Unreal Engine Pixel Streaming Setup: A Guide to Streaming Projects to the Browser

Unreal Engine Pixel Streaming can stream video and audio from a packaged Unreal Engine application to a web browser while relaying user input back to the application. Epic Games’ official guides explain how to set up the system on a local network and access it from computers and mobile devices. The steps below focus on making an application running on one computer available to browsers on the same network.

What will you learn in this guide?

Once setup is complete, an Unreal Engine project can run on one computer while other devices connect to it through a browser. Video and audio are streamed to remote devices, and the default player page supports keyboard, mouse, and touch input. This means you don’t need to install the application separately on every device for an architectural presentation, interactive scene review, or project demo.

This method is not the same as moving the application to the cloud: the official getting-started guide recommends first testing on a local network or VPN. The steps should therefore be tried first with one computer and clients on the same network. Access over the internet or from different subnets may require additional network configuration.

Requirements and preparation

The Pixel Streaming plugin supports video encoding on Windows, Linux, or Mac operating systems with specific GPU hardware. For details on supported GPUs, the source refers readers to the Pixel Streaming Reference document, so check hardware compatibility before setup. The guide does not require a specific Unreal Engine version. Although 5.7 is given as an example branch name for the server infrastructure, it is not presented as a version requirement for all projects.

The packaging steps in the getting-started guide use Windows. For local network communication, ports 80 and 8888 must be open, and any other web servers running on the computer should be stopped during setup. For testing on the same computer, you can use localhost or 127.0.0.1. To connect from other devices, you’ll need the network IP address of the computer running the application and Signalling Server. The sources do not mention a paid account requirement.

Setup and connection steps

1. Enable the plugin. Open the project in Unreal Editor, go to Edit > Plugins, and enable either the Pixel Streaming or Pixel Streaming 2 plugin under the Graphics category. Restart the project to apply the change.

2. Set the launch address. In Edit > Editor Preferences..., find the Level Editor > Play category. Add the local connection address to the Additional Launch Parameters field:

-PixelStreamingURL=ws://127.0.0.1:8888

For projects with characters, if you want touch controls on a phone or tablet, you can enable Always Show Touch Interface under the Engine > Input category in Edit > Project Settings. This setting is optional and depends on whether the project’s Player Controller component supports touch input.

1. Package the project. In the Windows example from the source, the application is packaged by selecting Files > Package Project > Windows (64-bit). The plugin can be used with a packaged application or a project launched from Unreal Editor using the Standalone Game option; running the project in the editor’s normal viewport is not a substitute for these options. Pass the same connection parameter each time you launch the packaged application.

2. Get the Pixel Streaming infrastructure. The web server and frontend components are available in a separate repository called Pixel Streaming Infrastructure. Epic’s guide lists two ways to get the infrastructure: use the Git repository or run the get_ps_servers command in the Unreal Engine installation. If you choose to clone the repository, use the example branch format shown in the source:

git clone --branch UEX.Y https://github.com/EpicGamesExt/PixelStreamingInfrastructure.git

Replace UEX.Y with the name of the branch you’ve selected; the guide gives 5.7 as an example. On Windows, run SignallingWebServer\platform_scripts\cmd\setup.bat to set up the server and SignallingWebServer\platform_scripts\cmd\start_with_stun.bat to start it. For Linux and Mac, the guide says to use the scripts under SignallingWebServer\platform_scripts\bash to perform the same steps.

1. Connect the application to the server. With the Signalling Server running, launch the packaged application using the parameter set in the previous step. The message Streamer connected in the server window indicates that the application has connected to the server.

2. Connect from a browser. On the same computer, open a supported browser and go to http://127.0.0.1; connect and then start playback on the page. To connect from another computer or mobile device on the network, use the IP address of the computer hosting the stream instead of 127.0.0.1. The default page relays keyboard, mouse, and touch input. Connected devices see the same scene and, by default, all send input to the application.

Common issues and next steps

If you can’t connect, first check that the application is running as a packaged build or in Standalone Game mode, that the plugin is enabled, and that the launch parameter has been added correctly. Then check whether ports 80 and 8888 are open for communication and whether another web server is using them. In a browser, 127.0.0.1 points only to the same computer; on another device, use the IP address of the computer hosting the stream.

If the application window is accidentally minimized, input streaming may stop. The guide also suggests adding -RenderOffScreen to the application’s launch parameters to prevent this. Access over multiple networks or the internet may require more advanced network configuration; connections from different networks may call for STUN/TURN settings for the Signalling Server. The player page can also be customized. For HTML5 interface additions and control over which clients can send input, refer to the official customization documentation.

Implications for architecture, interior design, and archviz workflows

Pixel Streaming can help architecture and visualization teams share an interactive Unreal Engine presentation through a browser. The image is streamed from the remote application, so clients don’t need to install the application themselves. However, the operating system and GPU compatibility of the computer running the scene, along with network connectivity and port settings, should be verified in advance. The source also notes that there are trade-offs between quality, latency, and reliability, making it important to test under real presentation conditions. Larger-scale use or access over the internet may require different network and server preparation than a basic local network setup.

Source and license

This guide has been adapted into Turkish based on Epic Games’ official “Pixel Streaming in Unreal Engine” and “Getting Started with Pixel Streaming in Unreal Engine” documentation. The sources are marked as freely licensed, but the provided texts do not specify the license by name.