5 console. Under the “Remote Play”settings tab, you will see the “link device”option. Selecting this will display an eight-digit code to pair the app with the system. This code lasts 300 seconds (five minutes) before a new code is required, so you have time.
In the PS Remote Play app on your phone, tap the PS5 icon to start pairing. Under the loading animation, the option “Link manually”will appear; tap it and the screen to enter the code will appear. Enter a code. If successful, you will be able to use DualSense to start playing games on your Android phone.
When can I use PS Remote Play?
You can use PS Remote Play if you have an internet connection of 5 Mbps or higher. For best performance, Sony recommends 15Mbps or faster. This connection can be via Wi-Fi or mobile data, but I can’t recommend using mobile data unless you have an unlimited or significant data plan.
The app will not connect to the PS5 when the console is off, but it will work when the console is in rest mode if you have enabled the setting as shown above.
Which Android phones can use DualSense?
Only devices with Android 12 installed can use the DualSense controller via PS Remote Play. All Google Pixel lines from Pixel 3 onwards are supported. The Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup is ready to go. If you want to know if your Android phone will get Android 12 and when, check out our updated list.