Steam games no longer playable in new Tesla cars

20 May, 2024

It seems that a new version of Tesla‘s in-vehicle gaming computer has removed Steam capability.

According to reports, Elon Musk’s company has started sending out emails to customers waiting on delivery of their S and X models of the Tesla. It reads (via VGC): “Tesla is updating the gaming computer in your Model X, and your vehicle is no longer capable of playing Steam games. All other entertainment and app functionalities are unaffected.” It’s also been reported that existing Tesla owners won’t be impacted.

The news of Steam compatibility with Tesla was announced 18 months ago after months of teasing the feature, with the company launching a native app allowing owners to play a number of games while the car was parked, or charging.

The original launch video showed a driver playing Cyberpunk 2077 in their car with the aid of a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, with any Steam Deck-compatible game playable. “You can play Cyberpunk, Elden Ring and 1000s of other games in your *car* with an epic sound system,” said Musk on X, before comparing it to a PS5.

The car manufacturer had previously introduced a number of Atari titles to Tesla cars, before adding the likes of Cuphead and Fallout Shelter but it wasn’t until 2021 that Tesla rolled out a block on Tesla owners playing games while driving their car.

The safety feature was added after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted an investigation following concerns that it could cause accidents on the road. Following NHTSA’s concerns, Tesla issued a software update that disabled its Passenger Play feature while the vehicle is in motion.

In other news, Total War developers Creative Assembly are reportedly working on a new Star Wars game. It’s the second Star Wars strategy game currently in development alongside Respawn’s effort with Bit Reactor.

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