RPCS3 Brings an Old Steam Theme to PlayStation 3 Emulation

RPCS3 now has an Old Steam-inspired theme, giving the popular PlayStation 3 emulator a nostalgic interface based on Valve’s classic Steam client.

RPCS3 remains one of the most capable PlayStation 3 emulators available, and its developers have steadily added features that make accessing PS3 games on PC easier.

Earlier this year, RPCS3 introduced automatic Steam Library integration, allowing users to add their PlayStation 3 games to Steam without manually creating shortcuts. The feature also integrates PS3 artwork, making emulated titles fit more naturally alongside native PC games.

The emulator has also made major progress with game support. RPCS3 recently reached 75% playable PlayStation 3 compatibility, although performance and compatibility can still vary depending on the game and PC configuration.

RPCS3 now looks like the classic Steam client

RPCS3 has now taken its Steam connection one step further by adding a theme inspired by the old Steam client.

The developers shared the new design through the emulator’s official X account, confirming that users can switch to the interface directly from RPCS3’s settings.

The theme, created by FlexBy, recreates the visual style of older Steam releases, giving RPCS3 the gray interface, compact controls, and classic PC gaming aesthetic that longtime Steam users may remember.

Users can enable the new theme by opening Config > GUI > UI Stylesheets and selecting Old Steam.

Once selected, RPCS3 changes its interface to the new stylesheet without affecting the emulator’s underlying functionality.

For gamers who used Steam during its earlier years, the theme should provide a welcome dose of nostalgia. It also gives users another way to customize RPCS3 beyond its default interface.

RPCS3 continues to improve usability

The new theme follows several quality-of-life improvements introduced throughout 2026.

Alongside Steam Library integration and growing game compatibility, RPCS3 also introduced a new tier-based system for PC requirements.

Instead of presenting users with a long list of hardware requirements, RPCS3 now separates PCs into different performance tiers, making it easier to understand what kind of PS3 emulation experience a particular system can deliver.

The Old Steam theme doesn’t improve emulation performance, but it shows that RPCS3’s developers continue to work on the overall user experience alongside compatibility and performance improvements.

Given the emulator’s growing integration with Steam, a more modern Steam-inspired theme would also make sense in the future. For now, longtime PC gamers can give RPCS3 a distinctly old-school Steam makeover with just a few clicks.