Tesla is reportedly set to abandon support for Steam games in its latest Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X vehicles. The feature allowed drivers to dive into titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Forza Horizon 5 with a compatible controller while their car was stationary.
This was first reported by the electric vehicle (EV) blog electrek. They claim that Tesla has written to people receiving new Model S and Model X vehicles to explain that: “Tesla is updating the gaming computer in your Model X and your vehicle is no longer capable of playing Steam games.”
The letter then reportedly goes on to clarify that “all other entertainment and app functionalities are unaffected.” The removal of this functionality, which may have been driven by changes to the hardware of the car’s internal computer, does not appear to affect current owners of the vehicles.
The ability to play Steam games was first introduced in a beta capacity in December 2022. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously promised that it would arrive in August of that year.
Although it has always seemed a little impractical, the concept of being able to play games from the screen in your car was definitely interesting. Musk has claimed that the Tesla Model S Plaid is capable of offering comparable gaming performance to the PlayStation 5. Given the high price of many Tesla vehicles, the added ability to game (though not while driving, obviously) on the go was a solid little bonus.
That said, any future Tesla buyers who still want the option to play from their cars should still be well-served by picking up a dedicated gaming handheld like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck or even a remote player like the PlayStation Portal.
Elsewhere, the automaker has been plagued by a string of woes regarding the recently released Tesla Cybertruck. On top of a number of early adopters who reported issues with the vehicle, some models were recalled after it was discovered that the accelerator pedal could become stuck and increase the risk of a crash.