What is Sunshine + Moonlight?

Sunshine + Moonlight is a high-performance, open-source remote game streaming solution where Sunshine acts as the game streaming server on a host PC, and Moonlight is the client that connects from another device. It uses the NVIDIA GameStream protocol (now community-maintained) to deliver low-latency, high-quality streaming of games and desktop applications over LAN or internet. Sunshine supports any GPU (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) and allows fine-grained control over resolution, bitrate, and encoding, while Moonlight runs on a wide range of platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, and even browsers. 

Key features of Sunshine + Moonlight

✔ Cross-Platform Compatibility

1. Moonlight clients available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, ChromeOS, and Web.
2. Sunshine server supports Windows and Linux, with hardware-accelerated encoding for NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs.

✔ Ultra-Low Latency Streaming

1. Uses the GameStream protocol for sub-15ms latency, ideal for fast-paced games and remote interaction.
2. Peer-to-peer architecture ensures minimal delay without routing through third-party relays.

✔ High-Quality Video & Codec Support

1. Supports H.264, H.265 (HEVC), and AV1 (if hardware-supported).
2. Streams up to 8K resolution and 240 FPS, depending on GPU and client capability.

✔ Full Controller & Input Support

1. Passes through game controllers with force feedback.
2. Also supports keyboard, mouse, touch, and mobile gyroscope input.

✔ App Flexibility

1. Can stream any executable, not just games — including emulators, creative software, IDEs, and full desktops.
2. Supports app whitelisting and custom launch configurations per client.

✔ Secure & Open

1. Uses TLS encryption with AES for secure streaming.
2. Fully open-source, allowing community contributions, transparency, and code audits.

✔ Advanced Customization

1. Manual control over bitrate, resolution, frame rate, encoder selection, and more.
2. Advanced logging and diagnostic tools built in for stream quality monitoring.

What is Steam Remote Play?

Steam Remote Play is Valve’s built-in game streaming feature that lets you stream games from your primary gaming PC to other devices over a local network or the internet. It works directly through the Steam client and supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Steam Deck, allowing you to play your Steam games remotely with minimal setup. It handles video/audio streaming, controller input, and session syncing automatically, making it ideal for casual gamers seeking a plug-and-play remote gaming experience within the Steam ecosystem.

Key features of Steam Remote Play

✔ Zero Configuration Setup

1. Built directly into the Steam client — no extra software or manual setup required.
2. Automatically handles network discovery, port traversal, and session pairing.

✔ Cross-Platform Streaming

1. Stream from your gaming PC to Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, or Steam Deck.
2. Supports both local (LAN) and internet-based streaming.

✔ Controller & Input Integration

1. Full support for Xbox, PlayStation, Steam Controller, and generic gamepads.
2. Includes remote input sharing, allowing guests to control or join multiplayer sessions.

✔ Remote Play Together

1. Stream local multiplayer games to multiple friends online, even if they don’t own the game.
2. Enables couch co-op over the internet with synced input and voice chat.

✔ Adaptive Streaming Quality

1. Dynamically adjusts resolution, bitrate, and frame rate based on network speed.
2. Supports up to 4K resolution and 60+ FPS(on free version), depending on host and client hardware.

✔ Built-in Steam Overlay Features

1. Access to Steam Chat, browser, FPS counters, and in-game controls while streaming.
2. Seamless integration with Steam’s UI and social features.

✔ Secure Streaming Over the Internet

1. Uses Steam Relay Network to bypass firewall/NAT issues without port forwarding.
2. All streams are encrypted, and authenticated via your Steam account.

Sunshine + Moonlight is an open-source, highly customizable game and desktop streaming solution focused on ultra-low latency, codec-level control, and platform independence. It supports any game or app, offers manual encoder tuning, and works with NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs, making it ideal for advanced users seeking precision and performance.

Steam Remote Play, on the other hand, is a plug-and-play solution tightly integrated with the Steam ecosystem, offering seamless remote gaming with automatic setup, controller support, and social features like Remote Play Together. It's best suited for casual gamers who want to stream their Steam library with minimal effort.

#1 Key similarities between Sunshine + Moonlight and Steam Remote Play

✔ 1. Remote Game Streaming

Both solutions let you stream games from a host PC to remote devices, supporting both LAN and internet-based gameplay.

✔ 2. Cross-Platform Client Support

Each offers multi-platform compatibility, including:

1. Windows
2. Linux
3. macOS
4. Android
5. iOS

(Moonlight also supports ChromeOS & browsers; Steam Remote Play includes Steam Deck)

✔ 3. Controller Passthrough

Both support controller input from the client device, including:

1. Xbox, PlayStation, and generic gamepads
2. Gamepad rumble/haptics
3. Remote mapping and input handling

✔ 4. Keyboard and Mouse Input

They support remote keyboard and mouse control, enabling traditional desktop gameplay as well as remote app interaction.

✔ 5. Audio & Video Streaming

Each solution handles real-time video and audio encoding from the host to the client with hardware acceleration support.

✔ 6. Encrypted Connections

Both implement secure, encrypted streaming channels:

1. Sunshine: TLS (GameStream)
2. Steam: Encrypted via Steam Relay

✔ 7. Mobile-Friendly Interfaces

Both offer optimized performance on mobile devices, with touch controls and resolution scaling adapted to smaller screens.

✔ 8. LAN + Internet Capability

Each supports both local network play and remote streaming, although:

1. Steam handles NAT/firewall traversal automatically
2. Sunshine requires manual config (e.g., port forwarding or VPN)

#2 Key Differences between Sunshine + Moonlight and Steam Remote Play

2.1 Platform Dependency

Sunshine + Moonlight streams any executable—games, apps, emulators—from any source like Steam, Epic, Battle.net, or standalone.
Steam Remote Play is built for Steam games; non-Steam apps require manual addition and may face overlay or compatibility issues.

✔Sunshine is fully launcher-agnostic, while Steam Remote Play works best when you're staying within Steam's native ecosystem.

2.2 Ease of Setup

Sunshine + Moonlight needs manual installation, QR/PIN pairing, network config (e.g., port forwarding), and streaming parameter tuning.
Steam Remote Play works instantly within the Steam client—no setup, no networking, no pairing required.

✔Steam Remote Play offers true plug-and-play convenience, while Sunshine gives more control at the cost of initial configuration effort.

2.3 Streaming Target

Sunshine + Moonlight can stream anything—from full desktop sessions to creative tools, emulators, and non-game apps.
Steam Remote Play focuses on games in your Steam library; streaming non-Steam apps or the desktop requires workarounds and lacks full support.

✔ Sunshine excels in versatility, while Steam Remote Play is purpose-built for Steam games with limited flexibility beyond that.

2.4 Performance Customization

Sunshine + Moonlight gives fine-grained control over streaming parameters—bitrate, resolution, frame rate, codec, and encoder selection.
Steam Remote Play auto-scales these settings based on network conditions, with only basic options exposed to the user.

✔ Sunshine is ideal for users who want full streaming control; Steam prioritizes simplicity over deep customization.

2.5 Latency & Responsiveness

Sunshine + Moonlight achieves sub-15ms latency using peer-to-peer GameStream protocol with direct hardware encoding—ideal for fast-paced gameplay.
Steam Remote Play incurs higher latency due to Steam overlays, input abstraction, and use of relay servers for internet streaming.

✔ Sunshine delivers noticeably lower input latency, making it better suited for competitive or latency-sensitive gaming.

2.6 Encoder Support

Sunshine + Moonlight supports multiple hardware encoders—NVENC (NVIDIA), AMF (AMD), and VAAPI (Intel)—with full manual selection and tuning.
Steam Remote Play relies primarily on NVENC, with limited or no official support for AMF/VAAPI and no user-facing encoder controls.

✔ Sunshine offers broad encoder compatibility and manual control, while Steam is locked into NVENC with minimal configurability.

2.7 Client Platform Support

Sunshine + Moonlight supports a wide range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, ChromeOS, and even browser-based clients via Moonlight Web.
Steam Remote Play is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Steam Deck, but does not support browser-based streaming.

✔ Sunshine + Moonlight offers broader device accessibility, including web and ChromeOS, while Steam Remote Play is limited to native Steam-supported platforms.

2.8 License & Transparency

Sunshine + Moonlight is fully open-source—Sunshine under GPL and Moonlight under MIT—allowing users to audit, modify, redistribute, and contribute freely.
Steam Remote Play is a proprietary feature of the Steam client, licensed under the Steam Subscriber Agreement for personal, non-commercial use only, with no source access or modification rights.

✔ Sunshine offers developer-grade transparency and freedom; Steam Remote Play is locked within Valve’s closed ecosystem and restricted to personal use under proprietary terms.

2.9 Authentication & Pairing

Sunshine + Moonlight uses a secure PIN or QR code pairing system between client and server, with no external account requirement.
Steam Remote Play relies on your Steam account credentials and two-factor authentication (2FA) for session authorization and device linking.

✔ Sunshine offers lightweight, device-level pairing with full local control, while Steam Remote Play depends on centralized Steam account security.

#3 Advanced Differences between Sunshine + Moonlight and Steam Remote Play

3.1 Streaming Protocol

Sunshine uses the NVIDIA GameStream protocol, known for its lightweight design, low-latency encoding, and direct peer-to-peer transmission.
Steam Remote Play utilizes a proprietary streaming protocol, optimized for integration with Steam features but introducing additional overhead through overlays, input abstraction, and relay-based routing.

✔ Sunshine’s GameStream protocol delivers lean, latency-focused streaming, while Steam’s protocol trades raw efficiency for ecosystem integration.

3.2 Monitor Selection & Headless Support

Sunshine allows streaming from a specific monitor, supports multi-display setups, and works with dummy or virtual displays—ideal for headless servers or VM environments.
 Steam Remote Play streams only the primary monitor and typically requires a physical display connected to function properly.

✔ Sunshine is more flexible for advanced setups like multi-monitor gaming or headless servers, while Steam Remote Play is limited to conventional, single-display systems.

3.3 Max Resolution & FPS Support

Sunshine + Moonlight supports streaming up to 8K resolution and 240 FPS, fully dependent on your GPU, encoder, and network performance—no software limits imposed.
Steam Remote Play typically handles up to 4K @ 60 FPS, with 120 FPS available for free via advanced settings, though it's unofficial and hardware-dependent. No support beyond 120 FPS.

✔ Sunshine offers unrestricted high-res, high-FPS streaming based on your setup, while Steam caps out at 120 FPS with no support for ultra-high refresh streaming.

3.4 Multi-GPU Handling

Sunshine allows manual selection of the GPU used for encoding, making it ideal for systems with both integrated and dedicated GPUs (e.g., Intel + NVIDIA).
Steam Remote Play defaults to the system’s primary GPU for encoding, with no built-in option to select or override the encoder GPU.

✔ Sunshine offers advanced GPU selection flexibility, while Steam Remote Play is limited to default system behavior with no encoder targeting control.

3.5 Session Persistence

Sunshine supports persistent sessions, allowing streams to continue or resume even in headless setups using dummy or virtual displays.
Steam Remote Play typically resets the stream if the game is closed, the client restarts, or the connection drops—no built-in session resume or headless persistence.

✔ Sunshine enables stable, long-lived sessions ideal for remote or unattended use, while Steam sessions are more transient and tied to active game/client states.

3.6 Security & Encryption

Sunshine + Moonlight uses TLS encryption for all streams, operates via peer-to-peer (no third-party relay), and has a fully open-source codebase—offering transparency and self-verifiable security.
Steam Remote Play encrypts traffic through Valve’s proprietary relay network, but the underlying implementation is closed-source, with no user access to verify or modify the protocol.

✔ Sunshine provides transparent, self-hosted security with peer-to-peer privacy, while Steam offers convenience with enforced encryption but no visibility into its internals.

3.7 Gyroscope Support (Mobile)

Sunshine + Moonlight supports gyroscope input on mobile clients (Android/iOS), allowing motion-based controls to be mapped to mouse or gamepad input—ideal for shooters or racing games.
Steam Remote Play does not support gyroscope passthrough, meaning mobile motion controls are unavailable during streaming sessions.

✔ Sunshine enables mobile motion control for immersive gameplay, while Steam lacks gyroscope integration altogether.

3.8 UI Customization & Branding

Sunshine features a customizable web-based interface, allowing users to tweak layout, styling, and branding elements to suit personal or organizational needs.
Steam Remote Play has a fixed, proprietary interface with no support for user customization or branding modifications.

✔ Sunshine offers flexible UI customization, while Steam delivers a consistent but non-editable user experience.

3.9 Overlay & UI Layer

Sunshine delivers a clean, unobstructed stream with no overlays—ensuring maximum performance and visual clarity.
Steam Remote Play includes the Steam Overlay, which provides features like chat, browser access, FPS counter, and controller remapping—but may impact performance or input latency.

✔ Sunshine prioritizes raw streaming performance with zero UI interference, while Steam adds in-game convenience at the cost of added overlay overhead.

3.10 Audio Routing

Sunshine allows you to select and bind specific audio output devices for streaming, giving precise control over which audio source is captured (e.g., virtual cable, dedicated output).
Steam Remote Play always captures from the system’s default audio output, with no option to manually select or isolate other devices.

✔ Conclusion: Sunshine offers advanced audio routing flexibility, while Steam keeps it simple but limited to system defaults.

3.11 Multi-Device Streaming

Sunshine + Moonlight supports only one active client connection at a time—no native ability to mirror or broadcast the session to multiple clients simultaneously.
Steam Remote Play also limits to one streaming client per session, with no built-in support for screen sharing, multi-viewers, or collaborative streaming.

✔ Both solutions are designed for single-client streaming sessions, with no native support for multi-user or mirrored streams.

3.12 Video Encoding & Compression

Sunshine supports multiple modern codecs—H.264, H.265 (HEVC), and AV1—with full user control over bitrate, encoder preset, and quality-performance tuning.
Steam Remote Play primarily uses H.264, with limited or no manual control over codec selection or compression behavior; HEVC is experimental and not exposed via UI.

✔ Sunshine gives advanced users full control over encoding quality and codec usage, while Steam prioritizes automatic simplicity with minimal customization.

3.13 Cloud/VM Compatibility

Sunshine is fully compatible with virtual machines, cloud GPU instances, and headless environments using virtual or dummy displays—making it ideal for remote game servers or cloud gaming setups.
Steam Remote Play often fails in headless or VM setups unless workarounds like dummy HDMI plugs or display emulators are used; it expects a physically connected monitor and desktop environment.

✔ Sunshine is cloud-ready and virtualization-friendly, while Steam Remote Play is best suited for physical, local gaming rigs.

3.14 App Whitelisting & Launch Control

Sunshine allows per-client app whitelisting and custom launch mappings, letting you control exactly which apps can be launched and by whom—ideal for shared or multi-user environments.
Steam Remote Play requires you to manually add non-Steam games to your library as shortcuts, with no fine-grained app control or per-client restrictions.

✔ Sunshine offers precise app-level access management, while Steam Remote Play assumes a single-user environment with basic launch handling.

3.15 Internet Streaming & NAT Traversal

Sunshine requires manual port forwarding or a VPN tunnel for remote access outside the local network—offering full control but needing basic network setup.
Steam Remote Play uses Steam Relay Network to automatically traverse NAT and firewalls, enabling internet streaming without any router configuration.

✔ Sunshine offers self-managed, direct connections for maximum performance, while Steam prioritizes ease-of-access through automatic relay-based connectivity.

3.16 Resource Usage & Overhead

Sunshine is a lightweight, modular server focused solely on streaming, with minimal background processes and low system impact.
Steam Remote Play runs within the full Steam client ecosystem, consuming more CPU, RAM, and background resources due to overlays, telemetry, and integrated services.

✔ Sunshine is optimized for lean performance, while Steam Remote Play carries the overhead of a full-featured gaming platform.

#4 Use Case Summary

✔ Choose Sunshine + Moonlight if you need:

1. Open-source control and auditability
2. Advanced encoder tuning (codec, bitrate, FPS)
3. Ultra-low latency via peer-to-peer streaming
4. Full desktop/app streaming, not just games
5. Mobile gyroscope support for motion input
6. Custom workflows across cloud, VMs, or multi-user setups

✔ Choose Steam Remote Play if you want:

1. Plug-and-play simplicity with zero setup
2. Automatic internet streaming via Steam Relay
3. Tight integration with your Steam library
4. Social features like chat, Remote Play Together, and overlays
5. A frictionless, all-in-one gaming experience inside the Steam ecosystem

Conclusion:
Sunshine is the right fit for power users and custom scenarios; Steam Remote Play is ideal for casual gamers who just want it to “work out of the box.”