With Magic: The Gathering Arena, Wizards of the Coast has undoubtedly taken the digital MTG experience to an entirely new level. Not only has MTGA made drafting and playing Standard in Magic: The Gathering more accessible than ever, it has also brought an exciting new visual element to the game. However, one area where Magic Arena falters is that it is only available for PC, but fortunately for those looking to play Magic: The Gathering Arena on Android devices, there is a workaround to this problem.
In order to play MTGA on Android, players will need two things: a PC that has Magic Arena and Steam installed on it and an Android mobile device that has the Steam Link Beta App installed on it. Once fans have both of these things established, they can begin the process that will allow them to play Magic Arena on Android.
To begin, a player should open Steam on their PC and add Magic: The Gathering Arena to the Steam library. This is done by clicking “Games” at the top of Steam and then selecting “Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library.” From there, a player simply needs to select MTG Arena from the pop up that appears and click “Add Selected Programs.”
After this has been done, players should open the Steam Link Beta App, which can be installed from the Play Store, on their Android devices. Once the Steam Link Beta App opens, players will be prompted to pair a controller, and luckily touch control works well for playing MTG Arena on Android devices.
Next, players should use their Android to select the PC that currently has Steam open. They will then receive a PIN on their Android device, and this PIN should be entered in a popup that will have appeared in Steam. This will prompt a network test and ultimately result in the Android and PC being paired.
At this point, players can select “Start Playing” and get right to playing the best MTGA decks on Android, but a few settings changes can improve the experience. These settings are accessed by selecting “Settings” on the Android device, then clicking “Streaming,” and then clicking “Advanced.” From here, it is recommended to enable “Start Streaming Desktop.”
Then, on the PC, players should open MTG Arena. From inside the Magic: The Gathering Arena app, it is recommended that players visit Settings, Graphics, and then tick Full Screen. Quality Level can be set to Medium.
After this has been done, players can exit MTGA on their PC and press “Start Playing” on their Android device. This will bring up a view of the PC’s desktop on the Android device, and players can now open MTG Arena on their mobile and start playing and redeeming Magic Arena wildcards from wherever they wish.
While certainly many players would prefer that WoTC release an official Magic: The Gathering Arena Android app, this should provide a suitable workaround, and it actually functions quite well. However, for those that may not be setup to use this method, hopefully an MTGA mobile app will come at some point in the near future and give players a chance to redeem MTGA codes on the go.
Magic: The Gathering Arena is available now in open beta on PC.
