> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.streampixel.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Test Locally

> Stream your live Unreal Editor or a local Standalone build through Streampixel without packaging or uploading.

<Note>
  **Beta. For development and testing only.** Test Locally streams from *your* machine, not from Streampixel's GPU fleet. Nothing here reaches end users. When you are ready to go live, [upload a build](/resources/dashboard/builds).
</Note>

Test Locally lets you see your project through the real Streampixel player while it is still running on your own PC. There are two ways to use it, and they behave differently:

|                           | Stream the editor                                                        | Standalone Game (or a packaged build)                                                    |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| What is streamed          | The Level Editor viewport, live, as you work                             | A separate game process, exactly as a Streampixel worker would run it                    |
| What you paste, and where | The **Signalling server URL**, into the editor's Pixel Streaming toolbar | The **Launch argument**, into *Editor Preferences → Play → Additional Launch Parameters* |
| A window on your screen   | Yes, the editor itself                                                   | **No.** The game renders off-screen; you watch it through the preview link               |
| Best for                  | Quick look at a level, lighting, materials                               | Testing what your users will actually get: startup, resolution, input, codec, bitrate    |

## Before you start

* The **Pixel Streaming** plugin must be enabled in your project. It already is if you have shipped a build to Streampixel.
* Your PC needs outbound access to `dev-streamer.streampixel.io` on port `8888`. If a corporate firewall blocks it, the session never connects.

## Start a dev session

1. Open your project in the dashboard and go to **Test Locally**.
2. Click **Start dev session**.
3. The new row expands with three things:
   * **Launch argument**, for a Standalone Game or a packaged build. There is a switch for **PS1** and **PS2**; pick the one that matches the Pixel Streaming version your build uses (see below).
   * **Signalling server URL**, for streaming the editor.
   * **Preview link**, a private page that shows your stream.

A session lives for **2 hours**. Once it expires the row says so and you start a new one; the old launch argument stops working. You can also **Revoke** a session early from its row.

<Warning>
  The launch argument contains a token that identifies your session. Treat it like a password: do not commit it or paste it into a shared channel. A fresh session mints a fresh token.
</Warning>

## Option 1: stream the editor

1. Copy the **Signalling server URL** from the session row.
2. In Unreal, open the **Pixel Streaming** toolbar menu and paste it into **Signalling Server URL**.
3. Choose **Stream Level Editor**.
4. Open the preview link. The session row flips to **Connected** and the editor viewport appears in the player.

This streams whatever the editor is showing. It needs no launch arguments and no restart, so it is the fastest way to look at something.

## Option 2: Standalone Game

This is the one to use when you want to know what your users will see, because the process is launched the same way Streampixel's workers launch it.

1. Copy the **Launch argument** from the session row. Make sure the PS1/PS2 switch matches your build.
2. In Unreal, open **Edit → Editor Preferences → Level Editor → Play**.
3. Paste it into **Additional Launch Parameters**.
4. From the **Play** dropdown next to the Play button, choose **Standalone Game**.

### What happens next

* Unreal starts a **separate game process** with those parameters. It does **not** use Play In Editor, so the selected-viewport and new-window modes will not stream; only Standalone Game does.
* **No game window opens on your machine.** The launch argument includes `-RenderOffScreen`, which renders to memory the same way a Streampixel worker does. This is expected, not a failure.
* The process connects to Streampixel's dev streamer with your session token. The session row flips to **Connected**.
* Open the **preview link**. You see and control the game in the browser, through the production player, with your project's settings applied: codec, bitrate range, quality range, and a 1920 × 1080 starting resolution that the player's resolution selector can still change.
* The preview link goes through the same access rules as your live stream. If the project is password-protected or gated behind SSO, the preview asks for that too.

To iterate, change something, stop the game, and run Standalone Game again. The preview reconnects on its own.

### Packaged builds

The same launch argument works on the command line of a packaged Windows build:

```text theme={"dark"}
MyProject.exe <paste the launch argument here>
```

## PS1 or PS2?

Unreal renamed the Pixel Streaming plugin's encoder settings in 5.5. The two versions read different flags, so the dashboard offers both forms of the launch argument. Choosing the wrong one means the flags are ignored and the encoder runs on defaults.

| Your plugin                          | Choose  | Flags it carries                                                  |
| ------------------------------------ | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pixel Streaming (UE 5.4 and earlier) | **PS1** | `-PixelStreamingURL=…` with `MinQP` / `MaxQP`                     |
| Pixel Streaming 2 (UE 5.5 and later) | **PS2** | `-PixelStreamingConnectionURL=…` with `MinQuality` / `MaxQuality` |

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                                                            | Cause                                                                                            |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Row never turns **Connected**                                      | Wrong PS1/PS2 choice, the plugin is disabled, port 8888 is blocked, or the session expired       |
| Nothing appears on your screen after Standalone Game               | Expected. Rendering is off-screen; open the preview link                                         |
| Stream appears but the resolution selector does nothing            | The launch argument was edited; `-AllowPixelStreamingCommands` must be present exactly as pasted |
| Selected Viewport or New Editor Window shows nothing in the player | Those modes ignore Additional Launch Parameters. Use Standalone Game                             |
| "Local dev mode is temporarily unavailable"                        | The dev service is being updated. Try again in a few minutes                                     |