Valve’s Steam Frame will support Android games out of the box

• Steam Frame dev kits will help studios optimise games for the new headset.
• Android apps run natively on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip without translation.
• New 2160x2160 LCD lenses offer a major resolution jump over the Valve Index.
• Launch planned for early 2026 across Steam Deck and Komodo-supported regions.

Valve has revealed its new Steam Frame wireless VR headset will support Android games.

In an interview with The Verge, Valve said it wants Steam Frame users to never worry about whether a game is native to SteamOS or Android. 

The company went on to share that the goal is to create an experience where players simply see their games in Steam, download them, and press play, regardless of the platform they were built for.

Moreover, Steam Frame will run standard Android APKs that'll allow developers to bring existing mobile and Quest-style VR titles to the device. Valve is also launching a Steam Frame developer kit program to support this. 

Although SteamOS isn’t Android, the headset’s ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon chip allows Android apps to run natively without translation.

Steam Frame features 

Valve’s new headset upgrades the Index’s lenses with higher-resolution LCD panels, jumping from 1440x1600 to 2160x2160 per eye and a 72-144Hz refresh rate. It runs on a 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery

The field of view is slightly narrower on paper at 110 degrees compared to the Index’s 130, and Valve has noted that these display specs may still change before launch. 

The device runs SteamOS, just like the Steam Deck and Steam Machines. It includes an SSD option of either 256GB or 1TB for game installations, as well as a microSD slot with 16GB of RAM.

Under the hood, the Steam Frame uses an ARM-based Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the same high-performance processor found in devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Though specific pricing details have not been revealed, Valve said all three products will launch in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia, along with Komodo-distributed markets such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. 

More detailed information is expected ahead of the Steam Frame’s planned early-2026 release.