Steam Deck users can now install games from their PC without internet

The newly introduced 'Local Network Game Transfer' lets Steam Deck users transfer games installed on their PCs without requiring an active internet connection

Steam Deck | Steam Deck new feature | Steam Beta PC to PC transfer

The new feature is currently limited to the desktop Steam app. (Image Source: Valve)

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If you are someone who wants to play video games on the go or want to play games from the comfort of your bed or couch, you might have heard about Steam Deck. Developed by Valve, the same company that brought us Counter-Strike, the handheld gaming device recently received an update with a new feature called ‘Local Network Game Transfers’.

As the name suggests, the feature lets users transfer their games from their PCs to the Steam Deck without requiring an active internet connection. This is great for those who have already installed games on their PCs but don’t want to download them again on their handheld device.

According to the Steam support page, the new feature works by checking if there are any other PCs on your local network and once a game is installed on one PC, all other PCs can install or update the game by simply transferring files directly from the PC instead of contacting the Steam content server. Users can see the transfer progress on the download page in the library section.

Hello! We’ve just shipped a Beta update to Steam and Steam Deck that includes a new feature: Local Network Game Transfers.

This allows Steam users to install games directly from one PC to another over a local network, without having to download and install from the internet. pic.twitter.com/bv9xThZCoS

— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) February 17, 2023

If the connection is lost, Steam will automatically use the internet to download the remainder of the game. One thing to note here is that both users need to be on the beta version of Steam and only a PC running Steam on desktop mode can send files. This means you can transfer games from your PC to the Steam Deck but not the other way around. Also, only the game files are transferred from one machine to another and no save games or configuration files are sent.

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