Use a Laptop as a Monitor for PS5? Sony’s Way: Remote Play
You can use a laptop as a monitor for PS5 through Sony’s PS Remote Play app, which streams the console’s screen to a Windows PC or a Mac over your internet connection. Sony’s three Remote Play pages print no HDMI step at all; the app is the way they document, and the five connection steps below are Sony’s, in Sony’s order.
The app runs on the laptop and shows you the PS5 screen from a different location, such as another room. Sony’s description: “With Remote Play, you can control your PlayStation® console remotely wherever you have a high-speed internet connection.” and its example is “a computer in another room”.
The PS5 still has to be there and switched on or in rest mode. Sony’s first line on the index page is “A PS5 console or PS4 console is required for Remote Play.”
What the laptop needs
The requirements come in two lists, one for Windows and one for Mac. For a Windows laptop, Sony lists Windows 10 (64 bit) or Windows 11, a processor of “7th Generation Intel® Core™ processors or later”, 100 MB or more of storage, 2 GB or more of RAM, a display of “1024 × 768 or higher”, a sound card and a USB port.
For a Mac laptop, Sony’s list runs from macOS Monterey to macOS Tahoe, with 40 MB or more of storage and 2 GB or more of RAM. Sony’s update note for version 9.5.0 adds that “macOS Big Sur is no longer supported.”
Both lists ask for the same two things from the console side: the PS5 on the latest system software, and the same account you use on the PS5. Sony’s line on the first is “Always update your PS5 console to the latest version of the system software.”
The internet speed line is the one to read twice. Sony recommends upload and download speeds of “at least 5 Mbps” as a standard and “at least 15 Mbps” for best performance.
The controller plugs into the laptop
On Windows the controller connects with a wire. Sony’s Windows page says “Connect your Windows PC and your controller with a USB cable.” and names the DualSense Edge and the DUALSHOCK 4 as other controllers that work.
On a Mac you get a choice. Sony’s Mac page says “You can use Bluetooth® or a USB cable to connect your controller.” and adds that on a USB cable with a DualSense or DualSense Edge “you can experience haptic feedback.”
One time setup on the PS5
Sony puts two settings on the console before the first connection. On the PS5 home screen, go to Settings, then System, then Remote Play, and “turn on Enable Remote Play”; Sony notes “You can adjust this setting for each user.”
To connect while the console sleeps, Sony’s second setting is under Settings, System, Power Saving, Features Available in Rest Mode: turn on “Stay Connected to the Internet and Enable Turning On PS5 from Network”.
Installing the app, once
Sony’s install steps are done one time, and Sony says the same app connects to a PS5 and a PS4. Its lead in: “You’ll only need to do these steps the first time you use the app.”
Download PS Remote Play from Sony’s page, then, in Sony’s words, “Run the installation file, and then follow the on-screen instructions to install the app.” Sony’s Windows page warns that during the install “you might see a request to download additional software that’s needed to use PS Remote Play”.
Sony’s five steps, each time you connect
Sony’s Windows page lists these under “Take the following steps each time you connect to your PS5 console from your Windows PC.” In Sony’s order:
- “Turn on your PS5 console or put it into rest mode.”
- “Use a USB cable to connect your controller to your Windows PC.”
- Launch PS Remote Play on the laptop and select Sign In.
- “Sign in with the same account that you use for your PS5 console.”
- Select PS5.
What happens next is the part that answers the question. Sony says the app searches for the PS5 you signed in to and connects to it automatically, and that after it connects “the screen of your PS5 console displays on your Windows PC and you can start using Remote Play.”
Resolution and frame rate live in the app’s Settings, where Sony says “you can configure video quality settings for Remote Play such as resolution and frame rate.” On Sony’s Windows page, the screen size control on the control panel changes the size of the picture during play.
HDR has its own six steps on Sony’s Windows page, and they apply only “If your Windows PC and PS5 console are connected to a display or TV that supports HDR”. Step 2 of those is to install the HEVC Video Extension from Microsoft on the Windows PC.
Test it at home before you take the laptop away
Sony’s own warning covers the laptop you have not signed in from for a while: the PC “won’t be able to search and connect to your PS5 console if it’s been a while since you last signed in.” Before you try from outside your home, Sony says to “check that your device connects properly while you’re near your PS5 console.”
What will not work over Remote Play
The Restrictions section of Sony’s index page says “Some games don’t support Remote Play.” and that “You can’t use the following functions at the same time as Remote Play:”, with a list that includes “Playing a Blu-ray Disc™ or DVD” and “Watching video services”.
Sony’s footnote adds that “Depending on the game, some images may not be displayed while using Remote Play.” When you quit, Sony says the screen “returns to its original state before your Windows PC was connected to your PS5 console.”
Where Sony’s pages stop
The word HDMI appears zero times on Sony’s index page, Windows page and Mac page (counted on each page, whole word), so none of the three pages prints an HDMI step.
None of them uses the word monitor or the word laptop; Sony’s words are Windows PC, Mac and computer. None of them prints a capture card step, and none prints a latency, lag or delay figure for the stream.
For the rest of a PS5 setup on the same network, we have how to find the Wi Fi password on a PS5, finding Facebook friends on a PS5 and where L3 is on a PlayStation controller.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect a PS5 to a laptop with an HDMI cable?
Sony’s three Remote Play pages print no HDMI step, and the word HDMI does not appear on them. On Sony’s Remote Play pages, the way to show a PS5 on a computer is the PS Remote Play app over your internet connection.
Does Remote Play work on a Mac laptop?
Yes. Sony’s Mac page lists macOS Monterey through macOS Tahoe, 40 MB or more of storage and 2 GB or more of RAM, and lets the controller connect by Bluetooth or a USB cable; the version 9.5.0 note says macOS Big Sur is no longer supported.
How fast does my internet need to be for PS5 Remote Play?
Sony recommends upload and download speeds of at least 5 Mbps as a standard and at least 15 Mbps for best performance. Sony also says to “check that your device connects properly while you’re near your PS5 console” before you try from outside your home.