Believe me, I've tried to get into VR games. However, my introduction to this arena was PlayStation's expensive niche-within-a-niche PS VR headsets, making for hardly the best first impression. Still, I'm hopeful the wire-free Steam Frame can rehabilitate virtual reality's image and make VR games just a bit more accessible. Offering the Android app version alongside your Steam games may be an interesting step in the right direction.
Eagle eyed X user Brad Lynch spotted what may be "the first 'official' Android app on Steam" while poring over the changelist of, drum roll please…Walkabout Mini Golf. Apparently changelist entry #32325165 adds the game's Android .apk to the App Config, plus OpenXR support.
Lynch claims the Android version will be available as an alternate branch of the Steam game's app ID, hence the two-for-one, no need for a separate purchase theory. He also theorises, "If you own this game on Steam already, you will have access to the Android version on Steam Frame day one."
This would be a very good thing for the upcoming Steam Frame. Valve's new VR headset can play games a number of ways: 1) playing a PC VR game streamed from a gaming PC; 2) playing a PC VR game emulated on its own Arm-chip in the headset, using a translation layer called FEX; or 3) playing a native Arm game in the form of an .apk file.
With this suggestion from Lynch, it would appear that if you bought the game for your gaming PC, say to play on the Valve Index, you could also potentially be offered the .apk version of the game for free under that purchase, meaning you don't have to pay again to use the version that runs natively on the Steam Frame. The native version should run better on the Arm chip in the Steam Frame, as FEX will have some sort of performance hit from the emulation process.
Looks like we have the first “official” Android app on Steam!Walkabout Minigolf!If you own this game on Steam already, you will have access to the Android version on Steam Frame day oneIt’s not a separate purchase. Just a new branch of the same AppID 🥹 pic.twitter.com/CnZieweCrPNovember 19, 2025
Though, just to be clear, it's not yet been confirmed by either Valve or developer Mighty Coconut that you'll definitely get an .apk to play on the Steam Frame, alongside the standard Steam version of your VR games. Though a changelist entry like this seems fairly clear cut, game builds can include all sorts of odd files for various reasons.
For instance, data miners have found the entire original version of Oblivion in the Remaster's files, almost perfectly preserved like a set of dinosaur bones. Starfield dataminers also found an interesting, much earlier build of the game in the release versions files. My point is, a Matryoshka-esque nesting of game files is not that unusual and may even include builds that are not always intended to be accessed by the player.
Still, the addition of OpenXR support is promising. This bit of software attempts to consolidate a whole bunch of AR and VR APIs into one package, meaning it's easier to get virtual reality games working on a variety of devices. That could make it a smidge easier to port, say, Meta Quest games…or indeed the Android app version of a game you already own.
While there's no guarantee Mighty Coconut's approach represents any kind of standard for the Steam Frame going forward, you know what they say: first, Walkabout Mini Golf, and then the world! Okay, I totally just made that up—but time will tell.
The best PC gaming gear 2025
All our current recommendations
