Steam Frame: does the game run on the headset or a PC?

Two questions create four different arrangements

This table organizes the modes described in Valve’s Frame documentation. It is not a list of tested games. Steam Frame — Steamworks ↗

Does Steam Frame need a PC?

Valve describes the headset as designed primarily for streaming, with standalone support as well. That does not establish that your chosen game runs locally. If the game needs the PC-hosted path, the host remains part of the session. Steam Frame — Steamworks ↗

Record the game and intended mode before comparing requirements. A video of one game running standalone cannot settle a different title’s CPU, graphics, runtime or input needs.

SteamVR support is not a standalone result

Do not convert a PC VR compatibility statement into a claim about local headset execution. Likewise, seeing a flat game on a virtual screen is not evidence that the game itself has a VR mode. Read the device-specific compatibility guide with the execution path in mind.

For streaming, collect the host specifications, game/runtime versions and network arrangement. For standalone play, collect the headset software and the exact supported game build. These are different test records even when the title is the same.

Purchase and performance checks remain separate

Developer documentation establishes documented platform capabilities; it does not prove that a product is available to buy in your region. We do not assert live pricing, stock, delivery dates, comfort, battery life or latency.

No headset or consumer pairing flow was tested. If you are choosing equipment, first resolve the supported execution path, then check current official purchase information. Continue to the streaming model for the general host/receiver distinction, not an assumed Frame setup tutorial.

Give the runtime its own check

Use our SteamVR reference to separate the game, runtime, connection and headset. This avoids treating a PC runtime listing as a standalone game result. Keep any migration from an existing headset as a separate accessory-support investigation.

Proton, FEX and Lepton solve different problems

Valve documents these layers for Frame’s Arm64 SteamOS platform. A Windows x86 game can involve both an OS compatibility layer and an instruction-translation layer. Their presence is not proof that any arbitrary game runs well locally. Valve: games running standalone on Steam Frame ↗

Read the standalone review criteria for the game-level question. Keep PC streaming separate: software running on the host follows the host’s execution path.