Oculus Quest 2 Lagging In Steam VR? (Don’t Panic, Easy Fix)

Meta Oculus Quest 2 lagging in Steam VR? Well, then, this guide is designed to help you out!

Oculus Quest 2 provides fantastic functionality to connect to a gaming computer, then link the headset to the Steam application and start playing VR games.

However, if your VR games are lagging when playing through the Steam app link, there are quite a few possibilities to inspect.

When your Oculus Quest 2 Steam VR games are lagging, update your Oculus Quest and reinstall both the Steam and Oculus Rift S apps. Also, disable the NVIDIA GeForce overlay from the control panel and correct the refresh rate.

If you’re unsure how all this is done, the guide below covers everything!

Why is Steam VR So Laggy Quest 2?

There are quite a few different reasons for Steam VR games lag on Oculus Quest 2:

Let’s next learn how the setup is established the correct way!

How to Connect Oculus Steam VR?

The first thing to verify is that you’ve connected your Oculus Quest 2 to your gaming computer correctly and that the applications are up and ready.

For the Steam VR experience, you need both the Steam app and the Oculus Rift S application installed on the computer to begin with.

Here’s a detailed step-by-step tutorial for Windows computers:

1. On your gaming computer, go to the Steam Website.
2. On the page, click on the green “Install Steam” button.
3. When the Steam.exe is downloaded, start the installer.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the Steam app.
5. Then open the Steam app and sign into your account.
6. Next, navigate to the official Oculus Quest web page.
7. From there, click “Download Oculus Rift Software.”
8. Then, install the application on your gaming computer.
9. Connect the Oculus Quest 2 to a USB 3 port on the PC.
10. Open the Oculus Rift S app and follow the instructions.
11. When ready, select “Virtual Desktop” from the headset.
12. Select the Steam application, and the library will show.

Those are the correct steps enabling you to integrate Steam VR games to play on your Oculus Quest 2, and when ready, you can jump into the action.

However, if you’ve followed the correct steps but your games are lagging, then you must perform a thorough Quest 2 setup inspection!

The troubleshooting steps below will help you solve the lagging!

How to Fix When Oculus Quest 2 Lagging in Steam VR?

Tip: Follow the troubleshooting steps in chronological order!

1. Update Your Oculus 2 Headset!

The first step is to update your Oculus Quest 2 to the latest firmware version because most of the reports for lagging VR games are related to an outdated operating system.

It’s very easy to update the Oculus Quest headset, as long as the device is connected to a working internet.

Here’s how to update your Oculus Quest 2 in easy steps:

1. Verify that your Quest is charged or plugged into power.
2. Then, equip the headset and press the Oculus button.
3. From the Quick Menu dock, navigate to the “Settings.”
4. Then, enter “System” and go to the “Software Update.”
5. If your firmware is outdated, install any pending updates.

During the update, your Oculus Quest will reboot, and when ready, you can link with Steam and test whether the lagging issue will continue.

If yes, then proceed with the following solutions!

2. Disable NVIDIA GeForce Overlay

A common bug that causes lag in the Steam VR games is the Nvidia GeForce overlay, which is a feature that manages icons shown on top of apps.

This causes the lag, and if your gaming PC is equipped with an NVIDIA GPU (Graphics Card), you will be able to disable this setting easily!

Here’s how to disable the NVIDIA GeForce Overlay in easy steps:

1. From the Taskbar, click on the NVIDIA GeForce icon.
2. When the app opens, sign into your NVIDIA account.
3. Then, click “Settings” and go to the “GENERAL” tab.
4. From the general, turn off the “IN-GAME OVERLAY.”

One More Thing – Supersampling!

The “Supersampling” feature is another option for your NVIDIA graphics card, which works like an anti-aliasing, which makes all corners in your games smoother.

• However, this GPU feature is tremendously demanding and will surely make your games lag when your PC is under load.

To turn OFF the supersampling feature on the NVIDIA graphics card, open the NVIDIA Control Panel and go to the “3D Settings.”

From there, you should discover the “DSR-Factors” options, which you must disable (all of them) and save the changes upon exiting the card control panel.

Note: Without GeForce Overlay and no supersampling, test whether your Oculus Quest 2 will continue to lag while playing Steam VR games.

3. Reinstall the Steam Application

Sometimes, the lagging issue while playing VR games from Steam with Oculus Quest appears because of a faulty Steam application.

It’s possible that the Steam app is outdated, or there is data corruption with the application’s files on your computer that requires a clean reinstallation.

Note: The steps below are applicable for Windows 10 and 11 computers!

Here’s how to uninstall and reinstall the Steam app on Windows:

1. First, click on the Start Menu in the Taskbar.
2. Then, type “Control Panel” and enter the app.
3. At the right, change “View by” to “Small icons.”
4. Next, click on the “Programs and Features” tile.
5. From the list, locate and click the “Steam” app.
6. Press on the “Uninstall” button at the very top.
7. Follow the on-screen prompts to remove the app.
8. On your computer, go to the official Steam Website.
9. Click on the green Install Steam button at the top.
10. When the Steam.exe downloads, install the app.
11. Finally, sign into your Steam account to finalize.

Note: Now, when the Steam app is reinstalled, it’s guaranteed that you’ve got the latest version!

4. Reinstall Your Oculus Rift S App

Another possibility for lag on your Oculus Quest 2 VR headset while playing Steam VR games could be faulty pairing from the Oculus Rift S application.

Hence, the best next step is to repeat the reinstallation process, precisely as you did with the Steam app in the previous solution…

Warning: Uninstalling the Oculus Rift S app will require you to set up the Steam link again!

To uninstall Oculus Rift S, go to the Control Panel,

• enter “Programs and Features,”
• locate the app, and
• click the “Uninstall” button to remove it.

Whenever the app is completely removed from your gaming computer, go to the official Oculus Quest website and click the “Download Oculus Rift Software” button.

Then, a fresh copy of the app will start downloading, and when installed on your PC, you’ll have the most recent OS.

Reminder: To link your Oculus Quest 2 with the Oculus Rift S app, follow the instructions at the beginning of this guide!

5. Change Oculus Quest Refresh Rate!

Sometimes, Steam VR games may appear laggy or stuttery because of an incompatible refresh rate on your Oculus Quest 2.

However, adjusting the refresh rate on the Oculus Quest headset is straightforward, so if you haven’t made such an adjustment, follow the instructions below…

Here’s how to change the refresh rate of your Oculus Quest 2:

1. First, open the Oculus application on your PC.
2. Then, click “Devices,” located on the left side.
3. Then, you must pick your Oculus Quest 2 type.
4. Next, scroll down to the “Graphic Preferences.”
5. From there, change the refresh rate to 90 Hz.

When you’re ready, jump back into your games to determine whether this has solved your issue or if the lagging continues.

If yes, then perhaps the entire lag problem comes from your game!

6. Test on Different Steam VR Games!

So, if nothing helps and the lagging is still there, you should start suspecting the game that you are playing.

Sometimes, the lag could be due to resource insufficiency on your computer, or the game you’ve selected produces lag unrelated to your equipment.

So, test on multiple games, and if your lagging problem is still there, contact Meta Support for additional assistance and troubleshooting. Best of luck!

More Oculus Quest 2 Errors:

Q: Why is my Oculus Quest 2 lagging in SteamVR?
A: This may be due to a weak connection or high system load. Lower graphics settings and ensure a stable connection.

Q: How do I fix my Quest 2 link cable not working?
A: Check the cable for damage, ensure it’s properly connected, and update the Oculus software.