Princess Scott Auto 12.14.2022 05:Dec AM EST

Tesla Rolls Out Steam Games to Model S and X EVs

Tesla Model S and X owners can now run Steam games in their vehicles.

As part of Tesla's holiday update, the car company is rolling out Steam integration for the latest versions of its Model S and X electronic vehicles (EVs), according to Engadget.

You will see the cars' infotainment system running Steam Beta in the promotional video for the said feature. It features even graphically demanding games such as Cyberpunk 2077.

According to Electrek, thousands of games are now playable in Tesla's Model S and X EVs.

Tesla CEO Previously Announced That the Car Company is Bringing Steam to its EVs

In the past few years, the car company has been planning to integrate video games into its in-car entertainment system.

Earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that the car company is actually working to bring Steam to its EVs.

Now, according to the holiday update, the feature is available only on Model S and X (year 2022+) having 16GB DDR memory. It requires Premium Connectivity and will cost $9.99 per month.

Because Model S and X have AMD Ryzen processors that come with a built-in GPU, the vehicles can run Steam.

However, according to PC Mag, the said EVs don't run the Windows version of Steam. Instead, based on the release notes, Tesla is rolling out the Linux-based version that can be found on the Steam Deck.

Because of this, the Steam integration in Tesla cars is designed to run games verified for the Steam Deck.

Moreover, the release notes also stated that with Steam's cloud synchronization, you can resume your game from Tesla or any Steam device. In order to access Steam, you simply have to tap the Application Launcher and then tap Arcade.

Aside from the Steam integration, the holiday update also offers integration with the video-conferencing app Zoom and Apple Music.

Tesla is Adding Thousands of Games to its Model S and X EVs

According to Engadget, the new Model S and X vehicles refer to Tesla's Plaid versions, which started shipping last year.

As mentioned earlier, the infotainment systems of the said models use AMD's RDNA 2 GPUs. These are also the technology behind PlayStation 5, and AMD's Ryzen chips.

Over the past few years, the car company has been building its library of in-vehicle games. The car company has added titles such as Cuphead, PUBG Mobile, and Fallout Shelter to the games that it offers.

But by integrating Steam into its vehicles, Tesla is adding thousands of games to the aforementioned EVs.

Previously, Tesla got into trouble with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for letting people play games even while driving.

Because of this, the car company disabled the said capability because of the agency's investigation. However, while the vehicles are in motion, it is really unlikely for people to play games.

While bringing Steam may not be a primary feature for a vehicle, its integration with Tesla's electric automobiles brings infotainment to a new level.

The latest move of the car company essentially changes what users typically expect from in-vehicle infotainment.