Tesla Drops Steam Games in Newer Cars

Tesla has notified buyers of new cars that their EVs won’t support Steam games.

Electrek has learned Tesla sent a message to new Model S and Model X owners that an update to the in-car computer would mean that it was “no longer capable” of playing Steam titles.

There’s no mention of whether or not existing owners will lose access. In the past, Tesla has preserved apps like Disney+ even as it removed them from newer deliveries.

We’ve asked Steam’s developer, Valve, for comment. Tesla disbanded its communications team years ago and wasn’t available for comment.

Tesla introduced a beta Steam client for the Model S and Model X near the end of 2022. The software let drivers and passengers alike play PC games while parked, so long as they could run on the car’s hardware and supported gamepads. It served as a way to pass the time at a Supercharger station.

While it’s unclear why Tesla removed Steam for new deliveries, it wouldn’t be a surprising move. Many people play games on phones and tablets in the car while it charges, or will leave the car entirely.

There’s also the question of upgrades to Tesla’s charging infrastructure. As cars and Superchargers? top up faster, the windows of time for gameplay will get smaller. There might not be much incentive to load Steam knowing that your car may be recharged before you make much progress.

Movies, music, and TV shows remain options in Tesla cars, and could make more sense as it’s easier to stop and resume them.